Opera in Baltimore hits another high note
I was thrilled to see the recent announcement from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and its incoming music director, Jonathon Heyward, touting the institution’s renewed commitment to opera and community (“Soloists, opera and community: BSO announces details of Jonathon Heyward’s first season as music director in Baltimore,” Feb. 27). I know from personal experience that Baltimore’s richly varied citizenry is filled with creative people who are eager to enrich their lives with art of all sorts. Maestro Heyward’s love of opera is, of course, thrilling to me, as the artistic director of Opera Baltimore.
Opera Baltimore, formerly known as Baltimore Concert Opera, organized quickly in 2009 to fill the operatic void when the former Baltimore Opera Company went into bankruptcy. It was a tall order — a new company born from barely more than a love of opera and a lot of hard work — but the founders were motivated by a deep commitment to both our art form and our community. Fourteen years later, Opera Baltimore thrives, leading the charge of operatic advancement in our city.
Drawing national and local attention not only for our artistic integrity, but also for our focus on community through our civic practice programming which celebrates opera’s roots right here at home, we have leaped into an important position as artistic leaders in Baltimore. Opera Baltimore is well-known for its sellout crowds, its enthusiastic and welcoming staff and board, and best of all the top flight artists who appear on our stage.
Through our dedication to audience building, community engagement, civic practice and education, we further support our traditional opera programming. Opera Baltimore has succeeded in bringing a full array of operatic offerings to Baltimore. We truly have something for everyone from the expected traditional fully staged productions — next up is Giuseppe Verdi’s iconic “La Traviata” on March 24 and 26 — to our free outdoor community concerts and everything in between (concert operas, “Thirsty Thursdays at the Opera” to our “What is Opera? A Team!” education program for children and our robust civic practice programs), we strive to serve our community in the most comprehensive way we can.
We at Opera Baltimore look forward to being part of the advancement of our art form and all classical music in Baltimore and hope to hear more from the BSO about their plans. Surely, our converging efforts to elevate and celebrate the classical arts in Baltimore will result in honorable service to our art and our community.
— Julia Cooke, Baltimore
The writer is artistic and general director of Opera Baltimore.