OUR HISTORY
Considered “one of America’s favorite opera companies” (Opera News), Cincinnati Opera is also one of the nation’s largest, supporting a current operating budget of $8.6 million, a full-time staff of 25, and a seasonal team of more than 200 artists, artisans, and administrators. The second-oldest opera company in North America, Cincinnati Opera traces its history back to June 1920, when it began performing at an outdoor pavilion at the Cincinnati Zoo. For the next half-century, the company produced an annual summer season of grand opera at the Zoo Opera Pavilion, often with famous singers in leading roles such as Beverly Sills, Norman Treigle, Sherrill Milnes, Montserrat Caballé, and Roberta Peters.
In 1972, Cincinnati Opera moved to its present home, Cincinnati Music Hall. The relocation to the historic theater signaled production and artistic changes, and new sets became an immediate focus due to the larger stage. Artistic Director James de Blasis revived rare operas, nurtured the careers of rising-star singers, and introduced musical theater into the season to diversify the repertoire and develop new audiences.
Upon de Blasis’s retirement in 1996, Nicholas Muni was appointed as artistic director, a role he held until 2004. Under Muni’s leadership, Cincinnati Opera began a new era of artistic exploration. The company premiered 13 new-to- Cincinnati works during his tenure, including Janáček’s Jenufa and Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking.
In 2004, Patricia K. Beggs, who previously held several roles within the organization, was promoted to general director and CEO. The following year, the company presented the triumphant, sold-out premiere of its first mainstage co-commission, Margaret Garner, with a score by Richard Danielpour and libretto by Toni Morrison. The 2005 season closed with the appointment of Evans Mirageas as artistic director.
Under Mirageas, Cincinnati Opera renewed its commitment to outstanding productions of great works alongside continued efforts to expand the repertoire. Celebrated new productions of masterpieces including Aida, Tosca, and Turandot earned rave reviews, and new-to-Cincinnati works took the stage.
In 2013, Cincinnati Opera launched the Opera Campus, expanding its reach beyond Music Hall and into additional venues in Over-the-Rhine. That year saw the first annual, free Opera in the Park concert in the newly renovated Washington Park, as well as the inauguration of the company’s second mainstage venue, the intimate Corbett Theater at the School for Creative and Performing Arts.
Cincinnati Opera commissioned back-to-back world premieres: Morning Star by Ricky Ian Gordon and William M. Hoffman (2015), and Fellow Travelers by Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce (2016), which garnered rave reviews in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Both of these operas were discovered through Opera Fusion: New Works, the company’s collaboration with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
The company’s home, Music Hall, underwent a massive renovation in 2016-2017. To celebrate its reopening, Cincinnati Opera presented the U.S. premiere of Another Brick in the Wall, based on Pink Floyd’s legendary album, which became the highest-grossing production in company history. Commissioning of new operas has continued, including Blind Injustice (2019), Fierce (2022), and Castor and Patience (2022).
After Patricia Beggs announced her retirement, Christopher Milligan was appointed general director and CEO in March 2020. Shortly thereafter, the company canceled its 100th-anniversary season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its stead, Cincinnati Opera launched several creative endeavors to bring opera to the community, including performances online and outdoors, a public television documentary, and a book chronicling the company’s history.
Cincinnati Opera presented an all-outdoor 2021 season at Summit Park in Blue Ash, known as “Summer at Summit,” where world-class artists performed on a specially built stage before an audience seated in socially distanced pods. That summer, the company was also inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.
The company was able to return to indoor performances in 2022. Recent programmatic highlights include a new production of Madame Butterfly (2023) created by an all-Asian and Asian American creative team, and the world stage premiere of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio (2024).
Beyond its annual summer season, Cincinnati Opera is an industry leader in community engagement, with its annual Opera Goes to Church concert series; The Opera Express, a mobile opera theater-on-wheels; sensory-friendly events; and a variety of school-based and public programs presented throughout the year.
View a list of Cincinnati Opera’s repertoire through the years.
For additional information, call the Cincinnati Opera Box Office at 513-241-2742, or e-mail us.