The New Jersey State Opera is an opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

 company based in Newark

Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. It was established in 1964 as the Opera Theater of Westfield, and shortly after opening Alfredo Silipigni

Alfredo Silipigni

Alfredo Silipigni was a conductor and specialist in lesser-known Italian operas who founded the New Jersey State Opera and ran it for four decades.-Early life:...

 was hired as Artistic Director

Artistic director

An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...

. The name was changed to the Opera Theatre of New Jersey in 1965, and in 1968 the company moved to Newark Symphony Hall

Newark Symphony Hall

Newark Symphony Hall at 1020 Broad Street in Newark, New Jerseywas built in 1925 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It was known for many years as The Mosque Theater.-Design and construction:...

. In 1974 it was renamed the New Jersey State Opera. The company moved to its current location at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center

New Jersey Performing Arts Center

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center , in downtown Newark, New Jersey, United States, is the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States...

(NJPAC) in 1998.