Elkhanah Pulitzer in Conversation
Thursday, April 24, 2025 | 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET
In-Person at OPERA America’s National Opera Center
330 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY
AND Livestreamed
Fresh off her Metropolitan Opera debut, director Elkhanah Pulitzer will join Marc A. Scorca, president/CEO of OPERA America, for a conversation about her innovative stage direction. Pulitzer will discuss how her work explores the intersection of music and theater across genres, from art installations and the album tour of five-time Grammy Award-winning Esperanza Spalding, to making her Metropolitan Opera debut with the premiere of John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra (libretto adapted by Adams from Shakespeare, with other texts).
Attendees are invited to a casual reception with the guest following the event.
Featuring:
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Elkhanah Pulitzer, director
Elkhanah Pulitzer is a highly esteemed theater and opera director known for her bold, nuanced stage direction that explores the intersection of music and theater through innovation and hybridized forms, creating compelling and visually stunning productions. Driven by her desire to captivate audiences into the theatrical space, her vision sparks the unfolding of events onstage, attentively integrating each collaborator’s artistic vision. In past seasons, Ms. Pulitzer has directed projects at the LA Philharmonic including Adams’ Nixon in China and Bernstein’s Mass, the latter of which was also staged at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. She has also directed Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary at the San Francisco Symphony, and Lucia di Lammermoor and Judas Maccabaeus at LA Opera. Committed to pushing the boundaries of opera, Ms. Pulitzer’s recent works include a production of John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra with the San Francisco Opera and Gran Theatre del Liceu, Alisa Weilerstein’s Fragments, and David Lang’s prisoner of the state (premiered by the New York Philharmonic) touring with European orchestras. Pulitzer has collaborated with the Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Omaha, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, and the Canadian Opera Company. She has received Opera America’s Success Award for her libretto Dream of the Pacific, composed by Stephen Mager. Born in Boston and raised in St. Louis and Marin, she serves as the board vice president of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, advancing experimentation in art curation, installation, and live programming.
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Marc A. Scorca, OPERA America President/CEO
Marc A. Scorca joined OPERA America in 1990 as president and CEO. Since that time, the OPERA America membership has grown from 120 opera companies to 3,500 organizations and individuals. Under his leadership, OPERA America has administered two landmark funding initiatives in support of the development of North American operas and opera audiences and launched an endowment effort in 2000 to create a permanent fund dedicated to supporting new works and audience development activities. In 2005, Scorca spearheaded OPERA America’s relocation from Washington, D.C. to New York City and the subsequent construction of the National Opera Center, which opened in 2012 and serves 80,000 guests each year. The Opera Center’s recital hall was dedicated as Marc A. Scorca Hall in 2015 in honor of Scorca’s 25th anniversary with the organization.
Scorca has led strategic planning retreats for opera companies and other cultural institutions internationally, and has participated on panels for federal, state, and local funding agencies, as well as for numerous private organizations. He also appears frequently in the media on a variety of cultural issues. A strong advocate of collaboration, Scorca has led several cross-disciplinary projects, including the Performing Arts Research Coalition and the National Performing Arts Convention (2004 and 2008). He is currently a member of the U.S. delegation to UNESCO. Scorca serves as an officer on the boards of the Performing Arts Alliance and the Curtis Institute of Music, and is on the Music Advisory Board of Hunter College (CUNY). Scorca attended Amherst College, where he graduated with high honors in both history and music.
Join Us In-Person
Registration for the in-person event at OPERA America's National Opera Center is $5 for members and $10 for non-members. Students can attend for free (with a valid student ID), but advance registration is required. Join today to access the member rate.
Join Us Online
Access to the LIVE BROADCAST is free, but advance registration is required. Register below and choose "LIVE BROADCAST" for your ticket type. You will be emailed tune-in details in advance of the event.
This event is part of OPERA America Onstage, our signature public programming series that welcomes artists, students, and opera audiences for intimate performances and conversations with our industry’s leading artists and rising talent. Learn more and see what's next at OPERA America Onstage.
Looking for more opera in your life? Check out the National Opera Calendar to find out what's on stage near you.
The 2024–2025 season of OPERA America Onstage is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Programming at the National Opera Center is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.