American Repertoire Council

Opera Philadelphia will develop the American Repertoire Council, a national advisory body charged with assessing and deconstructing the company's current process for creating new operatic works. The council will discuss the challenges of presenting opera in a competitive cultural landscape and, through conversations with leaders in other fields—such as technology, theater, and academia— will explore alternatives to Opera Philadelphia's typically straightforward process of new opera development. This influx of artistic advisory experience will directly impact the organization's 10-year commitment to producing one new American opera each season, building on its recent Center-funded commission of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell's Pulitzer Prize-winning Silent Night. Opera Philadelphia will disseminate the council's findings to others in the field. [fn]Management grants, through the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative, were awarded from 2009 through 2013.[/fn]