“ full admission at all times to every part of the opera house . The box-owners shall have the right to the use of their boxes on all occasions either by free admission or on such terms as the Board of Directors may form time to time prescribe .” ( New York Times , 1880 ). It is apparent that though music may have been the founding principle of the company and therefore the opera-house itself , luxury and the showcasing of monetary wealth was very much at the forefront of decisions made by the board of directors . Though the board members were essentially the owners of the opera house and inherently the company , they hired the equivalent of a creative director to oversee the productions and select the season ( Fielder , 2003 ). Though the opera house did find immediate success , the heavy emphasis placed on status and means within the board of directors would make it very difficult when corresponding with creatives ( Fielder , 2003 ).
The New York City Opera , founded almost 60 years later , was centered around the ideas of affordability and bringing opera to the masses — yet not in a way that compromised the musical or dramatic quality of any performances ( New York Times , 2001 ). The company , according to the Times , came together , “ in the fall of 1943 under the imprimatur of Mayor Fiorello H . LaGuardia as a way to bring opera to the masses .” ( New York Times , 2001 ). The operas brought by the company to said masses in its inaugural season represent some of the finest works in operatic performance . The inaugural season boasted performances of Carmen and Tosca , written by titans Bizet and Puccini respectively ( New York Times , 2001 ). Additionally , unlike the Met upon its creation , the New York City Opera under its first director Laszlo Halasz , “ supported the notion of performing opera in English translation and insisted on offering at least one
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