Opera Roanoke is professional opera company based in Roanoke, Virginia. The institution presents fully staged productions and a variety of smaller-scale presentations each year. The company is resident in the Shaftman Performance Hall in Roanoke's Jefferson Center.
History
The company was founded in 1976 as the Southwest Virginia Opera Society. [1] Its inaugural production, Menotti's The Consul, was mounted in May 1977. [1] Performances of The Marriage of Figaro and Die Fledermaus constituted the 1978-1979 season. [2] [3] The group became a professional company in 1989, and changed its name to Opera Roanoke in 1991. [4] [5] It and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra moved their headquarters to the newly-remodeled Jefferson Center in 1992. [6]
In 2006, the company celebrated its 30th Season with main stage productions of La Boheme and Macbeth. [7] The institution moved its headquarters in 2007, joining the Downtown Music Lab as the first tenants of the renovated Dumas Center for Artistic and Cultural Development. [8] Three years later, however, the headquarters were moved again, this time to the downtown Roanoke arts and culture hub Center in the Square. [8]
References
- ^ a b Poff, Mag (13 October 1977). "Picking up the tab for performing arts". Roanoke Times. p. 27.
- ^ Armistead, Mary Bland (13 September 1978). "Civic opera society producing 'Figaro'". Roanoke Times. p. 27.
- ^ Willis, Trudy (25 May 1979). "River activities added to festival". Roanoke Times. p. 25.
- ^ DeBell, Jeff (17 August 1991). "Ballet's director leaves company". Roanoke Times. p. 31.
- ^ Petty, Adrienne (26 July 1992). "Roanoke symphony, opera to move, may renovate hall". Roanoke Times. p. 16.
- ^ Kittredge, Kevin (6 July 2006). "Post School of Ballet to be sold to longtime associate director". Roanoke Times. p. 31.
- ^ a b Allen, Mike (10 August 2010). "Dumas Center struggles to find its Roanoke role". Roanoke Times. p. 1.
External links
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