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Updated 11/22/2024

GUERILLA OPERA

  • M

    MA

Institution/Business Type: Performing Group

MISSION

Develop new experimental works written specifically for our ensemble.

WHAT WE DO

CONFRONT | EXAMINE | QUESTION

Champion cutting-edge music

Immerse audiences in profound experiences

Eschew antiquated and stereotypical traditions of the art form of opera 

Examine stories through culturally focused and contemporary lenses

WHY WE DO IT

To Generate a unique body of work that ferociously confronts the status quo

To be a model for creative authenticity and DEIA

To inspire, influence and amplify emerging generations of artists

AN OPERA ENSEMBLE

Unlike traditional opera companies, GO is an ensemble of artists that engage in a musical practice of performing without a conductor, which is unusual and distinguishes us in the field of opera, and can only be honed through consistent practice by a group of artists working together over time. 

As we evolved and our productions become more complex, our ensemble grew to include resident designers that give our productions their unique and scrappy look.

Guerilla Opera is a BIPOC organization, woman-run and woman-forward, Boston’s only experimental chamber opera company, and one of only a few in the world with a mission to exclusively present only new works. These works confront the status quo by eschewing stereotypical traditions of opera, presenting only new works with socially resonant subject matter that utilize a small-scale unit of 1 to 10 performers. 

In 15 seasons, and including works in development, we have accumulated a repertoire of 40 new operas by 30 composers in 21 productions and over100 performances in 13 venues in Boston and nation-wide, with virtual and live streamed performances since 2013.

"One of the most ambitious groups of Boston’s lively new music scene, Guerilla Opera has been transforming obstructions into artwork since its inception [in 2007]… ” (Boston Musical Intelligencer, March 2020)

GO is a genre-bending company, whose works investigate and explore what is “operatic,” which allows us to explore, bend and break traditional and stereotypical notions we inherit with euro-centric opera.

Opera News writes: “Guerilla Opera redefines the opera experience.”

Find Me

Aliana de la Guardia (She/Her/Hers)
Job Title: Artistic Director
Phone: 617-286-6723
TTY Phone: 201-952-6735
Address:
948 Conway Rd
Ashfield, MA 01330

Additional Content:

About

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Performing Group

Legal Status:

Nonprofit - Independent

Year Founded:

2007

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Performing Group

Legal Status:

Nonprofit - Independent

Year Founded:

2007

Disciplines

Primary Discipline:

Music - Opera

Additional Disciplines:

  • Multi-Disciplinary

Activities and Services

Activities and Services:

  • Arts for Social Change / Creative Activism
  • Creation of a Work of Art (Including Commissions)
  • Performance / Concert / Reading
  • Residency - Community
  • Virtual Events
  • Fiscal Sponsorship
  • Residency - In School
  • Workshops / Demonstrations / Master Class
Seasons Active: spring, fall, winter, summer
Events Per Year: 5

Communities

Populations Engaged:

  • Adults
  • General Public
  • People with Disabilities
  • Artists

Languages Available:

  • English

Geographic Reach:

  • Town / City
  • Multi-County Region
  • State
  • National

Accessibility of Services

Accessibility of Services:

  • Access accommodations for people who use a wheelchair and have limited mobility
  • Access accommodations for people who are blind, partially sighted, and have low vision
  • Access accommodations for people who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing

As a small and nomadic company, we do all we can to foster an equitable and accessible environment.

Media Gallery

I Have Worked With

Affiliations and Accomplishments

Professional Associations

Professional Associations:

  • OPERA America
  • Network of Ensemble Theaters
  • ARTS Boston
  • StageSource
  • Small Theatre Alliance of Boston
  • Boston Singers Resource
  • New England Presenters

Professional Associations

Professional Associations:

  • OPERA America
  • Network of Ensemble Theaters
  • ARTS Boston
  • StageSource
  • Small Theatre Alliance of Boston
  • Boston Singers Resource
  • New England Presenters

Awards

Awards:

  • National Endowment for the Arts Grants for Arts Projects
  • Essex County Creative Resiliency Grant (2020)
  • Network of Ensemble Theaters Remote Learning Grant (2020)
  • Opera America Grant Recipient
  • Alice M. Ditson Fund Grant Recipient
  • Amphion Foundation Grant Recipient
  • Aaron Copland Fund for Music Grant Recipient
  • City of Boston Arts & Culture COVID-19 Fund Grant (2020)
  • Boston Cultural Council (2019, 2020)
  • Haverhill Cultural Council (2020)

Education

Education:

  • Nonprofit Learning Institute (2022)
  • Creative County Initiative Changemakers (2022)
  • Opera America Mentorship Program for Woman in Opera (2022)
  • Double Edge Theatre Mentorship Program

Special Designations

Special Designations:

  • New England Presenters (NEP) Member

Artist Info

Touring Artist

NEST Eligible Artist

Technical Requirements:

  • Lighting Grid
  • Sound/Amplification
  • Proscenium, 3/4 and round stages. Immersive productions.
  • Requirements vary per show as we adapt our works to various sites.

Fee Range:

$10,000 - $35,000

State of Residence:

Massachusetts

Minimum Number of Performers:

1

Maximum Number of Performers:

8

Touring Artist

NEST Eligible Artist

Technical Requirements:

  • Lighting Grid
  • Sound/Amplification
  • Proscenium, 3/4 and round stages. Immersive productions.
  • Requirements vary per show as we adapt our works to various sites.

Fee Range:

$10,000 - $35,000

State of Residence:

Massachusetts

Minimum Number of Performers:

1

Maximum Number of Performers:

8