A message from Plácido Domingo, LA Opera's Eli and Edythe Broad General Director
It is a new year and the beginning of a new era for LA Opera. In the first 25 years of our existence, we quickly established ourselves as one of the world's leading opera companies. Naturally, there have been obstacles along the way, but nevertheless we have been able to thrive and grow. We are proud of the leading role we play in our community, and grateful to every one of you for your continued support over the years.
Like most arts organizations, we have seen challenges as a result of the global economy. While we are cautious in our planning and watching our budgets closely, I am proud that the artistic quality and musicality of our work has remained undiminished. Our past investments in backstage technology have turned out to help us in this regard, for we are now able to maintain a high artistic standard at a reduced cost.
You have probably noticed the new graphic addition to our logo above. The sunburst is based on design elements in our beloved Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, our home in the iconic Music Center of Los Angeles County. We selected this imagery because it embodies a creative energy and pioneering spirit unique to Los Angeles. This new look signifies the next phase in our exciting journey to best serve the people of this dynamic and vibrant city.
We recently conducted a major research campaign to learn how we could better serve our audience and have a bigger impact throughout our community. This has led to several new initiatives that we are proud to announce. First of all, we are implementing a new seating program that will enable us to invite more students, senior citizens and low-income members of our community to experience the magic of opera. Tickets will be set aside for every performance, supplementing the extensive outreach opportunities that we already provide.
Second, we will be offering affordable packages to enable parents, grandparents, and other relatives to introduce their young family members to opera's thrilling combination of music and theater. More information on both of these programs will be available in a few weeks, when we announce the full details of our 2012/13 Season.
The final announcement I have today is perhaps of the most immediate interest. Next season, we will be lowering many of our prices and increasing the number of more affordable seats. We know that many people who want to attend our performances are facing tough choices about spending these days, and we want to make it easier for everyone to experience the work of which we are proud.
I can't wait to share the incredible new season that we have put together, and I am equally excited about the new changes that we have made as we plan for the future. I look forward to sharing with you the unique experience of LA Opera as we move into an exciting new era!
OUR STORY
In just over a quarter-century of existence, LA Opera has become, under the leadership of Eli and Edythe Broad General Director Plácido Domingo, the United States' fourth largest opera company and "...stands out as a newly important force in American Opera." (Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times).
LA Opera created a sensation with its inaugural production of Verdi's Otello starring Plácido Domingo in October 1986. Under the leadership of Founding General Director Peter Hemmings and subsequently under Plácido Domingo, LA Opera has grown to become a company of international stature.
LA Opera has taken several significant steps in recent years to nurture its tradition of artistic excellence. Plácido Domingo served as the Company's Artistic Consultant from 1984 until October 1998, when Mr. Domingo was named Artistic Director Designate. The 2001/02 season marked Mr. Domingo's first fully planned season with the Company as Artistic Director and included eight Company premieres. In May 2003, Mr. Domingo was named General Director of LA Opera. In September 2006, in honor of a $6 million gift from Eli and Edythe L. Broad as lead sponsors of the Company's first Ring cycle, his title became The Eli and Edythe Broad General Director. In addition, Mr. Domingo has sung more than 130 performances and has also conducted well over 70 performances of both operas and concert works with the Company.
Kent Nagano joined LA Opera as Principal Conductor in the 2001/02 season, and in May 2003, he was named LA Opera's first ever Music Director. In 2006, James Conlon succeeded Maestro Nagano and currently holds the position of Richard Seaver Music Director. Mr. Conlon's dynamic leadership has brought new international acclaim for the Company, and his important new artistic initiatives have included an emphasis on the works of Richard Wagner, the ongoing Recovered Voices series dedicated to performing the unjustly neglected operas of composers who were affected by the Holocaust, a three-season celebration of the centenary of Benjamin Britten, and an ongoing collaboration with the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels to bring together professional and amateur musicians from every part of Los Angeles in performances of family operas.
Throughout its history, the Company has maintained a talented roster of Resident Artists, young singers who perform regularly in mainstage productions as well as the Company's community programs. The program prepares young artists who have the potential for major careers in opera by providing invaluable experience and training. Among the distinguished artists who have gone on to enjoy national and international success are Rod Gilfry and Paula Rasmussen. Beginning with the 2006/07 season, the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program was inaugurated, with its own separate staff under the personal supervision of Plácido Domingo. The program is designed so that participants can work full-time on developing their careers during that critical stage between the end of their formal academic or conservatory training and the onset of professional performing careers.
LA Opera traces its roots back to 1948, when a company called the Los Angeles Civic Grand Opera presented a performance of Rigoletto in a church hall in Beverly Hills. The Company, under the directorship of Francesco Pace, staged productions through the 1950s, and in 1964 it presented the first opera performed in the Music Center's brand-new Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Shortly after its third production at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, L'Italiana in Algeri starring Marilyn Horne, the Los Angeles Civic Grand Opera abandoned its own production projects and recreated itself as the Music Center Opera Association. For two decades, the Association brought opera from other cities to the Music Center. By far the lengthiest arrangement was with New York City Opera, which brought productions to the Music Center every fall from 1966 to 1982.
In 1984, the Music Center Opera Association hired Peter Hemmings as its Founding General Director and gave him the task of creating a new opera company that would once again present its own productions in Los Angeles. It was through this important turn of events that LA Opera was born. Mr. Hemmings stepped down as LA Opera's General Director in 2000, and the following season Plácido Domingo assumed leadership of the Company.
