dell’Arte Opera Ensemble was founded in New York City in 2000. Its first production was an artfully staged and beautifully costumed version of Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi, with piano accompaniment and integrated narration from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In keeping with dell’Arte founder Christopher Fecteau’s vision, the production took advantage of an existing location, the neo-gothic chapel of Riverside Church to create an unforgettable setting. November of 2000 offered productions of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos and Der Rosenkavalier in the tower of Riverside Church. Utilizing the unique environs, each production created atmosphere from existing elements, concentrating the audience’s focus on the singers, the text and the music. While Der Rosenkavalier was performed with piano, Ariadne auf Naxos was accompanied by a chamber ensemble of six players who performed Maestro Fecteau’s innovative chamber music reduction of the orchestral score.

Starting in 2000, dell’Arte has presented a series of opera “readings.” These concert-style presentations represent the culmination of intense work in which young singer prepare their roles individually (with their own voice teachers and coaches, as well as Maestro Fecteau and other expert dell’Arte staff), in small ensemble and recitative rehearsals, and in full-cast rehearsals with pianist and conductor. Finally, family and friends and other guests provide a supportive audience for the singers’ first performance of an important role in their repertoire. These readings have offered singers a vital experience in the process of learning a new role and provided audiences with an intimate glimpse of the artistic process.

Over the course of the next few years, readings of Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte and Hänsel und Gretel followed, with numerous singers participating in various locations. In 2004, the dell’Arte SUMMER READINGS PROJECT (SRP) was instituted, concentrating readings of multiple operas into the space of several weeks of intense work. The stage of Amato Opera, the Warburg Ballroom at the 92nd Street Y, and Christ & St. Stephen’s Church were host to the first seasons of the SRP, and since 2007 dell’Arte has been hosted by the wonderfully supportive, and acoustically splendid, Armenian Evangelical Church of New York in midtown Manhattan.

To date, dell’Arte has organized presentations of over three dozen operas, providing almost 200 singers with invaluable experiences. Dell’Arte Opera Ensemble was incorporated in 2006, and received its 501(c)(3) non-profit status in December of 2007. The Summer Readings Project celebrated its 5th season in 2008 with presentations of La traviata, Carmen, Così fan tutte, Roméo et Juliette and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In March of 2009, dell’Arte debuts its new “Black Box” series, focusing on lesser known masterworks performed with full staging and a chamber music accompaniment in an intimate setting. The first presentation in the series will be Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, written in the last year of his life. Check back on our “Upcoming Events” page for more information as it becomes available.

2009 also brings a name change to our summer offering, to the “Standard Repertoire Project.” The new name more accurately reflects how the program has evolved to include basic staging, and mostly memorized presentations by the participating singers. Since the institution of the program, focus has been on “standard” repertoire, the best-known operas that are so important to an emerging artist’s career. dell’Arte is also currently in the process of creating outreach programs to perform for underserved communities.