The Second Annual Excellence in Opera (‘Freddie’) Awards
Friday, December 19, 2014
By Fred Plotkin
In 2014, I attended 76 opera performances given by 28 companies. A third of these were at the Metropolitan Opera. I have seen productions that were large and grand and others that were done on a spare budget. I am happy to report that there is a lot of wonderful, innovative work being done everywhere. It bears noting that my selections are based only on what I have personally seen and heard.
Herewith the recipients of the 2014 Excellence in Opera Awards:
Small Company Performance: Charpentier’s Orpheus (Gotham Chamber Opera), La Bohéme (Loft Opera Company), Rameau’s Pygmalion (On Site Opera), As One (American Opera Projects at BAM).
Operas new to me: Where there is life, there is hope. All of these deserve commendation: Ricky Ian Gordon’s A Coffin in Egypt (Opera Company of Philadelphia, June); Laura Kaminsky’s As One (American Opera Projects at BAM); Rameau’s Pygmalion (On Site Opera, June).
