Opera Pacific was an
opera company located in the
Orange County, California,
United States city of
Santa Ana. It operated for 22 seasons before closing in 2008 after several seasons of deepening financial difficulties.
History
The first season began in 1985 with
David DiChiera as General Director (until 1996), though the company traces its roots to 1962 and the annual ''Festival of Opera Association'' in
Laguna Beach, where productions were performed in late summer at the Irvine Bowl, in English. In order to promote expansion, the ''Opera League of Laguna Beach'' was established to "encourage, support and sustain interest in the Festival of Opera." The first productions included such
traditional repertory as ''
Madame Butterfly'', ''
The Marriage of Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...
'', and ''
The Barber of Seville''; ''
I Pagliacci
''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who mu ...
'' and ''
The Devil and Daniel Webster
"The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1936) is a short story by American writer Stephen Vincent Benét. He tells of a New Hampshire farmer who sells his soul to the devil and is later defended by Daniel Webster, a fictional version of the noted 19th-c ...
'' were presented as a double billing during the 1965 season.
In the early 1980s members of the ''Opera Leaque'', along with other opera aficionados throughout Orange County, combined to form the core audience for the anticipated opening of the
Orange County Performing Arts Center in neighboring
Costa Mesa, at which time Opera Pacific was incorporated. Opera Pacific has been host to many of opera's greatest living legends, including the likes of
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
in 1988, Dame
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s.
She possessed ...
in 1989, and in 1991
Plácido Domingo (in concert with soprano
Ana Panagulias). Diva
Kathleen Battle also made an appearance in 2001.
At its peak the company put on six productions each year, staging around six performances of each, but in its last years this fell to three staged operas in four performances each. Its financial artistic director was
John DeMain.
On November 4, 2008, Opera Pacific announced it would cancel the rest of its 2008/2009 season due to financial difficulties and would likely close down operations permanently.
The company ran an "Opera Camp" each summer.
See also
*
List of opera festivals
*
List of opera companies
References
External links
Opera Pacific website
{{authority control
California opera companies
Orange County, California culture
Musical groups established in 1985
Musical groups disestablished in 2008
1985 establishments in California
2008 disestablishments in California