Guerilla Opera is a Boston-based experimental opera company and 501(c)3 non-profit organization, whose mission is to foster a new repertoire of chamber operas written specifically for them, and to perform in intimate settings without the use of a conductor or formal music director.
Since 2007 Guerilla Opera has garnered a national reputation for excellence in performance and bold programming.
By the end of the 2016-2017 season Guerilla Opera’s achievements will include:
- 15 world premiere operas;
- 17 new productions;
- ArtsImpulse Theatre Award for Best Opera: Beowulf (2016); and
- ArtsImpulse Theatre Award for Best Music Direction: Beowulf (2016); and
- ArtsImpulse Theatre Award for Best Opera:Gallo (2014); and
- Best Opera Company by The Improper Bostonian magazine (2012).
Guerilla Opera has continuously focused it’s attention on extending our reach to communities outside of Boston through:
- Producing studio recordings of commissioned operas;
- Free live-streamed performances since 2013;
- Performances at Hubbard Hall Opera Theater in Cambridge, NY (2012);
- Performances at The OPERA America Convention (2011); and
- Performances at The Rudi E. Scheidt School: University of Memphis (2011).
In addition to performances, Guerilla Opera has been invited to sit on discussion panels and speak at the following venues and events:
- Classical Singer Convention – Boston, MA (2016);
- Longy School of Music at Bard College – Cambridge, MA (2015);
- The National Opera Association Annual Convention – Memphis, TN (2012);
- “Opera Night at the BPL” by Boston Lyric Opera – Boston, MA (2012); and
- “Small Talk” by Small Theatre Alliance of Boston – Boston, MA (2010).
Guerilla Opera’s 10th anniversary season (2016-2017) saw varied projects: In September 2016 the Guerillas produced a second original production of “Loose, Wet, Perforated” by Nicholas Vines, with stage direction by Austin Regan with one live-streamed performance, which you can watch on their vimeo channel.
In October 2016 they finished a studio recording of “Loose, Wet, Perforated” by Nicholas Vines and throughout the rest of the season collaborated with the composer on the editing and mastering of the final product. It will be commercially released October 13, 2017 on Navona Records, a classical label imprint of PARMA Recordings.
Throughout the Spring Mike Williams, artistic director, taught a course entitled “Guerilla Opera – Writing for Chamber Opera,” at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, which brought together Conservatory student-composers, singers, and instrumentalists to write and produce a staged performance of several short chamber operas. This culminated in a one-time performance on May 5, 2017 at the conservatory.
On May 31, 2017 the Guerillas produced a 10th Anniversary Celebration Concert, which featured excerpts from their repertoire of commissioned operas, including “Heart of a Dog” by Rudolf Rojahn, “Say It Ain’t So, Joe!” by Curtis K. Hughes, “Gallo” by Ken Ueno, “Beowulf” by Hannah Lash and new music from Andy Vores.
The company also instituted an internship program, which brought them three interns from Boston University and New England Conservatory for additional administrative support during this past Spring.