In the Upper East Side townhouse that the American Irish Historical Society calls home, a violinist ambled down the stairs while tuning her instrument and a harpist improvised with electronic sounds that came from the walls.

One of New York's scrappiest contemporary music groups is turning to opera. Beginning Friday and running through May 12 at the New Victory Theater on 42nd Street, the Metropolis Ensemble will accompany "The Firework-Maker's Daughter," a new opera by David Bruce, the promising 2012-2013 composer-in-residence at London's Royal Opera House.