During its thirty-three year history, it gained international acclaim for innovative programming. Under the leadership of Caldwell, the company staged the American premieres of such operas as Arnold Schoenberg's Moses and Aron, Sergei Prokofiev's War and Peace, Hector Berlioz' Les Troyens and Benvenuto Cellini, Luigi Nono's Intolleranza, Alban Berg's Lulu, and Roger Sessions' Montezuma.

Many well-known North American opera singers performed with the company, including Beverly Sills, Shirely Verrett, and John Vickers.