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The History of The Dallas Opera

Lawrence Kelly and Maria Callas

A 52-year tradition of artistic excellence and community engagement has made The Dallas Opera a major factor in the international cultural reputation of Dallas and a major contributor to the economic impact of the performing arts in North Texas. The Dallas Opera has presented many international stars in their American debuts, including Dame Joan Sutherland, Montserrat Caball�, Jon Vickers, and Pl�cido Domingo, as well as designer/director Franco Zeffirelli. A champion of new work, The Dallas Opera has also presented the American premieres of five operas and two world premieres.

Nicola Rescigno

In 1957, civic leaders worked diligently to found a resident opera company in Dallas, including Mr. and Mrs. Henry S. Miller, Jr., Dallas Morning News critic John Rosenfield, and William A. McKenzie. They approached Lawrence Kelly, formerly associated with Chicago�s Lyric Theater, about establishing an opera company in Dallas. Mr. Kelly agreed to pursue that goal and the Dallas Civic Opera was chartered in March of 1957. Mr. Kelly named his long-time associate, Maestro Nicola Rescigno, as artistic director. The Dallas Civic Opera opened with an inaugural concert by legendary Greek soprano Maria Callas in November of that year.

Plato Karayanis

Early in 1974, Mr. Kelly took on the additional task of acting manager of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. After several months, a serious illness forced his resignation. Larry Kelly died on September 19, 1974 and was buried in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Maestro Rescigno assumed the mantle of general director, in addition to his other responsibilities.

Plato Karayanis was named to the position of General Director in 1977. During Mr. Karayanis� tenure, the Opera developed a state-of-the-art Rehearsal Production Center, funded entirely by the private sector. The 69,000-square -foot Center employs the finest soundproofing and acoustical design and consolidates under one roof all of the rehearsal and staging needs of The Dallas Opera. The facility is also made available to smaller local arts groups through a partnership with the City of Dallas.

Anthony Whitworth-Jones

Anthony Whitworth-Jones succeeded the retiring Plato Karayanis as General Director in June 2000 and served for two years. Mr. Whitworth-Jones was General Director of Glyndebourne Productions, Ltd., from 1989 to 1998.

Karen Stone

On May 6, 2003, the Opera announced the appointment of Mr. Whitworth-Jones�s successor, Karen Stone, as the fifth General Director in the history of the company. Having collaborated with The Dallas Opera�s esteemed Music Director, Mr. Graeme Jenkins, at the Cologne Opera in Germany, where Ms. Stone served as deputy director and later as director of opera from 1995-2000; Ms. Stone has first-hand knowledge of the business, rising from singer to director to administrator of dozens of productions and hundreds of employees. She came to Dallas from Graz, Austria, where she had been the general manager of the Theaters of Graz since the year 2000. Ms. Stone eliminated The Dallas Opera�s accumulated deficit in just two years, while pushing the company to aspire to even greater artistic achievements (as evidenced by our recent world-class productions of Jan�cek�s Jenufa, Rossini�s The Barber of Seville and Wagner�s Lohengrin). She resigned the position to pursue other goals, effective October 2007.

Opera In A Box

The Dallas Opera�s youth education programs have garnered numerous awards. Pre-kindergarten through third grade students have been introduced to opera through children�s touring productions, fourth- through eighth-graders attend special performances of fully-staged operas, and hundreds of teachers receive training in the use of the Opera�s successful integrated curriculum materials. The Dallas Opera was selected as one of four American opera companies to participate in a pilot program through Young Audiences, Inc. Supported by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment of the arts, this project has given teachers access to the best practices in opera education through CD-ROM and the Internet. Recently, The Dallas Opera worked with Southern Methodist University to develop the Emerging Artists Program and a presentation of the 35-minute one act opera, Red Carnations, designed to introduce students to the art form while also sparking discussion of �stranger danger� and internet predators. Last season, the company launched its first Young Artists Program to advance the education and opportunities for tomorrow�s talented young singers and developed �Opera in a Box: Follow Your Dreams,� a classical version of �A Chorus Line,� which has delighted audiences, both young and old.

View Construction Webcam

The Dallas Opera has begun preparations for its move into the state-of-the-art opera house designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect, Sir Norman Foster, and partners. The Opera�s new venue at the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts will be made possible by a history-making $42-million gift from Margot and Bill Winspear, for whom the opera house will be named. Groundbreaking for the entire facility took place on November 10, 2005. The Dallas Opera�s permanent new home has rapidly taken shape, in the months since. The company�s first unofficial performance (on what will be the stage of the opera house) occurred in May of this year, under the open skies of North Texas. It was conducted for Bill Winspear and members of his family, just prior to his death. The performing arts in Dallas will never be the same.

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