Nashville Opera

Nashville Opera
Name	Nashville Opera
Caption	Logo of Nashville Opera
Founded	1981
Founder	Lowell Frank
Location	Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Opera

Nashville Opera is a professional opera company based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1981, it presents staged productions, concerts, educational programming, and community initiatives across Middle Tennessee. The company collaborates with regional and national artists, orchestras, and institutions to produce a mix of standard repertoire and contemporary works.

History

The organization began in 1981 under artistic initiatives linked to Lowell Frank and local patrons, emerging amid a cultural center alongside institutions such as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and Schulman Center for the Performing Arts. Early seasons featured partnerships with ensembles like the Nashville Symphony and guest artists from companies including the Metropolitan Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s the company expanded programming during collaborations with presenters such as John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts affiliates and touring productions from the New York City Opera. Recent decades saw premieres and commissions alongside contemporary champions including Giacomo Puccini stagings contextualized with modern directors who have worked at the Vienna State Opera and Royal Opera House.

Organization and Management

The company operates as a nonprofit organization guided by a board comprising civic leaders, philanthropists, and arts administrators drawn from institutions like Vanderbilt University, HCA Healthcare, and the Tennessee Arts Commission. Executive leadership has included executives with backgrounds at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and regional houses such as Fort Worth Opera. Administrative departments collaborate with unions and guilds including the American Guild of Musical Artists, United Scenic Artists, and the American Federation of Musicians, while artistic planning engages guest directors and conductors with credits from the Berlin State Opera, La Scala, and Glyndebourne Festival Opera.

Productions and Repertoire

Repertoire balances canonical works by composers like Giuseppe Verdi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Wagner, Giacomo Puccini, and Gaetano Donizetti with 20th- and 21st-century pieces by Benjamin Britten, Philip Glass, Jake Heggie, and Mark Adamo. The company has staged full productions of La bohème, Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, Tosca, and Rigoletto, while presenting contemporary premieres and modern adaptations informed by directors with credits at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Opéra national de Paris. Orchestral collaborations feature the Nashville Symphony, guest conductors from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and period ensembles linked to the Academy of Ancient Music for historically informed performances.

Education and Community Outreach

Educational initiatives partner with school districts, after-school programs, and conservatories including Belmont University, Vanderbilt University, and Tennessee State University to provide student matinees, workshops, and apprenticeship programs. Outreach projects have connected with community organizations such as the United Way and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and have included partnerships with the Nashville Public Library system for literacy-themed performances. Training opportunities involve collaborations with voice studios associated with pedagogues from the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, and the New England Conservatory.

Venues and Facilities

Mainstage productions have been presented at venues like the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and concert series hosted at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center alongside performances in historic spaces including the Belcourt Theatre and the Ryman Auditorium. Administrative offices and rehearsal spaces have shared facilities with music departments at Vanderbilt University and rehearsal halls used by the Nashville Ballet. Technical partnerships include scenic workshops and costume shops collaborating with regional theaters such as the TPAC's Jackson Hall and design teams with credits at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Notable Artists and Collaborations

Guest singers, conductors, and directors have included artists who have also performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, La Scala, and San Francisco Opera. Collaborators have encompassed conductors from the Philadelphia Orchestra and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, stage directors who worked with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Royal Opera, and designers with credits at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera. Resident artists have gone on to careers at institutions such as the Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, and the Canadian Opera Company.

Awards and Recognition

The company and its productions have received accolades from local arts organizations including Metro Nashville Arts Commission honors and statewide recognition from the Tennessee Arts Commission. Individual performers and creative teams have earned nominations and awards from bodies such as the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, Lotte Lenya Competition, and regional critics’ circles associated with the Nashville Scene and national coverage in outlets like The New York Times and Opera News.

Category:Opera companies in the United States Category:Performing arts in Nashville, Tennessee