Performance for the love of opera.
Founded in 1954, the Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island is not only Long Island’s oldest opera company, but one of its oldest theater companies and oldest musical organizations. A New York State-registered not-for-profit organization, it is a touring company performing the works of Gilbert & Sullivan for churches, temples, schools, parks, libraries, seniors groups and fraternal organizations throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, as well as in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.
Our singers are amateurs (our directors, music directors, orchestra musicians and technical staff are professionals) whose love for the Savoy operas inspires them to commit untold hours, inside and outside of official rehearsals, and shows in every performance we give. Every one of our casts is a mixture of veterans and newcomers (Robert Del Monte, dean of the company’s chorus, has been with us since 1970), and we pride ourselves on the fact that our shows are cast on merit alone, without reference to whether an auditioner is a seasoned veteran or a complete stranger.
The company’s repertoire includes all 13 Gilbert & Sullivan operas, as well as the “lost” opera Thespis (with a new score by Broadway legend Thomas Z. Shepard) and Gayden Wren’s A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol and Very Truly Yours, Gilbert & Sullivan, both of which had their world debuts with the company in the 1990s and have gone on to national and international success, including Off-Broadway productions in 2001 and 1997 respectively. The company has also presented staged readings of five plays by W.S. Gilbert and a series of G&S revues that have proved popular throughout the greater New York area.
June 1, 22, 23,29, and 30
Join us for Iolanthe, a comic opera that deals with love, familial relationships, and society. When Iolanthe is banished from fairyland for marrying a mortal, she gives birth to her son, Strephon. Little does she know that her immortality (and appearing young) will mean that Strephon will face trials in his own love life.
Tickets on sale now!
Support the Company
The Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company has always supported itself by selling tickets and by booking our shows with sponsoring organizations. It’s worked for 65 years, and we’re confident that it will keep working for 65 more.
That isn’t to say, though, that we don’t welcome donations from anyone who loves the Savoy operas the way we do and wants to help keep the company at its best. Our singers work for the love of the operas and the joy of working with our friends, but sets, costumes, storage facilities, orchestra musicians and so much more don’t come cheap. If we could do what we do for free, we would—but we can’t.
The company is a New York State-registered not-for-profit organization, and has been recognized as a 501(c)(3) group by the Internal Revenue Service. Any donations made to us is fully tax-deductible, and we’re happy to provide the appropriate documentation of such gifts.
If you’d like to make a donation to the company please click the button below.