The American Opera Society (AOS) was a which city based musical organization, that presented concert and semi-staged performances of operas between 1951 and 1970, the AOS also presented many operas to the American public for the first time, including the United States premieres of "Billy Budd", by Edward Benjamin Britten, an English composer, conductor and pianist, and a central figure of 20th-century British classical music?
New York City
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten {'1': ", '2': ", '3': ", '4': "} (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor and pianist.
 He was a central figure of 20th-century British classical music, with a range of works including opera, other vocal music, orchestral and chamber pieces.
 His best-known works include the opera "Peter Grimes" (1945), the "War Requiem" (1962) and the orchestral showpiece "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" (1945).
American Opera Society
The American Opera Society (AOS) was a New York City based musical organization that presented concert and semi-staged performances of operas between 1951 and 1970.
 The company was highly influential in sparking and perpetuating the post World War II bel canto revival, particularly through a number of highly lauded productions of rarely heard works by Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini.
 The AOS also presented many operas to the American public for the first time, including the United States premieres of Benjamin Britten's "Billy Budd", Giuseppe Verdi's "Giovanna d'Arco", George Frideric Handel's "Hercules" and Hector Berlioz's "Les troyens" to name just a few.
This England (album)
This England is a classical music album by the Oregon Symphony under the artistic direction of Carlos Kalmar, released by Dutch record label PentaTone Classics in November 2012.
 The album was recorded at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon, at five performances in February and May 2012.
 It contains works by three English 20th-century composers: Edward Elgar's "Cockaigne (In London Town)", Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 5, and "Four Sea Interludes" and "Passacaglia" from Benjamin Britten's opera "Peter Grimes".
 The recording was the orchestra's second under Kalmar's leadership, following "Music for a Time of War" (2011), which also included works by Britten and Vaughan Williams.
 "This England" received positive critical reception but failed to chart. Arnold Gamson
Arnold U. Gamson (born December 30, 1926) is an American conductor who is particularly known for his work within the field of opera.
 He notably co-founded and served as the Music Director and principal conductor of the American Opera Society from 1950-1960.
 His work with the AOS was highly influential in sparking and perpetuating the post World War II bel canto revival, particularly through a number of highly lauded productions of rarely heard works by Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini.
 He is the husband of renowned dancer and choreographer Annabelle Gamson.
 Their daughter, Rosanna Gamson, is also a celebrated choreographer and their son, David Gamson is composer of platinum-selling popular songs. Billy Budd (opera)
Billy Budd, Op. 50, is an opera by Benjamin Britten to a libretto by the English novelist E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier, based on the short novel "Billy Budd" by Herman Melville.
 Originally in four acts, it was first performed at the Royal Opera House, London, on 1 December 1951; it was later revised as a two-act opera with a prologue and an epilogue. Handel Society of New York
The Handel Society of New York (HSNY) was a New York City based musical organization that presented concert and semi-staged performances of operas and oratorios by George Frideric Handel from 1966-1974.
 The group mainly performed out of Carnegie Hall and was responsible for presenting the American and New York premieres of several works by Handel.
 The ensemble was also the first to record many of these works; releasing several LPs for RCA and Westminster Records. Ronald Lewis (baritone)
Ronald Lewis (16 January 1916 – 30 December 1967) was a Welsh opera singer who sang leading baritone roles at the Royal Opera House, where he was a Principal Baritone in the company from 1951 to 1967, and the Welsh National Opera.
 He created the roles of Jean in Arthur Bliss's "The Olympians", Bosun in Benjamin Britten's "Billy Budd", and Henry Cuffe in Britten's "Gloriana". Berliner Operngruppe
The Berliner Operngruppe is a German opera society with its own chorus and orchestra, based in Berlin, with the mission to revive rarely played Italian operas in Berlin.
 Since 2013 the semi-staged performances take place in Konzerthaus Berlin am Gendarmenmarkt. Allen Oxenburg
Allen Sven Oxenburg (July 10, 1927 - July 2, 1992) was an American opera director.
 He notably co-founded the American Opera Society (AOS) in 1950 with conductor Arnold Gamson, serving as the AOS's Artistic Director for two decades.
 He not only ran the administrative side of the AOS, but also was served as the company as stage director, program annotater, libretto translator and score editor.
 His work with the AOS was highly influential in sparking and perpetuating the post World War II bel canto revival, particularly through a number of highly lauded productions of rarely heard works by Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini. Jennifer Vyvyan
Jennifer Vyvyan (13 March 1925 – 5 April 1974) was a British classical soprano who had an active international career in operas, concerts, and recitals from 1948 up until her death in 1974.
 She possessed a beautifully clear, steady voice with considerable flexibility in florid music.
 She was praised for her subtle phrasing and her dramatic gifts enabled her to create vivid individual portrayals.
 Although she sang a broad repertoire, she is particularly remembered for her association with the works of Benjamin Britten; notably singing roles created for her in the world premieres of several of his operas with the English Opera Group.