Verismo (music) of the poor, that had not generally been seen as a fit subject for literature. A short story by Verga called "Cavalleria rusticana" (), then developed into a play by the same author, became the source for what is usually considered to be the first "verismo" opera: "Cavalleria rusticana" by Mascagni, which premiered on 17 May 1890 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. Thus begun, the operatic genre of "verismo" produced a handful of notable works such as "Pagliacci", which premiered at Teatro Dal Verme in Milan on 21 May 1892, and Puccini's "Tosca" (premiering at the Teatro Costanzi in
Chelsea Opera and received critical acclaim from "Opera News": the operas "had great appeal both to old opera hands and to first-time operagoers." Each season now includes multiple offerings within its concert series, "Chelsea Opera presents…", a series of thematic concerts featuring the company’s principal singers and guest artists, whose number now exceeds 400 who have performed principal roles, sung in the ensemble, been involved in design/production, and played in the Chelsea Opera Chamber Orchestra (“COCO”). Chelsea Opera’s performances to date have included "Suor Angelica", "Amahl and the Night Visitors" (also given an encore presentation in November 2009), "Cavalleria Rusticana", "Pagliacci", "Don