LA Opera

Los Angeles was the only major city in the United States lacking a resident opera company until 1986, when the LA Opera was founded. With its first productions — Otello (starring Plácido Domingo), Madama Butterfly (Leona Mitchell) and Salome (Maria Ewing) — the organization quickly established itself as a creative force and became one of the country's largest opera companies.

The LA Opera stages classics in the standard canon, modern operas, and new or rarely performed operas. In 2007, the LA Opera established the Recovered Voices series, which showcases the work of composers impacted by the Holocaust such as Alexander Zemlinsky (The Dwarf) and Franz Schreker (Die Gezeichneten). The series has since expanded its focus to include other composers whose works have been suppressed for sociopolitical or racial reasons. The LA Opera is committed to community engagement and educational programming aimed at increasing accessibility and interest in this storied genre of classical music. With its lauded performances and impactful outreach programs, the LA Opera strives to inspire an appreciation and love for the art form.