Philadelphia Opera

Opera Philadelphia (prior to 2013 Opera Company of Philadelphia (OCP) ) is an American opera company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the city's only company producing grand opera. The organization produces five fully staged opera productions annually, encompassing works from the 17th through the 21st century. The famed Academy of Music, the oldest opera house to be continuously in use for its original purpose within the United States, is currently the venue for three of company's performances; two productions of chamber opera are produced at the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theatre. The company is led by David Devan, who was appointed general director in 2011.

The Opera Company of Philadelphia was established in 1975 with the merger of the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company (PLOC) and the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company (PGOC); two organizations which had competed with one another for many years.Adele W. Paxson, who headed the PLOC, was appointed the first president of the company's board, a position she held for many years. Max Leon, conductor and general manager of the PGOC, became the company's first general manager, and Carl Suppa became the company's first artistic director. All three individuals were largely responsible for arranging, planning, and executing the merger. In 1976 the company presented the world premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti's The Hero.

At the end of the 1977-1978 season both Leon and Suppa left the company. As a result, J. Edward Corn was appointed the company's second general manager; subsequently Julius Rudel became an artistic consultant for the company. In 1980, Corn left the company to become the director of the National Endowment for the Arts' new opera and musical theater program. Margaret Anne Everett, the OCP's director of educational and community services since 1977, was initially appointed the company's acting manager and then officially became the company's third general manager. She remained in that position for fourteen years.

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