Columbia University New Opera Workshop began as a CUPAL Special Project in the spring of 2013, with generous support from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and the President & Provost Fund. Director Martina Weidenbaum (BC'13) and producer Hannah Roher (CC'13) wanted to see if opera could take off on Columbia's campus. Their production of 6 scenes from the classic opera repertory, Opera Untapped, proved that the answer was a resounding yes. Opera Untapped filled the house every performance, and audiences included many who had never seen opera before. 

 

In the fall of 2013, producers Hannah Rose Gorman and Isabella Livorni staged a second Opera Untapped with 7 new scenes, and founded the group Columbia University New Opera Workshop in order to provide opportunities for opera-makers on campus for years to come. The group draws its name and inspiration from the Columbia Opera Workshop, a Columbia group that from 1941 to 1958 commissioned and performed innovative opera on campus. NOW was recognized by the Governing Board of Barnard in November of 2013, just in time for another sell-out performance of the second Opera Untapped. With an Executive Board featuring its two producers and Katherine Cartusciello, NOW presented a scenes project, featuring both repertory staples, as well as new works created and performed by Columbia students.