Our Story
1981
Joseph & Sandra
Pucciatti
To know the history of The State Opera of New Jersey, one must turn then clock back 44 years to 1981, when the seed was planted in the form of a musicians’ guild called The Boheme Club, named after the club formed by opera composer, Giacomo Puccni. Developed by Trenton conductor-educator Joseph Pucciatti and his wife, concert pianist, opera lecturer and teacher Sandra Milstein Pucciatti, the Club presented eight evolutionary years of concert series, outdoor festivals and dinner opera, before evolving into an opera producer and presenter in 1989. Incorporated in 1984 as The Boheme Club, Inc., later the Boheme Society of New Jersey, Inc., and finally in 1989, as Boheme Opera Company, Inc. , also known as Boheme Opera NJ, the organization inaugurated its first season of fully staged, professionally sung productions of Verdi’s La Traviata and Puccini’s Tosca, performed inTrenton Central High School and other local auditoriums.
In its first decade, the company established a growth pattern with expanded repertoire, moving its main stage productions to the beautiful Trenton War Memorial, and establishing a formal Board of Directors. Along with this came pre-curtain engagement, projected english supertitles, collaborative classic ballet, full production staff professionals, and hiring of managed artists. This also led to the creation of student outreach programs through hands-on apprenticeship for high schoolers with group ticket sales, and initial public accessibilities. For its second decade beginning in the 1999-2000 season, Boheme Opera NJ began performing and building audiences at Villa Victoria Academy Theatre, lcoated in West Trenton, NJ while awaiting a five-year restoration of the Trenton War Memorial to be completed. The company then formalized its modest professional four-person administrative staff, re-establishing its presence in the Capital City as the resident opera presenter in the newly named Patriots Theater at the restored War Memorial venue. Spectacular archive photography by Edward L. Kedzierski, Sr. highlighted countless special moments from the main stage for many years to follow...
1999
As the evolution continued into its third decade, in the 2010-11 season, to further regionalize its exposure, Boheme moved its main stage performances to The College of New Jersey Center for the Arts, into Kendall Main Stage Theatre. In 2012, the company initiated stunning virtual animated sets by J. Matthew Root at its main stage productions. It now combined the beauty of its comprehensive art form with the potential to build younger and more diverse audiences, as well as alumni collaborations. Through the difficult Covid years and recovery, digital marketing strategies created new opportunities for awareness and perception.
2010
As a generational company, Boheme Opera NJ brings an exciting tradition of performance and collaboration to the foreground as it enters a new era as
The State Opera of New Jersey.
This is the perfect time for audiences to try opera for the first time, or to celebrate with us as opera lovers. You don’t have to travel far to experience outstanding Opera and. Musical Theater. You can stay right here in the Garden State. Now in it's fourth decade, creative ticketing strategies, geographic media features, a broader repertoire and outreach programming highlight Boheme’s public relations efforts. A significant component of Boheme’s mission remains the seeding and bridging of young artist careers, paving the way to larger main stages, including New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Currently in its 37th season, The State Opera of New Jersey's programming continues to enrich the communities it serves – from its popular up close and thematic Lecture Performance series in Monroe Township, now in its 14th year to regular appearances at The Present Day Club in Princeton, The Porch Club of Riverton, senior centers and adult communities in Mercer and Middlesex Counties, as well as its restaurant Mini Presentations series at Marsilio’s Kitchen and Acacia in Central New Jersey. Many of which intertwine the Opera, Musical Theater, and even Broadway genres. Over the years, Boheme has collaborated with pro-active corporate, community, and business and arts entities such as Boehm Porcelain Studio, Grounds For Sculpture, NJM Insurance Group, Stark & Stark Law firm, Northwest Criterion Asset Management LLC, Genesis AEC, Hill Wallack LLP, Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, Princeton Friends of Opera, Boheme Opera Guild, WWFM The Classical Network, Westrick Music Academy, Trenton Children’s Chorus, Passaggio Youth Chorale, American Repertory Ballet, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Princeton Youth Ballet, Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre, and many others. All of whom we are grateful to for sponsoring and being apart of our vibrant community.
2020 - Now