Unions have complained about computerised music on Broadway

Under the deal the Opera Company of Brooklyn will use live musicians rather than technology which replicates them. The move was hailed by the American Federation of Musicians as "a victory for live music, talented artists and the audience".

A similar dispute in the UK last month led to fears of a strike over plans to replace part of a West End orchestra.

The British row centred on the use of a "Sinfonia" instrument to replace 12 orchestra members working on Les Miserables when it moved to a smaller venue.

In New York, music union members protested when the opera company used the machine last year for a performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute and, later, The Marriage of Figaro.

The Sinfonia's manufacturers, New York-based Realtime Music Solutions, have said the machine was made "to be used in conjunction with live musicians when a full orchestra is not possible".

But critics described it as "an affront to the tradition of live music at operas".

"This machine is designed for one purpose, which is to replace live musicians with a machine to enable producers to make greater profits while diminishing a cherished art form," said union spokesman David Lennon.