Tulsa Opera facts for kids

Tulsa Opera is a professional opera company located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It started in 1948 as a group of friends who loved opera, called the Tulsa Opera Club. By 1953, it became a professional company. Today, Tulsa Opera performs three operas each year at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center (TPAC). Many famous singers have performed with the company, including Beverly Sills, Luciano Pavarotti, and Leontyne Price. The company is currently led by General Director and CEO Lori Decter Wright, and Aaron Beck is its Artistic Director.

History of Tulsa Opera

How Tulsa Opera Began (1948–1953)

In 1948, five friends in Tulsa started the Tulsa Opera Club. They loved opera and wanted to perform it. Their first show was La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi in December 1948. A local newspaper owner, Maud Lorton Meyers, was very impressed. She offered to help the group financially.

In 1949, the club formed a board of directors. Maud Lorton Meyers bought a house at 1610 South Boulder. This house became the first home for Tulsa Opera. The company's main office is still at this address today, though in a different building built in 1975.

At first, the club performed lighter operas and operettas twice a year. They mostly used amateur singers. In 1950, they moved their performances to the "Old Lady on Brady" theater. They also started hiring one or two professional singers for each show.

Becoming a Professional Company (1953–1974)

In 1953, the company changed its name to Tulsa Opera. It became a fully professional organization. This meant all the main singing roles were performed by paid professionals. Their first professional opera was Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini in November 1953.

Many well-known singers performed with Tulsa Opera during these years. These included sopranos like Licia Albanese and Dorothy Kirsten. Famous conductors also started leading the performances. In 1959, Carlo Moresco became the artistic director. He conducted all the company's shows for the next sixteen years.

A special event happened in 1962. During a strike at the Metropolitan Opera, Tulsa Opera was able to get many famous singers from the Met. They performed Rossini's The Barber of Seville. This show featured stars like Roberta Peters.

New Leadership and a New Home (1975–1987)

In 1975, Edward Purrington became the new general manager and artistic director. He led the company until 1987. One of the biggest changes during his time was the opening of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in 1977. Since then, almost all Tulsa Opera performances have been held in the TPAC's Chapman Music Hall.

The first opera performed at the TPAC was Verdi's Aida in November 1977. In 1978, Beverly Sills returned to Tulsa Opera to perform in I puritani. That same year, Samuel Ramey also performed with the company.

In the 1979–1980 season, Purrington expanded the opera season. Instead of two shows a year, Tulsa Opera began presenting three annual productions. This practice continues today. During this time, famous conductor Judith Somogi also became a favorite with Tulsa audiences.

Tulsa Opera also hosted special concerts at the TPAC. These included performances by world-famous singers like Luciano Pavarotti in 1981, Leontyne Price in 1986, and Joan Sutherland in 1987.

Edward Purrington left Tulsa Opera in 1987. Bernard Uzan took over but left after only one season.

New Artistic Ideas (1988–1992)

In 1988, Nicholas Muni became the artistic director. Myrna Smart Ruffner was named general manager. In 1990, Tulsa Opera's Young Artists program performed The Juniper Tree. The composer, Philip Glass, was there to see it.

That same year, Tulsa Opera presented a new version of Verdi's La traviata. The sets were very modern, showing scenes in a disco, a swimming pool, and a hospital. This production gained national attention. It was even performed by the New York City Opera.

Another important event in 1990 was the first performance in the United States of Le trouvère. This is the French version of Verdi's Il trovatore. This special version was conducted by David Lawton. In 1992, Tulsa Opera also presented the first U.S. performance of Gioachino Rossini's Armida. This was a big celebration for Rossini's 200th birthday.

Leadership Changes and Challenges (1993–2016)

Carol I. Crawford became the general director in 1993. She stayed in that role until 2008. During her time, Tulsa Opera helped produce the original show of Rachel Portman's The Little Prince in 2005. They worked with several other opera companies on this project.

In 2002, the Tulsa Philharmonic orchestra went bankrupt. This was a problem for Tulsa Opera. The Philharmonic musicians had played for the opera company for a long time. Many musicians left Tulsa. This made it more expensive and difficult to bring in musicians for opera productions. The creation of the Tulsa Symphony in 2005 helped to solve some of these issues.

From 2008 to 2016, Kostis Protopapas served as the company's artistic director.

Recent Years (2016–Present)

Tobias Picker, a famous opera composer, became the artistic director in 2016. He held this position until 2022. In May 2019, Tulsa Opera made history. They presented a new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni with Lucia Lucas in the main role. She became the first transgender woman to perform a principal role in an American opera company.

Tobias Picker stepped down in 2022. Aaron Beck was then appointed as the new artistic director. In June 2023, Ken McConnell resigned as general director. Aaron Beck also took on the role of interim general director. Due to money issues, Tulsa Opera had to cancel its two main shows for the 2023–24 season.