In 1910, Puccini was in New York to supervise the opening night of his opera “La Fanciulla del West,” the Met’s very first world premiere. With the tenor Enrico Caruso and the soprano Emmy Destinn, household names in their day, in the leading roles, “Fanciulla” was a runaway hit. Now, more than 100 years later, with a severe lack of music education in our schools and competition from an ever-expanding array of streaming entertainment options, opera faces its greatest existential challenge. We are fighting to survive economically (our European colleagues are better off with substantial government funding), regain our artistic footing and secure new audiences and donors. This is particularly difficult to accomplish because for decades there has been resistance to substantial artistic change from administrators, academics and critics.

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Persons: Lise Davidsen, Giacomo Puccini’s “, ”, Puccini, Enrico Caruso, Destinn, “ Fanciulla ” Organizations: Metropolitan Opera, scalpers Locations: New York, Fanciulla del West