The Dallas Opera is an opera company located in Dallas, Texas (USA). The company was founded in 1957 as the Dallas Civic Opera by Laurence Kelly and Nicolà Rescigno, both of whom had been active with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the first as administrator, the second as artistic director.

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The company's artistic successes

Maria Callas opened the Civic Opera's first season with an inaugural recital conducted by Rescigno. She returned the following year to perform in La traviata in a production by Franco Zeffirelli and in Medea , directed by the Greek director, Alexis Minotis, two of her infrequent performances in the United States. According to John Ardoin, the long-time music critic for The Dallas Morning News , ^[1] she sang in Lucia di Lammermoor in the 1958 season. Callas' rehearsal, with Resigno conducting the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, on 20 November 1957 was recorded, as was her performance in Medea on 6 November 1958.

Of the company's successes, one writer notes that "the Dallas Opera may have been just beginning, but what they accomplished was of the highest standard", ^[2] while, in an interview, John Ardoin outlines the role of Laurence Kelly: Many singers have made their American debut in Dallas, such as Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Gwyneth Jones, Waltraud Meier, Magda Olivero, Joan Sutherland, and Jon Vickers. Designer/director Franco Zeffirelli also made his US debut there. Dallas also has helped launch the careers of such American singers as Renée Fleming, Diana Soviero, and Ruth Ann Swenson.

The Dallas Opera commissioned a new American work, Dominick Argento’s The Aspern Papers and gave its world premiere, which was nationally broadcast to four million viewers on PBS's “Great Performances” series in 1988.

Administration

The Music Director of the Dallas Opera is the English conductor Graeme Jenkins, who has held the post since 1994. In May 2007, he signed a 4-year contract extension with the company through May 2011. ^[4]

Anthony Whitworth-Jones became general manager in 2001. However, his plans for expanding the company's repertory did not come to fruition in the wake of an economic downturn during his tenure, and he stood down from the post in 2003. ^[5] His successor, Karen Stone, was appointed in mid-2003 as the fifth General Director of the company. She had previously worked with Graeme Jenkins at the Cologne Opera in Germany, where he was principal guest conductor. In August 2007, Stone announced her resignation from the general directorship of Dallas Opera effective 30 September 2007. ^[6]

Future plans

The Dallas Opera is scheduled to open the 2009-2010 Season in the new Winspear Opera House, a part of the new Dallas Center for the Performing Arts where it will be the resident company. The season will also include the world premiere of Moby Dick by composer Jake Heggie.

References

1. See ''The Callas Legacy'' below
2. Galatopoulos, Stelios, ''Maria Callas, Sacred Monster'', New York: Simon and Schuster, 1998, ISBN 0-684-85985-8
3. James Jorden interview on ''The Parterre Box'' web site, November 2005
4. The Dallas Opera is proud to announce that Music Director Graeme Jenkins will sign a new, four-year contract
5. And That Spells Dallas
6. Dallas Opera chief leaving