Opera AMERICA has announced that Deborah F. Rutter, the former president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is set to be the Keynote Speaker for the Opera Conference 2025. Rutter was the first woman president of the Kennedy Center, holding the position from 2014 through 2025. Rutter was ousted as President Donald Trump took over the institution and {…}
The Women’s Opera Network Forum is set to take place virtually on March 25 and 26, 2025. The two-day event opens with an “Opening & Women’s Healing Circle” from 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., followed by a “Reproductive Health Presentation” from 1:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The day will conclude with a “Reproductive Health Q&A” (closed session) from 3:15 p.m. {…}
OPERA America has released its 2024 Annual Field Report. These findings provide leaders in the field with a comprehensive overview of the financial health and productivity of opera companies in North America. The report is a tool for those working at and supporting opera companies to understand recent trends in the industry that underpin the operating landscape and to have {…}
(Photo credit: National Sawdust) Spanish composer and conductor Pedro Halffter will take part in a panel discussion on his new chamber opera, “KLARA.” Opera Hispánica in collaboration with National Sawdust, Divaria Productions, and the New York City Opera, presents the New York premiere of “KLARA,” in a new production directed and choreographed by choreographer Richard Stafford. “KLARA” features soprano Ashley {…}
(Photo Credit: Maria Baranova) Armenian-American composer and documentarian Mary Kouyoumdjian’s opera, “Adoration,” is set to makes its west coast premiere in a co-presentation by LA Opera and Beth Morrison Projects. Kouyoumdjian was awarded an OPERA America commissioning grant to create an opera adaptation of Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan’s “Adoration.” Written in collaboration with librettist Royce Vavrek, the operatic version touches {…}
OPERA America has released new research findings in “Understanding Opera’s New Audiences.” The yearlong research study looked into the motivations, experiences, and barriers faced by new opera audiences nationwide in the years during and following the pandemic. The study draws on a survey of over 11,000 operagoers across 36 opera companies of all sizes, formats, and geographies in the United {…}
OPERA America President and CEO Marc A. Scorca is stepping down from his position at the end of December 2025. Scorca was hired in 1990 by then-OPERA America Chair Ardis Krainik to lead the organization. He will shift to the role of Senior Fellow for one additional year after his successor takes over in January 2026. “Next year will mark {…}
OPERA America named seven exemplary artists, administrators, and advocates to the Opera Hall of Fame as the class of 2024. The 2024 Opera Hall of Fame inductees are: Adele Addison, soprano and teacher Justino Díaz, bass-baritone and teacher Jake Heggie, composer and mentor Carol F. Henry, founding trustee and philanthropist Wayne Sanders, artist, pianist, and arts leader Sarah Billinghurst Solomon, {…}
OPERA America unveiled its 2024 National Opera Trustee Recognition Awards. The recipients this year include Maria Lagios of Chicago Opera Theater, Claire Liu of Houston Grand Opera, William Miller of Opera Columbus, Leah Solat of Annapolis Opera, and Jennifer Suh Whitfield of HERE Arts Center. Meanwhile, the Association for Opera in Canada selected Tapestry Opera’s Brian James Dawson as the {…}
Pioneering female conductor and composer Odaline de la Martinez and Joan Anim Addo’s opera “Imoinda” will be included at Opera America showcase sponsored by the US League of Composers. The Cuba-born composer who now resides in the UK was the first female conductor to conduct at the Proms. She created her own ensemble Lontano and her own record label Lorelt {…}
OPERA America has revealed its 2024-25 Onstage Season. First up is a conversation with composer Jeanine Tesori ahead of the Met Opera’s premiere of “Grounded.” Event Date: Sept. 18, 2024 Next up is a conversation with Anthony Roth Costanzo as he takes over as general director of Opera Philadelphia. Event Date: Oct. 24, 2024 In December comes the 2024 Awards for Digital {…}