If you’ve ever thought the opera isn’t for you, you’re not alone. Perhaps its high-brow reputation or pricey tickets have stood in your way. Maybe you’ve been deterred by the unfamiliar words that get thrown around in the opera world: aria! coloratura! libretto! Whether you’ve never experienced the magic of the opera or haven’t had the desire to, The Dallas Opera wants to change that.
“We want people to experience opera in the Winspear, because there truly is nothing quite like grand opera in this incredible opera house, but that is not always the easiest first step for people, and we recognize that,” says Ian Derrer, The Dallas Opera’s Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO.
Through a variety of outreach initiatives, from free performances at the Winspear Opera House to its traveling OperaTruck, an 18-wheeler whose flatbed becomes a stage for pop-up shows around town, The Dallas Opera has opened its arms wide to all audience members ready for a listen.
Despite the pervasive notions that opera houses are full of retirees and diamonds and pinkies up, at the heart of opera is the most universal form of entertainment: storytelling. Opera, which is more than 400 years old, takes a story and adds music, theater, costuming and stage design for a captivating and robust experience.
“What happens in an opera is that the music takes the emotions to a higher level and can speak when emotions have no words,” says Derrer, who was an opera singer himself. “Whether it’s great joy, despair or frustration all of these things can be conveyed in music.”
And everyone deserves to have the chance to experience this, he says.
To that end, The Dallas Opera has launched programs that make giving opera a chance easier than ever. In September, The Dallas Opera brought performances to the Dallas Arboretum for audience members to enjoy atop picnic blankets on the lawn. In October, the Winspear played host to the free People’s Choice Concert, which featured some of opera’s most well-known songs and allowed the audience to vote for the encore.
The big-rig OperaTruck has been cruising around offering family-friendly productions for free throughout Dallas neighborhoods. And for anyone who’s been unable to attend in person, livestreams of The Dallas Opera’s Mainstage performances on thedallasopera.tv are accessible around the world.
Both music lovers interested in an introduction to opera and fans of the holidays are sure to be entertained by the upcoming free Dallas Opera Holiday Concert at Cathedral Guadalupe.
The performance, which will take place inside the Arts District landmark, will feature cherished holiday tunes, including “O Holy Night,” “Ave Maria” and selections from “The Nutcracker.” It will also give attendees a special introduction to up-and-coming star Anthony León, who recently took the top prize at this year’s worldwide opera competition, Operalia; to Sara Gartland, who will be starring in the production of “Così fan tutte” at The Dallas Opera from March 24 – April 1, 2023; and to Sabatina Mauro, a young artist who works frequently with the company.
The show takes place on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m., and registration for complimentary tickets will begin on Dec. 1. The concert will run one hour and provide translations in both Spanish and English, which you’ll also find during productions at the Winspear with captions projected on a screen over the stage called supertitles.
“We have supertitles at all of our Mainstage performances here in the Winspear, which means no matter what language it’s in, you’re going to see an English translation and you’re going to be able to follow along,” Derrer says.
These are just a couple of the ways that, despite its age and reputation, the opera is evolving. In addition to livestreams and digital projections of translations, Derrer says The Dallas Opera strives for inclusivity in both the audience seats and on stage, to reflect the community.
While the neighborhood performances and free concerts make the art form more accessible, diverse representation in the lineup of artists also invite more people to The Dallas Opera, whose 2023 year begins with The Robert E. and Jean Ann Titus Family Recital featuring Ying Fang, an operatic soprano, and the Hart Institute for Women Conductors Showcase Concert, which will feature four women conducting The Dallas Opera Orchestra on January 28.
If a dazzling plot line is what you seek and “Lord of the Rings” or “Game of Thrones” is your thing, “Das Rheingold” by Richard Wagner in February 2023 is full of Nordic gods, goddesses, giants, dwarves and a magic ring.
If you’d prefer to get acquainted with the opera from home, Derrer suggests giving The Dallas Opera’s curated playlist on Spotify a listen. Or to dive right in, you can join the Crescendo social program for people 21-45. Membership includes two complimentary Mainstage Performance tickets, ticket discounts, pre-show mixers, and behind-the-scenes access.
No matter how you get started, The Dallas Opera invites you to give it a chance.
“We want to make sure people understand that they can come to the opera and not be lost,” Derrer says. “There’s a wonderful system here to make sure they enjoy every aspect of it.”
However you decide to make your grand debut into opera, whenever you’re ready, The Dallas Opera will be waiting for you.