Longwood Opera's mission statement

The mission of Longwood Opera is twofold:

• to prepare trained emerging singers for the next stage in their operatic careers by providing them with the opportunity to practice their art and to polish their performing skills in major roles before a live audience
• to foster appreciation for opera among individuals from all walks of life in the Greater Boston communities by offering high-quality, accessible and affordable operatic experiences

About the company

J. Scott Brumit, the co-founder and current general director of Longwood Opera, compares the training of an opera singer to that of an athlete:

Both must learn by doing.

The Boston area has plenty of conservatories and universities with excellent music programs - but provides few opportunities for young singers to practice and gain experience in their art.

Why? Producing opera is a costly undertaking. Most major companies are reluctant to risk using "unseasoned" singers in leading roles.

Scott Brumit and John Balme were willing to take that risk. They founded Longwood Opera in 1986 to give locally-based performers a chance to establish themselves as professional artists.

Since 1990, Christ Episcopal Church in Needham has served as our base of operations for auditions and rehearsals, and as a performance space for many full productions as well as for our Summer Concert Series.

We are also committed to bringing opera to communities throughout the greater Boston area. Longwood provides professional-level performances for local audiences without the inconveniences of expense or travel.

So Longwood has a double mission: to give young artists a chance to practice their craft - and to provide Opera for All!

Who's Who at Longwood Opera:

Scott Brumit, General Director
Jeffrey Brody, Musical Director
Wayne Ward, Musical Director
Harding Ounanian, Director of Marketing Communications
Robert Monaghan, Production Coordinator
Shelley Monaghan, Production Coordinator
Marion Leeds Carroll, Webmistress