Placido Domingo Headlines 70 YEARS OF THE PEOPLE'S OPERA Tonight at New York City Center

Opera star Placido Domingo will join veterans of the now defunct New York City Opera for a 70th anniversary benefit concert, "70 Years of the People's Opera", tonight, February 21 at the City Center. Domingo made his debut with the City Opera as 'Pinkerton' in Puccini's MADAMA BUTTERFLY in 1965.

"The company has done extraordinary work for these many decades, and has played an indispensable role in the cultural life of New York City," Domingo said in a statement. "This concert is a reminder of the enduring passion of the City Opera family for the living art form of opera - and of the artistic vitality of the musicians and performers who carry on the 'people's opera's' ambitious populist tradition."

The concert is set to benefit the New York City Musicians' Emergency Relief Fund. The City Opera filed for bankruptcy last year, so the event is not officially affiliated with that organization.

Also on the bill will be some of the City Opera's former performers, including Amy Burton, Lauren Flanigan, Joelle Harvey and Jennifer Rivera, with former music director George Manahan conducting. Selections will feature numbers from Douglas Moore's THE BALLAD OF BABY DOE, Handel's GIULIO CESARE and more.

City Opera moved out of its previous home, Lincoln Center, in 2011 after financial troubles hit. Since its departure, the company, which in 2012 managed to raise the $11.5 million it needed to keep the stage lights up, performed at various theaters and venues throughout the city before declaring bankruptcy in October 2013.

For nearly seventy years, since Mayor Fiorello La Guardia established it as "The People's Opera," New York City Opera has introduced generation after generation of young singers who are stars in the making, brought the public exciting new works and compelling, fresh interpretations of classics, acted as a champion for American composers and performers, and ensured that every New Yorker can experience the live art of opera.

New York City Opera has been a pioneer in the field of arts education for more than 40 years. Drawing upon the company's adventurous and contemporary approach to opera, NYC Opera Education provides students with a three-dimensional introduction to the art form, from page, to stage, to backstage. Students meet with NYC Opera Teaching Artists and other theater professionals in their classrooms, go behind the scenes to see how productions come together, and watch world-class performances during the season.

For more information about the concert, visit nycitycenter.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride

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