Joseph Volpe: Whither Opera in the 21st Century?

Inaugural address by Joseph Volpe, Visiting Professor in Opera Studies. Joseph Volpe is best known for being General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera from 1990 to 2006. He spent 42 years working at the Metropolitan Opera in various capacities and was the first head of the Met Opera to advance from within the ranks of the company's management. During his tenure he significantly expanded the Met repertory resulting in more new works than under any other General Manager since the 1930's. In 1998, he instituted an education project for young children to emphasise direct experience with music and opera for students in New York City schools. After leaving the Met, Volpe worked briefly as a consultant to Giuliani Partners and then joined Theatre Projects Consultants, a leading theater design firm in 2008 where he Volpe advises clients on all aspects of a project. Volpe has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. He taught a course entitled "Managing in the Performing Arts" at New York University's Stern School of Business and has honorary degrees from, among others, Georgetown University, Fordham University, and Hamilton College. He is the author of The Toughest Show on Earth, My Rise and Reign at the Metropolitan Opera (Random House, 2006).