Queens Opera Theater Launches This Weekend

FLUSHING, QUEENS — Queens' new opera company is kicking off the season with a free performance on Saturday.

Queens Opera Theatre's first inaugural season preview will be held in Flushing Town Hall Saturday, April 15 at 7.30 p.m. The hour-long performance by the borough's first opera company will include music from Bizet's "Carmen," Korngold’s “Die tote Stadt,” Puccini’s “Turandot” and Wagner’s “Der fliegende Hollander."

The company was founded by conductor Andy Anderson and executive director Brian Gill, who started working on the project in December 2015. After receiving a space grant from Flushing Town Hall, the troupe is finally ready to stage a preview of their productions to come later in the year.

"We formed in order to educate the general public of New York on all aspects of opera," says Anderson. Among their goals is to make opera accessible and affordable to everyone.

For now, the company will be staging only a few productions per year, starting with a holiday-themed show in December. They will later incorporate musicals into their repertoire, including work by Rodgers and Hammerstein and Jerome Kern.

The two had also started a GoFundMe campaign in November 2016 to help raise funds for the kick-off event but never reached their of goal $5,000.

Visit Queens Opera Theatre's website for more information.

Lead image via Google Maps