The New York City Opera turned to Kickstarter last month to help with its financial troubles, but it failed to reach its $1 million goal, accruing just more than $300,000 in pledges before the Sept. 30 deadline. The company's unsuccessful Kickstarter project and failure to attract big-time donors forced the opera's board and management to file for bankruptcy.
"New York City Opera did not achieve the goal of its emergency appeal," the NYC Opera informed donors on its Kickstarter page. "[We] will begin the necessary financial and operational steps to wind down the Company including initiating the Chapter 11 process."
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Fundraising efforts have come to a halt, as the opera — which former Mayor Fiorello La Guardia dubbed "The People's Opera" — now plans to shut down.
The troupe raised only $2 million of the $7 million required to keep doors open for the 2013-2014 season, according to the New York Times. It had hoped to raise an additional $13 million by the end of the year to pay for the 2014-2015 season, George Steel, the troupe's general manager and artistic director, previously told Mashable.
On Sept. 28, the New York City Opera performed Mark-Anthony Turnage’s “Anna Nicole” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. This appears to be the last time they will take the stage.
Image: Flickr, andre stoeriko