The AOPdb
Search Our Artist & Repertoire Database
American Opera Projects has spent decades developing new opera and music theatre works, which means our history is full of artists, pieces, and performances worth remembering. The AOPdb (American Opera Projects database) is our searchable database documenting that history: the composers, librettists, performers, directors, and all other artists who have worked with AOP, the projects they created, the events where those projects were shown, and even the voice type and vocal range of individual songs within those projects.
Whether you're a researcher, a performer looking for repertoire, or just curious about AOP's past, the AOPdb lets you search and cross-reference all of it.
With thanks to W. Wilson Jones, AOP's Resident Production Stage Manager and Database Administrator, for designing and maintaining the AOPdb.
The AOPdb is hosted externally and updated on an ongoing basis; some tools are in beta. Have a correction or update? Use the database contact form.
How to Use the AOPdb
The AOPdb is organized into several search tools. Here's what each one does and how to use it.
🔍 Search for People
Look up any artist who has worked with AOP — composers, librettists, singers, instrumentalists, and more.
Enter a name into the People search field.
Submit the search to see matching artist records.
🎭 Search for Projects
Find AOP-developed works by title or description.
By title — search for a word or phrase from the project's title (e.g. "seance afternoon").
By description — search for a word from the project's description (e.g. "life world") to find works by words in its description, even if you don't remember the exact title.
Related project search — retrieve operas/songs which were created by participants in a specific project (e.g., C&V, AOP-NYU/Tisch Opera Lab).
📅 Search for Events
Find performances, readings, and other events in AOP's history.
Search by event title keyword, or
Enter a date range (begin and end dates) to browse everything that happened within a given timeframe.
🎶 Find Projects by Performance Medium
Search for projects by the voices or instruments for which they are written.
Choose a medium — this includes voice types (soprano, tenor, bass-baritone, etc.) and instruments (cello, oboe, harp, etc.).
Choose a medium type — Solo, Chorus, Ensemble, or Alternate.
Choose a part category — Vocal, Character, Dance, Super, or Instrumental.
Submit to see matching projects.
🎵 Song Title & Description Search
Search individual songs from within AOP projects.
Title search — find a song by words in its title (e.g. "love remember").
Description search — find a song by words in its description.
🎤 Search by Voice Type or Vocal Range
Great for singers building a rep list.
Voice type — filter by Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Countertenor, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, or Bass-baritone.
Vocal range (Beta) — set a low and high pitch (with octave) to find songs that fit a specific range.
🔗 Related Names & Projects
Trace connections between people and their work.
Enter a surname to find people related to a given song.
Optionally filter by role — Composer, Text Writer, Singer, Pianist, or Instrumentalist.
Use the related project search to see which projects a person is connected to.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of the AOPdb
Start broad, then narrow. A single keyword often returns more useful results than a full title or name.
Not sure of the exact title? Try the description search instead — it searches the description text, not just the title.
Performers: combine the medium, voice type, and vocal range tools to build a targeted rep list for auditions or recitals.
Something missing or incorrect? The AOPdb is a living archive. Submit corrections through the database contact form.
Use % as a wildcard to broaden your search. The AOPdb search is more literal than a search engine like Google, so it may not automatically recognize partial names, titles, or spelling variations. The % symbol can stand in for any number of characters. For example:
rosen% searches for entries that begin with “rosen,” such as Rosencrantz or Rosenberg.
garf%, h searches for a last name beginning with “Garf” and a first name beginning with “H,” such as Garfein, Herschel.
s%ance searches for entries that begin with “s” and end with “ance,” regardless of what appears in between, such as substance or semblance.