A New Home for Opera in New York
On October 22, 1883, a new opera house opened its doors in New York City. Inside, an orchestra played while singers brought a story to life onstage. The performance was Faust, an opera by the French composer Charles Gounod. It marked the beginning of the Metropolitan Opera, a company that would become known around the world.
Opera combines music and theater. Singers perform a story, usually with an orchestra accompanying them. Scenery, costumes, and lighting help create the world of the story. A company needs more than a stage and a few singers: it also needs musicians, designers, stage workers, and a place where an audience can gather.
Before the Metropolitan Opera House opened, New York already had a major opera theater called the Academy of Music. Wealthy families held many of its private boxes, the small seating areas overlooking the stage. Some other wealthy New Yorkers wanted boxes of their own, but the Academy had limited space. They helped form a new opera company and build a new home for it.
- composer:
- A person who writes music.
- auditorium:
- A room where an audience gathers to watch or listen.
- setback:
- A problem that makes progress more difficult.
- coordinate:
- To organize different parts so they work together.
- backstage:
- The area behind the stage where people prepare for a performance.
- demolished:
- Torn down or destroyed.
- productions:
- Performances prepared and presented for an audience.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why did some wealthy New Yorkers help create a new opera company?
- 2How did the first Metropolitan Opera House serve both its supporters and other audience members?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“A New Home for Opera in New York” is a explanatory article reading passage about Metropolitan Opera history, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (452 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.