About Us

Thea Cook (Founder/Artistic Director)

Musically trained in piano and violin, Thea Cook has been a presence in New York’s Indie opera scene since 2007.  Ms. Cook has extensive knowledge of 19th century Italian and French singers, composers, and operatic repertoire. In addition to collecting copies of rare music, she has spent over two decades familiarizing herself with the contents of international digital and library archives.  Her other areas of musical interest include lieder and salon music, women composers, Irish composers, and American verismo.  

Using her private collection of rare scores, manuscript sources, and opera reference books in multiple languages, Ms. Cook has identified many worthwhile operas, operatic selections, and art songs.  She has used these to produce independent recitals and productions.  Ms. Cook consults with singers individually to vary and diversify their recital repertoire, choosing pieces that suit their voices.  She has collaborated with such companies as Vertical Player Repertory, Opera Feroce, Opera Southwest and Amsterdam Operakoor.  She has written numerous reviews and articles for publications such as Musicalcriticism.com, Opera Today, Opera Quarterly, and the Donizetti Society Newsletter.  

In 2020, Ms. Cook received her Master of Arts degree with first class honours from the prestigious Arts Management and Cultural Policy program in the School of Art History at University College Dublin.  Ms. Cook’s master’s thesis on simultaneous cooperation and competition among New York’s indie opera companies won the Irish Museums Trust’s prestigious Joan Duff medal for 2020.