For Immediate Release – NEW YORK, NY – The New York Opera Alliance (NYOA) will launch their third annual New York Opera Fest (NYOF) at a Kickoff Party on Tuesday, May 1st with a performance and celebration at Marc A. Scorca Hall in the National Opera Center (330 Seventh Ave at 29th St).
 
The event will honor Washington Post music critic Anne Midgette for her support and championship of independent opera companies and the art form as a whole (the 2016 and 2017 awards went to Fred Plotkin and Lauren Flanigan, respectively).

Midgette – who’s first-ever review for The New York Times was of NYOA Member the Bronx Opera Company – said of winning the award: “I’m very honored to have been selected to receive this award. I have long maintained that independent opera is the main driving force for creativity in this field. The member companies of the New York Opera Alliance have accompanied me and enriched my musical experience throughout my career as a critic, while proving that point over and over again.”

The Kickoff Party will also feature performances from the following 2018 New York Opera Fest participants: 

- Experiments in Opera presents an excerpt from And Here We Are
- Regina Opera Company presents scenes from Aida
- Encompass New Opera Theatre performs selections from their Paradigm Shifts Music and Film Festival
- Cantanti Project presents scenes from the World Premiere ofTabula Rasa, a jazz opera that tells the story of Kiki de Montparnasse and her liberating escapades with artists in the avant-garde circles of 1920s Paris
- ARE Opera performs scenes from L'elisir d'amore
- Rhymes with Opera offers scenes from Rumpelstiltskin
- Operamission presents scenes from Il Pastor Fido and Teseo
- Bronx Opera performs scenes from Der Freischütz

The event is free and open to the public, though attendees must RSVP by April 27 at: www.eventbrite.com/e/new-york-opera-fest-2018-kickoff-party-tickets-45123499602

Additionally, NYOA is excited to introduce FestTix, a new initiative that offers tickets to shows ranging from $0-$12, making the Fest affordable to all and allowing newcomers and seasoned opera fans alike to sample its offerings at little to no risk. FestTix are available until May 1 at http://nyoperafest.com/2018/tix/ 

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