The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan has approved a plan to restart New York City Opera. The celebrated company shuttered abruptly in the middle of its 2013-2014 season after an acute financial crisis. Soon afterwards, several rival plans were proposed for resurrecting the group and quickly became tangled in legal matters. Judge Sean Lane’s decision yesterday clears the path for an organization led by hedge-fund manager Roy Niederhoffer to complete its purchase of New York City Opera’s name and remaining assets, as well as settle several outstanding debts.

Bankruptcies are historically common in the opera world, often involving the loss and departure of key backers or withdrawal of taxpayer subsidies. The suddenness of New York City Opera’s closure and the potential loss of the company’s storied history, however, shocked opera fans around the world.

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Basil Considine

Basil Considine was the Editor of the Twin Cities Arts Reader from 2018-2022. He served as Performing Arts Editor and Senior Classical Music and Drama Critic for the Arts Reader's first five years, before succeeding Hanne Appelbaum. He was previously the Resident Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Daily Planet and remains an occasional contributing writer for The Boston Musical Intelligencer and The Chattanoogan. He holds a PhD in Music and Drama from Boston University, an MTS in Sacred Music from the BU School of Theology, and a BA in Music and Theatre from the University of San Diego.

Basil was named one of Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year in 2017. He was previously the Regional Governor for the National Opera Association's North Central Region and the 2021-2022 U.S. Fulbright Faculty Scholar to Madagascar.

Latest posts by Basil Considine (see all)

• DC REVIEW: Anything but Business as Normal in the American Opera Initiative (Washington National Opera) - January 22, 2024
• NYC REVIEW: Spectacular Fulfillment in The Promise (PROTOTYPE FESTIVAL) - January 14, 2024
• NYC REVIEW: Adoration, Myths, and Reality (PROTOTYPE FESTIVAL) - January 13, 2024