The National Trust guide to great opera houses in America

by Karyl Charna Lynn

The American opera scene has grown with the country, spawning a proliferation of beautiful and enchanting opera houses. This unique guided tour covers almost 100 historical and contemporary opera houses dating from 1765 up to the present - halls such as the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, the San Francisco Opera House, and the Cullen Theater in Houston. America's opera houses present an eclectic collection of buildings, from converted warehouses to ornate vaudevillian venues and modern concrete and glass structures. The National Trust Guide to Great Opera Houses in America celebrates this dynamic range of architectural types and styles, revealing how European elements were transformed into a distinctly authentic and vital part of America's architectural and musical heritage. Grouped by geographic region, this easy-to-use resource contains important historical information on structures - some destroyed as well as those still standing - including dates, name changes, seating capacity,