The Gotham Chamber Opera Inc

What it reported doing in 2013

Gotham chamber opera's 2013-14 season began in october with "baden-baden 1927", recreating the legendary baden-baden festival of contemporary music performance of july 17, 1927. During the composer-organized summer festival, four one-act operas were presented in one evening: weill's "mahagonny songspeil", hindemith's "hin und zuruck" (there and back), milhaud's "l'enlevement d'europe" (the abduction of europa), and toch's "die prinzessin auf der erbse "(the princess and the pea). Gotham's production was directed by scottish director paul curran, with production design by german neo-expressionist painter georg baselitz and court watson. In all, 2,049 people attended the production, which was sold at 85% of capacity for all four performances. The performances were on october 23, 25, 26, 29, 2013.for the New York stage premiere of charpentier's "la descente d'orphee aux enfers", gotham chamber opera partnered with members of the choir of trinity wall street and trinity baroque orchestra for three public performances january 1, 3, and 5, 2014 at st. Paul's chapel, broadway and fulton, nyc. In all, 951 people attended the production, which was sold at 100% of capacity for all three performancesin february 2014, in conjunction with the metropolitan museum of art's department of concerts and lectures, gotham chamber opera presented an operatic double-bill consisting of claudio monteverdi's "il combattimento di tancredi e clorinda" and the world premiere of "i have no stories to tell you", a newly-commissioned work from gotham's composer-in-residence, lembit beecher, with a libretto by playwright hannah moskovitch. The performances were staged in two locations in the museum: monteverdi's opera was performed in the museum's emma and georgina bloomberg arms and armor court, and beecher's new work was performed in the medieval sculpture hall. In all, 400 people attended the production, which was sold at 100% of capacity for both performances. The performances were on february 26 and 27, 2014.the 2013-14 season concluded in may 2014 with toshio hosakawa's "the raven", a monodrama for mezzo-soprano and twelve instrumentalists, which received its u.s. Premiere at the gerald w. Lynch as part of the New York philharmonic's inaugural ny phil biennial festival. Directed and choreographed by luca veggetti, it starred mezzo-soprano fredrika brillembourg and dancer alessandra ferri. In all, 1,674 people attended the production, which was sold at 93% of capacity for all three performances. The performances were on may 28, 30 and 31, 2014.gotham chamber opera's arts in education program reached students from the high school of economics and finance and from the urban assembly for the performing arts in fy14. Students participated in a program that consists of three in class sessions. For the first visit, the gotham chamber opera's education coordinator offers a brief introduction to the history of the art form and informs students of the many ways that they can be involved in the arts. In addition, the coordinator gives students extensive education packets on the art form and the relevant opera. For the second visit, the students participate in scenic interpretation, an interactive method by which students are challenged to conceive and perform their own interpretation of a scenic description. Rather than simply present the basic elements of a specific opera, the coordinator emphasizes how students should take risks in their presentations, thereby enhancing their own understanding of the opera. After the school visits, students attend the opera, which leads to students' comparing the production's staging and musical elements with their own interpretations that they created in the classroom. A follow up visit allows the students to discuss the performance and compare it with their classroom work. Only the urban assembly for the performing arts students were available for this follow up visit.both schools participated in the scenic interpretation prog

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 84.5%; rating input score 84
• Program expense ratio: 81.8%; rating input score 82
• Fundraising efficiency: $8.6 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Fail
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -3.3%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.31; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.68; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.5%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: Limited
• Revenue growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 18.3% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings