Opera Ritrovata

Opera Ritrovata is a small portable opera company with a sense of humor. The company is dedicated to promoting unjustly forgotten works of women and minorities and fresh reinterpretations of current canonic pieces. Structured democratically, Opera Ritrovata is run by the musicians and artists that form its core, allowing each production member to have a say in decisions that might otherwise be determined by one director. As the company strongly believes in music’s role as a force for positive social change, it does not shy away from the possible current political implications of the musical past. Opera Ritrovata will synthesize the worlds of chamber music and opera, allowing the opera of neglected voices to flourish and inspire a new generation. The first major project was a presentation of opera scenes on July 13th, 2018, at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral. The company performed excerpts of operas by Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729) and Joseph Bologne, “Chevalier de Saint-George” (1745-1799), and a newly commissioned work by local composer George N. Gianopoulos. This performance was videotaped, and the first available recordings of vocal music by Joseph Bologne are now accessible for free on the company’s website and YouTube. Opera Ritrovata aims to continue to increase access to these works and make performance editions of the Bologne opera (currently, there is only an 18th-century edition, which is very difficult to use) available to other organizations in exchange for a suggested donation. Looking forward to 2019-2020, the company plans to present a season based on the works excerpted in the July performance. These pieces will be staged at various locations, without excessive scenery, but with costumes and otherwise fully staged. A benefit of the company’s small size will be the ability to perform in a wide range of venues and stage operas in schools as part of an education program. Long-term goals include making high-quality recordings, setting up an opera house, and presenting a new season of operas each year.