New York-based opera company Teatro Grattacielo has secured a $24,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the world premiere of its new multidisciplinary chamber opera, “Jefferson Lives!”.
The funding forms part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ FY 2026 grant awards and will support the production’s premiere performances in New York later this year. The project aligns with the wider America250 celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.
According to Teatro Grattacielo, the opera explores the psychological reflections of John Adams during the final moments of his life, examining the ideals, tensions and legacy surrounding the founding of the nation. The production combines music, theatre and visual design in what organisers describe as a multidisciplinary artistic approach.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support opportunities across the country for Americans to experience and participate in the arts,” said Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “As we celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary this year, it is a moment to recognize the important role the arts continue to play in our lives, communities, and heritage.”
The grant represents another significant funding milestone for Teatro Grattacielo, which has focused on producing innovative opera works and lesser-known repertoire. Federal arts funding continues to play an important role for independent and nonprofit performing arts organisations navigating rising production costs and audience development challenges.
The production will first undergo a developmental workshop and open performance in Tucson, Arizona, this November in collaboration with Polyhymnia. Following the workshop phase, the official world premiere is scheduled to take place on November 7 and 8 at The Flea in New York City.
Conductor Saverio Alfieri will lead the performances, while the wider production team brings together specialists across composition, direction, visual design and stagecraft.
The company also confirmed a series of public engagement initiatives linked to the performances, including post-show discussions, educational study guides and free ticket access for schools. Such outreach programmes have become increasingly important for arts organisations seeking to expand accessibility and strengthen community participation.
Stefanos Koroneos, who serves as both librettist and director for the production, said the opera aims to present the American Revolution through a contemporary and psychologically driven lens rather than as a conventional historical retelling.
“Rather than presenting history as a fixed narrative, the opera approaches the American Revolution as a living psychological and theatrical experience,” says Stefanos Koroneos, Librettist and Director. “John Adams appears as a ghost shaped by memory and moral burden, while a modern Narrator—an accidental protagonist—finds himself overtaken by the history he thought he only knew. Moving fluidly between dialogue, monologue, music, and silence, the work transforms documented events into a dramatic journey that traces how ideas of freedom and resistance migrate from thought into action. Jefferson Lives! invites audiences to encounter the Revolution not as a monument, but as an unresolved human reckoning.”
The creative team behind “Jefferson Lives!” includes composer Joshua Daniel Nichols, alongside James Harrigan, who developed the concept and source material for the production.
Visual and technical design will also play a central role in the staging. Camilla Tassi will oversee projection design, Amara McNeil will lead lighting design duties, and Angela Huff will manage costume design.
The announcement comes at a time when arts institutions across the United States are increasingly seeking partnerships, grants and philanthropic backing to support original productions and experimental performance formats. Public funding awards from the National Endowment for the Arts remain highly competitive and are often viewed within the sector as an important endorsement of both artistic and educational value.
For Teatro Grattacielo, the support provides both financial assistance and national visibility ahead of a production that seeks to connect historical themes with contemporary audiences.
The company has positioned “Jefferson Lives!” not only as a performance work but also as a broader cultural and educational initiative tied to the America250 commemorations. With workshops, public discussions and school access programmes attached to the project, the production is expected to engage audiences beyond traditional opera circles when it debuts in New York later this year.
