LA Opera
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| LA Opera | |
|---|---|
 Gordon F. Smith's parents · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source | |
| Name | LA Opera |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Plácido Domingo, Lucia Mitchell |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles |
| Genre | Opera |
LA Opera is a leading operatic company based in Los Angeles known for presenting a broad spectrum of repertoire, commissioning new works, and engaging in extensive education and outreach. It performs in major venues across California and collaborates with international artists, orchestras, directors, and designers. The company has influenced cultural life through premieres, recordings, and partnerships with institutions in the United States and abroad.
History
The organization emerged from predecessors including the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera and the Los Angeles Grand Opera Association, consolidating talent from institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera and the San Francisco Opera. Early seasons featured artists linked to Maria Callas, Plácido Domingo, Leontyne Price, and Beverly Sills, contributing to a regional resurgence comparable to initiatives by the New York City Opera and the Chicago Lyric Opera. Landmark premieres and collaborations connected the company with composers like Benjamin Britten, Dmitri Shostakovich, Philip Glass, and John Adams, and with directors associated with Peter Brook and Franco Zeffirelli. Tours and guest appearances tied the company to festivals such as the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the Salzburg Festival, and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.
Organization and Leadership
Governance follows models used by the Metropolitan Opera Association, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, and the Carnegie Hall board, with artistic leadership comparable to the offices held at the Royal Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, and the Teatro alla Scala. General directors and artistic directors have included figures with careers at the Houston Grand Opera, the Dallas Opera, and the Seattle Opera. Music directors and conductors affiliated with the company have ties to ensembles like the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the London Symphony Orchestra. Administrative staff collaborate with unions and guilds such as the American Guild of Musical Artists and with donors comparable to patrons of the Kennedy Center and the Julliard School.
Productions and Repertoire
Programming spans standard repertoire from composers such as Giuseppe Verdi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giacomo Puccini, Richard Wagner, and Giacomo Rossini, as well as 20th- and 21st-century works by Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, Béla Bartók, Samuel Barber, Gustav Mahler, Olivier Messiaen, Benjamin Britten, Philip Glass, and John Adams. The company has mounted productions of operas by Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, Charles Gounod, Georges Bizet, and Antonín Dvořák. Contemporary commissions and world premieres connected to the company involve collaborators like Jake Heggie, Mark Adamo, Terence Blanchard, Harrison Birtwistle, and Thomas Adès. Staging attracts directors with credits at the Royal Opera House, Salzburg Festival, La Scala, and New National Theatre Tokyo, including work from names associated with Peter Sellars, Robert Wilson, Wendy Wasserstein, and Ivo van Hove. Set and costume designers linked to the company have worked with the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Venues and Facilities
Primary performance spaces include the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and collaborations at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for special events. Rehearsals and education programs use facilities comparable to those at the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, with partnerships involving local institutions such as USC Thornton School of Music, UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, and community theaters in Inglewood and Pasadena. The company’s production workshops connect to technical resources found at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and the Royal College of Music.
Education and Community Outreach
The organization’s outreach programs mirror initiatives by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, the New York Philharmonic education department, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s community programs. Collaborations include school residencies with the Los Angeles Unified School District, partnerships with youth ensembles like the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus and Kaufman Music Center, and joint projects with service organizations such as Arts for LA, LA County Arts Commission, and Americans for the Arts. Training programs have affinities with young artist programs at the Santa Fe Opera and the Glimmerglass Festival and have involved mentorship from singers associated with the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House.
Recordings and Media
Recordings of performances have been released in formats used by labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, EMI Classics, and Nonesuch Records. Broadcasts and streaming partnerships have linked the company to networks and platforms comparable to PBS, Medici.tv, and WFMT Radio Network, and to collaborations with film and television entities like PBS Great Performances, HBO, and Netflix for filmed opera projects. Archive initiatives follow practices of the Library of Congress and the British Library sound collections.
Awards and Recognition
The company and its artists have received honors comparable to Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, Olivier Awards, and civic recognitions from the City of Los Angeles. Singers, conductors, and production teams associated with the company have won accolades from institutions such as the Alan T. Waterman Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, the MacArthur Fellowship, and awards presented by the National Endowment for the Arts. Conductors and directors affiliated with the company have been recognized by international bodies including the Royal Philharmonic Society and the European Festival Association.