Pittsburgh Opera is an American

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

company based in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the

Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts 6–12 (CAPA) is a magnet school located in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. CAPA is one of four 6th to 12th grade schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. It was formed from a me ...

(CAPA) Theater
Pittsburgh Opera headquarters
is located in the former

George Westinghouse George Westinghouse Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was an American entrepreneur and engineer based in Pennsylvania who created the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry, receiving his first patent at the age ...

Air Brake Factory, 2425 Liberty Avenue, in the Strip District. Pittsburgh Opera has been awarded LEED Silver Certification by the

U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and op ...

and is the firs
"green" opera company
in the U.S. in the Operations and Maintenance Category. Pittsburgh Opera's headquarters is also the oldest green building in Pittsburgh.

History

Pittsburgh Opera was established in 1939 as the Pittsburgh Opera Company and is the eighth-oldest opera company in the United States. The company was founded by five women who established the Pittsburgh Opera Society in 1939, making possible the inaugural performance of Offenbach's ''

Les Contes d'Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died ...

'' at the Carnegie Music Hall in March 1940. The first director of the company was Richard Karp, from 1942 to 1977. His daughter Barbara Karp took over her father's duties during his final illness. James DeBlasis then served as interim artistic director after the resignation of Barbara Karp. In 1983,

Tito Capobianco Tito Capobianco (28 August 1931 – 8 September 2018) was an Argentine American stage director and general manager of several opera companies. Early life Capobianco was born in La Plata, Argentina. His parents had fled from Fascist Italy in 1928 ...

became Pittsburgh Opera's general director, holding this position until 1997. From 1997 to 2000, Capobianco was the company's artistic director, before leaving in 2000. Mark Weinstein became general director of Pittsburgh Opera in 1999, after starting as executive director in 1997. During his tenure, he presided over an increase in the company's endowment from US $4 million to US $16 million, as well as the retirement of US $2.5 million in debt. Weinstein also presided over the addition of an extra production during the company season, 5 productions as opposed to 4, from the 2001-2002 season to the 2003-2004 season. Weinstein announced his resignation as Pittsburgh Opera's general director effective February 1, 2008. Artistic Director Christopher Hahn was appointed a
General Director
in June 2008. Durin
Christopher Hahn’s
tenure as General Director, the company’s repertoire expanded considerably to include Baroque and many contemporary works. In 2017 Pittsburgh Opera produced its first world premiere, The Summer King – the

Josh Gibson Joshua Gibson (December 21, 1911 – January 20, 1947) was an American baseball catcher primarily in the Negro leagues. Baseball historians consider Gibson among the best power hitters and catchers in baseball history. In 1972, he became the se ...

Story. Based on the life and tragic death of the Hall of Fame baseball player who grew up in Pittsburgh and starred for the

Homestead Grays The Homestead Grays (also known as Washington Grays or Washington Homestead Grays) were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro league baseball, Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 in sports, 1912 by Cumb ...

and

Pittsburgh Crawfords The Pittsburgh Crawfords, popularly known as the Craws, were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team, previously known as the Crawford Colored Giants, was named after the Crawford Bath House, a recre ...

, The Summer King featured bass-baritone Alfred Walker in the role of Josh Gibson and acclaimed mezzo-soprano

Denyce Graves Denyce Graves (born March 7, 1964) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. Early life Graves was born on March 7, 1964, in Washington, D.C., to Charles Graves and Dorothy (Middleton) Graves-Kenner. She is the middle of three children and ...

as his love-interest Grace. Mr. Hahn has expanded Pittsburgh Opera’s prestigiou
Resident Artist Program
to include two annual productions, both of which are offered as part of the full subscription series. Hailed as one of the country's leading training programs for young singers, Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artist Program provides professional development during a two-year session. The program has fostered the careers of singers that regularly perform on the world stage, including Marianne Cornetti,

Rolando Villazón Rolando Villazón Mauleón (born 22 February 1972) is a Mexican operatic tenor, stage director, author, radio and television personality and artistic director. He now lives in France, and in 2007 became a French citizen. Villazón has published ...

, Oren Gradus, David Miller, Maria Zifchak, Kevin Glavin, Danielle Pastin,

Sean Panikkar Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

, and

Audrey Luna Audrey Elizabeth Luna (born in Salem, Oregon) is an American soprano who won a Grammy Award in 2014 for Best Opera Recording of Thomas Adès's opera '' The Tempest'' and is the record holder for singing the highest written note at the Metropolitan ...

. In 2017, Luna san
the highest note ever recorded in the Metropolitan Opera’s 130-year history
Mr. Hahn also led the 2008 move t
Pittsburgh Opera’s new headquarters
in the historic George Westinghouse Air Brake Factory at 2425 Liberty Avenue, in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, and developed a range of audience and community programs that take place there. The building has a deep connection to Pittsburgh’s storied past – it was built as

’s original air brake factory in 1869. At 45,000 square feet, the renovated building features offices, 4,000 square feet of rehearsal spaces, costume, wig, and makeup shops, and a kitchen, meeting the “multimedia” requirements of opera. The renovation resulted in Silver-level

LEED certification Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

in the Operations and Maintenance category in June 2011, and incorporates the site’s exposed brick interiors, 150 historically-accurate windows and original metal fire safes. Christopher Hahn served as the company's artistic director from 2000 until his appointment as General Director.

John Mauceri John Francis Mauceri (born September 12, 1945) is an American conductor, producer, educator and writer. Since making his professional conducting debut almost half a century ago, he has appeared with most of the world's great orchestras, guest-con ...

was Music Director of Pittsburgh Opera from 2000 until his resignation in 2006, to take up an academic post in North Carolina. In October 2006
Antony Walker
was named the next Music Director of Pittsburgh Opera, and assumed the post immediately. Walker's initial contract was for 3 years, but has since been extended through the 2011-12 season. On April 1, 2008, in a performance of Verdi's ''

Aïda ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decembe ...

'' at the Benedum Center, in the final act of the opera, Walker stepped in to sing the role of Radames from the orchestra pit, conducting at the same time, while the tenor acted the role on stage.

Music Directors

Theo Alcántara Theo is a given name and a hypocorism. Greek origin Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example: *Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...

(1987-2002) *

(2000–2006) * Antony Walker (2006–present)

References

External links

* {{authority control Musical groups established in 1939 Performing arts in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania opera companies