In 2010 and for the subsequent four years, the NCO presented
Gian Carlo Menotti's Christmas opera
Amahl and the Night Visitors at the
Riviera Theatre and in the
Westminster Presbyterian Church (Buffalo, New York). In 2011, as a special cultural event, NCO presented a production of
Il tabarro by
Giacomo Puccini, directed by Henry Akina on board the
United States Navy warship , a decommissioned and one of
Buffalo's landmarks, which serves as a
museum ship and is anchored at the
Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in
Buffalo, New York. The has served as an integral part of the
staging. For the premiere production of
Shot!, in 2016, the role of President
William McKinley was sung by
Valerian Ruminski, the role of
Ida McKinley was sung by Marieterese Magisano with John Packard as
Leon Czolgosz, Michele Capalbo as
Emma Goldman and Fred Furnari as Buffalo Police Superintendent Bull, the Nickel City Opera Chorus and the
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. The sets re-created scenes from the 1901
Pan-American Exposition, with 40-foot projections of original 1901 Edison footage of the exposition, and rare historic photos. In 2017,
Matthias Manasi was appointed new music director and principal conductor of the NCO. The same year he conducted a production of
Der Schauspieldirektor by
Mozart, with particular attention to
historically informed performance practice which was appreciated by critics. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, the NCO was unable to produce opera at
Shea's Performing Arts Center as of March 2020. A production of
Aida planned for August 7 to 29, 2021 at Artpark at
Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park was cancelled due to
COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. In June 2023 NCO reprised its inaugural production of Rossini's
The Barber of Seville. The NCO produced a range of works from 18th-century Baroque and 19th-century Bel canto to the Minimalism of the 20th century and to contemporary operas of the 20th and 21st centuries. These operas have been presented in staged productions which ranged in style from those with elaborate traditional decors to others that feature modern conceptual designs. Opera singers who have performed at the NCO include Michele Capalbo,
Victoria Livengood, David MacAdam, Eric Fenell, Eduardo Villa,
Adam Klein, Ray Chenez, Zulimar López-Hernández, John Packard, James Wright, Marieterese Magisano and Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs. The locations at which NCO staged operas included
Shea's Performing Arts Center (3,019 seats) and the Riviera Theatre (1.140 seats), Shea's Performing Arts Center was designed by the Chicago firm,
Rapp and Rapp in the style of European opera houses. The interior was designed by
Louis Comfort Tiffany using elements that are mostly still present today. The original number of 4,000 seats was reduced to the current number of 3,019 seats in the 1930s. ==World premieres==