About Fort Worth Opera
Established in 1946, Fort Worth Opera is the oldest continually operating opera company in Texas and one of the oldest opera companies in the United States. Our mission is to engage, educate, and entertain through the transformative power of opera. We are dedicated to fostering a love for the arts throughout North Texas through world-class performances, innovative educational programming, and meaningful community engagement.
Throughout Fort Worth Opera's 2026–2027 season, the company embarks on its 81st season with an exciting lineup of performances and events that celebrate opera's enduring ability to inspire, entertain, and connect audiences across generations. The season opens with an exclusive recital by internationally acclaimed soprano Jeanine De Bique in Concert at Van Cliburn Concert Hall at Texas Christian University. In November, audiences will experience Derrick Wang's acclaimed courtroom comedy Scalia/Ginsburg at the historic Ridglea Theater with musicians from the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth. December brings Gian Carlo Menotti's beloved holiday classic Amahl and the Night Visitors to Stage West Theatre, while families can enjoy a new Family Package featuring four productions and events designed to be shared across generations. In February, Fort Worth Opera will present the 20th Biennial McCammon Voice Competition, showcasing some of the nation's most promising young singers. The season concludes in April with Gioachino Rossini's sparkling comedy The Barber of Seville at Bass Performance Hall with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.
About Fort Worth Opera's Education and Community Engagement Programs
Fort Worth Opera's acclaimed Education and Community Engagement programs engage more than 16,000 students annually through performances, residencies, concerts, and arts education initiatives across North Texas. Designed to reduce barriers and expand access to the performing arts, these programs bring high-quality opera experiences directly into schools and community spaces, with a particular focus on underserved and culturally diverse communities.
During the 2026–2027 season, the company will tour two family productions—The Ugly Duckling and Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World—to elementary schools, libraries, museums, and community venues throughout North Texas. Families can also enjoy Harmony for the Holidays, a festive seasonal concert celebrating the spirit of the season at The Woman's Club of Fort Worth. In February, Fort Worth Opera's Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists will present Cowboys & Culture, a new two-part concert series in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards celebrating opera favorites and the city's rich operatic heritage.
Fort Worth Opera will also continue to expand its innovative Project: Opera in partnership with the FWISD, featuring 30-hour in-school residencies at two Tarrant County high schools. During the 2026–2027 season, students will explore Shakespeare's Macbeth alongside Giuseppe Verdi's operatic masterpiece through vocal instruction, acting, scene study, and collaborative creative work with Fort Worth Opera's Resident Artists and teaching artists. Developed in alignment with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards, each residency culminates in fully staged performances on participating campuses, giving students the opportunity to build confidence, strengthen communication skills, and experience the collaborative process of creating opera.
The company's Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artist Program further advances Fort Worth Opera's mission by providing intensive professional development and performance opportunities for exceptional emerging opera singers selected through a competitive national audition process. Resident Artists serve not only as performers on the mainstage, but also as teaching artists, mentors, and ambassadors throughout North Texas. Together, Fort Worth Opera's artistic, educational, and community programs continue to enrich, educate, and inspire audiences of all ages while advancing the company's belief that opera is for everyone.
Our Mission at Fort Worth Opera is to educate, entertain and expand the horizons of current and future audiences and artists through variety and artistic integrity. Fort Worth Opera is committed to maintaining the highest possible standards of equality; to embracing diversity, giving voice to qualified people of all genders, races, and orientations, on and off the stage.
​Our vision is to bring the communities of Fort Worth and North Texas closer together through inclusive musical experience, to cultivate young singers into the next generation of opera stars, and to be a world-renowned venue for new and innovative operatic works.
$50 — Opens the Door to Opera. Gives a young person the opportunity to experience opera and discover the power of live opera.
$100 — Invests in an Emerging Artist. Provides a professional voice lesson for a Fort Worth Opera Resident Artist, helping an exceptional young singer strengthen their technique and advance their craft.
$500 — Brings Opera into the Classroom. Supports Fort Worth Opera’s touring education programs, bringing live performance and arts learning directly to students across North Texas.
$10,000 — Brings World-Class Artists to Fort Worth. Helps underwrite the fee of an acclaimed guest artist, bringing extraordinary voices and artistry to Fort Worth audiences.
$50,000 — Puts a Professional Opera Chorus on the Stage. Underwrites the artists who bring the scale, power, and thrilling sound of grand opera to life.
$75,000 — Creates the Next Generation of Opera. Underwrites a season of Project: Opera, providing Fort Worth high school students with intensive instruction, mentorship, rehearsals, and performance opportunities.
$100,000 — Fills the Theater with Music. Underwrites the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for a mainstage Bass Hall production, bringing the score to life through the power of live musicians.
$110,000 — Brings more Grand Opera to Bass Hall. Supports the costs of presenting opera at Bass Performance Hall, giving North Texas audiences the opportunity to experience opera on one of Fort Worth’s most iconic stages.
Organization name
Fort Worth Opera
Tax id (EIN)
75-0945915
Causes
Arts & Humanities
Operating Budget
$10,000,000 or more
Counties Served
Grayson, Wise, Tarrant, Somervell, Rockwall, Parker, Palo Pinto, Navarro, Montague, Kaufman, Johnson, Hunt, Hood, Fannin, Erath, Ellis, Denton, Dallas, Cooke, Collin
BIPOC Serving
Native American, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black or African American
BIPOC Leadership
Neither/None
Address
1612 Summit Ave Suite 202