On Sept. 1, 2026, the founder of Virginia Opera Edythe C. Harrison died at the age of 91.

The opera company announced the news via social media and said “Virginia Opera mourns the passing of Edythe C. Harrison, a remarkable public servant, civic leader, and devoted champion of the arts. Mrs. Harrison’s vision and leadership helped shape Virginia Opera and the cultural life of our Commonwealth. Her extraordinary legacy lives on in the Edythe C. and Stanley L. Harrison Opera House in Norfolk—Virginia Opera’s home and a place where generations of artists and audiences have come together to experience the power of opera and the performing arts. Her belief in the arts, commitment to public service, and generosity of spirit leave an enduring legacy.”

The statement added, “We extend our deepest condolences to the Harrison family and all who knew and loved her. Virginia Opera remembers Mrs. Harrison with profound gratitude for a life of extraordinary service and for the lasting impact she made on our organization, our community, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

Born on Sept. 17, 1934, Harrison once represented Norfolk in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1980 to 1983 but lost renomination in 1982 after the state’s House district maps were redrawn.

Throughout her career she gained notoriety as a champion of the civil rights movement. She later became the first woman to run for statewide office by the Virginia Democratic Party in 1984.

She was also involved Women’s Studies programs at Old Dominion University.

Outside her political work, she was an advocate for the arts and in 1974, she organized the creation of the Virginia Opera Association and became its first board chair.  In the 1990s, she and her husband, Stanley, were able to raise millions of dollars to help convert Norfolk’s Center Theater into a home for the Virginia Opera.