New Camerata Opera stands in solidarity with all Black people in the struggle for freedom and justice.

To our colleagues, friends, artists, and audiences: We pledge to listen and to take action. Racism is as self-evident in the opera world as it is ubiquitous in the wider world. It is seen in programming, casting, and staffing. It is most noticeable in the lack of equal representation on boards and in executive positions. We must do better. We must be better.

NCO has been and contnues to be strengthened and enriched by the presence of Black voices on its board of directors, as music directors, singing artists, and technical staff. Today, NCO recommits itself to hiring and appointing more people of color to leadership roles in all facets of our company, so that one day soon, the conversation around race in opera may forever be changed.

We will do the work. We will push ourselves to be better colleagues and friends to those who are hurting. We will work to change the conversation in our industry. We will leverage the power of our art to effect change in society at large. And where the system proves itself to be incapable of change, we pledge to destroy and rebuild it.

NCO commits to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access by taking action to change our organization to better reflect our New York community and the future of the arts. 

Additionally, NCO recommits itself to bringing greater representation to the stage in all facets of operation. We intend to hire singers, orchestral players, directors, designers, and conductors who faithfully represent our diverse community and pledge that at least half of each of the above groups will be people of color. We further commit ourselves to work for greater representation among the composers and librettists of the works we perform, both in new commissions and in canonical works. NCO will never program a season with works by all white men.