Community Outreach
Queens Opera Theatre regularly performs at local events hosted by the Queens Tourism Council, Long Island City Partnership, Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce and the Queens Chamber of Commerce. Recently, we were thrilled to become members of Opera America, which serves the entire opera community, supporting the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera.
Our Space:
Designated a New York City Landmark in 1968, Flushing Town Hall has been a host to American History for over 150 years.
The hall has served Flushing as an assembly point for Union recruits during the Civil War, as a bank, police precinct during the 1964-5 World's Fair, jail, grand ballroom and courthouse. The great abolitionist Frederick Douglass spoke here in 1865 about the role of African Americans in the Pre-Civil War era at 25 cents a person. The king of the Circus, P. T. Barnum ran sideshows from the hall, featuring performers such as Tom Thumb. Later, the gallery space on the first floor was a popular jazz club.
In 1990 the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts (FCCA) became stewards of the historic building. Today, the mission of FCCA is to present multi-disciplinary global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens, New York and New York City, New York, in order to foster mutual appreciation. In 2016, Queens Opera Theatre was awarded an Artist's Space Grant to perform at the theatre of Flushing Town Hall.
Since the SOLD OUT at capacity crowd enjoyed the Inaugural Season Preview Performance in 2017 at Flushing Town Hall, Queens Opera Theatre has continued to go from strength to strength.
Past productions have included The Gift of the Magi, composed by Peter Ekstrom, and Peter Brook’s Le Tragedie de Carmen. Our major fundraising event for Gift of the Magi, was hosted at Pete’s Tavern in NYC, where it is believed O. Henry wrote the first sketches of the iconic short story. The company was invited to perform at Beats in Bliss Plaza, a summer showcase of Queens based community organizations hosted by the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce.
The 2024-2025 season features the Queens Premiere of Henry Mollicone’s one-act opera, Lady Bird: First Lady of the Land, presented in association with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and performed at the George Seuffert Bandshell at Forest Park in Woodhaven, New York.
Repertoire
