About Us

Mission

Opera Southwest’s mission is to make opera enjoyable and accessible to audiences of all ages.

We present operas from the 17th century to the present, including works for children. Opera Southwest provides performance opportunities for local and national professional singers, composers, musicians, designers, directors, and technicians. We provide a subsidized ticket program for underserved audience members. Opera Southwest presents professional quality productions in English or in the original language with English translation supertitles, and we are proud to present educational programming for children and adults.

History

Opera Southwest, incorporated in 1972 as Albuquerque Opera Theatre, is a New Mexico 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The 2007-2008 season is Opera Southwest’s 35th year of producing world-class opera in Albuquerque. OSW is a professional, regional company producing two to three major operas per year selected from the best of the standard repertoire. To date OSW has produced 117 major operas for nearly 250,000 patrons, and we are especially proud to have mounted 23 world premieres by local composers, including original operas created especially for Albuquerque’s children. These smaller operas stress community and educational themes, and have delighted more than 180,000 youngsters with dazzling, exciting, live theatre. In this way, Opera Southwest ensures a loyal following in future years as these children grow into adulthood.

OSW in Our Community

Opera Southwest’s outreach programs provide an invaluable service by developing free or very low-cost presentations for school children and underserved individuals or groups. Last year, OSW was very successful in bringing local high school Italian and music classes to our main productions. OSW knows that music education not only enriches the lives of everyone, but also markedly improves children’s academic performance.
Opera Southwest produces operas from the fall through the spring, which complements the Santa Fe Opera’s summer season, thereby making New Mexico one of the few states with year-round professional opera.
Quality of life is considered an important factor by many corporations interested in relocating to our state, and OSW believes that economic development is highly dependent on the quality of life a community provides. We are proud to contribute to an educated, cultured, and economically diverse community that strives for the highest quality of life for its citizens.

Auditions

Chorus auditions for the 2010-2011 season have already taken place.  Please check back  next spring for details about auditions next season.