On February 19, 2022, Pittsburgh Opera performed the world-premiere performance of In a Grove to a capacity crowd at the Bitz Opera Factory. The 56-minute opera, which had music by Christopher Cerrone and a libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann, was based on the short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, which in turn inspired Kurosawa’s renowned film Rashomon. The six-performance run exceeded our ticket goals and garnered rave reviews from local, regional, and national media outlets. Wanting to make the production available to interested patrons outside the greater Pittsburgh area, we produced a multi-camera video of the final dress rehearsal and unveiled it as a limited-time YouTube Premiere on May 15, 2022. We did not put the video behind a paywall, as we wanted it to be accessible to as many viewers as possible. The premiere drew over 1,000 views; of those that were geographically identifiable, almost 90% were out-of-market. The video is still public, which is how we intend to keep it.
ABOUT THE PRODUCERS
Established by five intrepid women in 1939, Pittsburgh Opera is viewed as one of the most vibrant opera organizations in the U.S., with a rich artistic tradition, outstanding educational programs, an acclaimed artist training program, and a progressive outlook toward the future.
Pittsburgh Opera, Inc., is a Budget Group 2 member of OPERA America and a constituent organization of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. We are a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization and an equal-opportunity employer.
Pittsburgh Opera enriches Pittsburgh and the tri-state area and draws national and international attention to the region by creating live opera at the highest standards of artistic excellence; making opera accessible to a diverse audience; developing young singers into tomorrow’s artists; and ensuring the future through responsible fiscal management.
The current leader of Pittsburgh Opera is Christopher Hahn, who became artistic director in 2000 and general director in 2008. During his tenure, he has considerably expanded the company’s repertoire to include Baroque and many contemporary works, and he has vigorously upheld Pittsburgh Opera’s high standards of management and artistic excellence. He has expanded the Resident Artist Program to include two annual productions, both of which are offered as part of the full subscription series. He led the move to Bitz Opera Factory in the historic George Westinghouse Air Brake Factory at 2425 Liberty Avenue, in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, and developed a range of audience and community programs that take place there.
Pittsburgh Opera’s current music director, Antony Walker, was appointed in 2005 and has brought an engaged and highly informed leadership to the company’s musical forces and developed a music staff of note.
