The New York City Opera, Facing Budget Crisis, Turns to Kickstarter

The famed cultural institution is seeking to raise at least $1 million online by the end of September

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Hiroyuki Ito / Getty Images

New York City Opera presents Benjamin Britten's "The Turn of the Screw" at BAM Opera House in Brooklyn on Feb. 22, 2013

The financially troubled New York City Opera may not have a 2014-15 season, and its 2013 season may be forced to run short as the company considers its financial options. Several years ago, it left its longtime home at Lincoln Center and has since been able to to host  far fewer performances than before; now, according to a story in The New York Times, the Opera needs nearly 20 million dollars by the end of December in order to keep it’s curtains open for the next two seasons. The Times also reported that the Opera was able to raise just over 11 million dollars last year.

In keeping with a recent trend of crowd-funding, the Opera has taken to Kickstarter — it seeks to raise at least $1 million by the end of September. The New York City Opera will open this month with a production of  Anna Nicole (yes, based on the life of model-actress Anna Nicole Smith), but if it is unable to raise enough money, the rest of the season—which which is meant to intended to include The Marriage of Figaro, among others—will not go on.