UrbanArias is a new opera company dedicated to producing short, contemporary operas. Our mission is to expose DC-area audiences to engaging, accessible, entertaining operas, and to provide a friendly venue at which both established and emerging composers can present their shorter works.
UrbanArias has been producing short opera since 2010. Our debut performance was at the Kennedy Center, on a concert of American music sponsored by Vocal Arts DC. In April 2011, UrbanArias produced its first festival of contemporary opera at the newly-renovated Artisphere in Arlington. UrbanArias will present this festival each year, as well as other performances, expanding as we grow. Each festival includes three to five pieces; UrbanArias cultivates regular collaborations with both prominent and emerging composers, and our productions feature both well-known and emerging artists. We are very excited to begin commissioning works in our coming 2012 season, and hope to unveil one brand-new short opera each year. We’re on track for a premiere in 2013 as well!
UrbanArias performs principally in the black box theater at Artisphere; some projects take us to other spaces, such as the larger ballroom, which is adjacent to the black box.
Our performances are structured so as to appeal to both avid opera fans and first time opera-goers:
- We perform works by composers whose music is accessible to a broad range of audience members;
- We perform a “rush-hour” show at 7 p.m. on some evenings, along with another performance at 9 p.m., thereby offering a schedule that fits into an evening that may involve a variety of entertainment possibilities;
- We use other spaces in the Artisphere to enhance our presence as a comprehensive contemporary opera festival. Upcoming examples of this are:
- a reading of our 2012 World Premiere in the “Ballroom” space
- pre- and/or post-performance talks in the “planetarium” part of the building;
- opera improv performances in various Artisphere spaces
As opera companies across the country look for ways to develop new audiences and fill larger theaters, we offer a lean, contemporary, audience-aware approach. In its short life-span, UrbanArias has already serve as an incubator for new works: Fort Worth Opera decided to program last April’s hit Glory Denied after seeing it at UrbanArias. We also are working on pieces that are produced in conjunction with other prominent national companies, thereby building a body of short contemporary repertoire that will fill a growing niche in the American operatic scene. UrbanArias is becoming a reliable and regular commissioner of new opera, building audiences with dynamic pieces, interesting stagings, and nationally-known singers.
We feel that the combination of UrbanArias’ fresh, cutting-edge approach to opera and the dynamic new Artisphere will help draw world-class performing artists and composers to Arlington. UrbanArias hopes to make a lasting contribution to Arlington’s continued artistic growth and cultural diversity, as well as focusing national attention on our sophisticated, urban community.
This program is supported in part by the Arlington Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington Economic Development and the Arlington Commission for the Arts. www.arlingtonarts.org
