Washington D.C. Opera

In 1956, the sound of opera rang out in D.C., heralding the birth of a new company. Four decades and countless artistic leaps later, Washington National Opera continues to move boldly forward on the great adventure that began years ago in a university auditorium. Now in its 50th season, Washington National Opera is one of the nation's leading opera companies and plays to standing room audiences in the Kennedy Center.

Washington National Opera earned its position without the crucial government support typical in most world capitals, in a city without the strong business base that helps fund many U.S. companies. It has done so through the excellence of its performances, the number and quality of its new productions, its discovery and nurturing of important young talent, its use of English supertitles, and the international collaboration system it pioneered with leading foreign companies.

The company was founded by music critic Day Thorpe of the now defunct Washington Star, along with a few other visionary souls who decided that the capital should have its own operatic enterprise. He called it the Opera Society of Washington (later renamed The Washington Opera), enlisted members of the National Symphony Orchestra, and engaged Paul Callaway, organist and choirmaster of Washington Cathedral, as music director.

Since there was no "company" in the literal sense, productions had to be conceived individually and financial support scraped up opera by opera. Even so, the company achieved remarkable results and, in 1967, commissioned the world premiere of Alberto Ginastera's Bomarzo. Frequently, though, success came at a price. In December 1970, for instance, Frederick Delius' Koanga, an American premiere, was the only opera that the company was able to mount.

Under the stewardship of General Director Plácido Domingo, Washington National Opera continues to move confidently forward on a great adventure that began when the company was founded in 1956. Four and a half decades and countless artistic leaps later, the Opera has achieved the stature of a world class company and plays to standing-room-only audiences at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The company recently received the designation "The National Opera" by the Congress of the United States of America.

Under Maestro Domingo's leadership, the company has expanded its facilities with the 2000 opening of the Washington National Opera Studio in Takoma Park. This facility contains rehearsal space large enough to accommodate three different productions simultaneously, houses a well-equipped costume shop, and is home to Washington National Opera Center for Education and Training. Introduced in spring of 2004, the National Opera Center houses the celebrated Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, award-winning Education and Community Programs Department, and the Plácido Domingo Intern/Apprenticeship Program.

Washington National Opera has earned its position through the number and quality of its new productions and by championing lesser known works of significant musical worth rarely presented on today's opera stages. It is committed to sustaining new American opera, presenting new works in crucial second productions to expand the operatic repertory. It has been hailed for its work with operas on the epic scale, as the British magazine Opera Now recently stated, "Washington National Opera is carving out a new area of expertise . . . staging grand spectacles to exacting standards with precision and power not often seen even at the world's top houses." The company is also known for its discovery and nurturing of important young talent and the international collaboration system it has pioneered with leading foreign opera companies.

During the 2005-2006 season, Washington National Opera commemorates its golden anniversary. This exciting season features seven productions, including four company premieres--Verdi's I vespri siciliani, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Wagner's Das Rheingold, and Mozart's La clemenza di Tito--as well as Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri, and a special celebratory operatic Trilogy, featuring Plácido Domingo and guests in three fully-staged acts. The 50th anniversary season also marks the beginning of the company's first Ring cycle, which will be directed by acclaimed international director Francesca Zambello and conducted by the company's music director Heinz Fricke.