American Jews and the Making of the New York Opera Industry, 1880-1940

American Jews and the Making of the New York Opera Industry, 1880-1940 captures the untold story of how and why Jewish New Yorkers became invested in local operatic culture and played a significant role in facilitating its performance. Drawing on English- and Yiddish-language archival and press sources, Samantha M. Cooper reveals how Jewish immigrants from diverse backgrounds became active participants in professional and amateur operatic activities across New York City.

Central to this story is the famed "Old" Metropolitan Opera House, which established New York as the nation's opera capital. Cooper uncovers the centrality of Jewish participation in the opera scene between the Met's founding in 1880 and its sale to the public in 1940. Despite their designation as "undesirable persons" in the Met's By-Laws, Jews constituted a substantial portion of the Met's workforce. Outside the Met, Jewish opera activities flourished: Jewish people bought and sold goods and services relating to opera; educated the public about the genre's uplifting power; presented performances in baseball stadiums, Yiddish theaters, and settlement houses; and repackaged opera as popular culture for the masses.

Even as Jewish men, women, and children navigated a climate of institutional antisemitism, they drew on their collective passions, talents, resources, and social networks to leave lasting impacts on the opera industry in the United States. In the process, their involvement with opera also contributed to other musical and theatrical industries. This book shows how Jewish engagement with opera played a vital role in shaping both the American opera scene and the American Jewish experience.

Samantha M. Cooper is the Robert M. Beren Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Kansas. She is the host and producer of The Sounding Jewish Podcast and the Co-Executive Director of the Jewish Music Forum, A Project of the American Society for Jewish Music.