Internet Resources

The resources linked below include a number of external websites that look to the future as well as at the history of opera and associated media technology. Some example images from the Library of Congress collections and a featured webcast on the topics are also included.

Phil Stanziola, photographer. Opera stars Leontyne Price and Robert Merrill deliver an aria at topping-out ceremonies for the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. 1964. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.

Paris L'Opera. Between 1890-1900. Photochrom Print Collection. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.

Harris & Ewing, photographer. Faust. Washington Opera Company. Between 1905 and 1945. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.

Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music External
Offers a variety of resources relating to the history of recording.
The Future of Technology in Opera External
A post on the Arts Management and Technology Laboratory website, Carnegie Mellon University, by Sarah Simington.
National Jukebox
Listen to hundreds of opera recordings through the Library of Congress National Jukebox, which makes these historical sound recordings available to the public free of charge.
Onsite Opera External
On Site Opera produces site-specific operas in non-traditional venues throughout New York City (and beyond).
Opera and Tech: the Met Ring and Beyond External
WQXR radio post, by David Patrick Stearns, 2019.
Opera Timeline External
A timeline of opera history from Oxford University Press.
Schubin Cafe External
Mark Schubin has dabbled in just about every aspect of television technology, from design and manufacturing to program distribution.
Technology and Opera External
The Cusp magazine, 2016, by James Imam.
What's New in Opera and Tech External
by Elizabeth Nonemaker, 2012, in 21CM from DePauw School of Music.

Featured Webcast

The Fandom of Opera (event date: October 6, 2011)

A lecture by Mark Schubin on how a 400-year-old art form helped create modern media technology. Mark Schubin is engineer-in-charge of the Metropolitan Opera's media department and multiple-Emmy Award winning fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. This program was sponsored by the Library's Science, Technology and Business Division.

Opera and Media Technology: A Resource Guide

Science & Technical Reports: Ask a Librarian