Opera Association Of Central Ohio

Programs: Productions: founded in 1981, opera columbus brings the grandeur of the operatic repertoire to columbus stages through fully-staged productions of great works and innovative collaborations. Productions in recent seasons have included puccini's la boheme, verdi's la traviata, and bizet's carmen. Our innovative opera on the edge cabaret series combines performance and audience engagement into an accessible, engaging program featuring young artists performing abridged, english-language adaptations of classic works in bars and restaurants. Opera on the edge have included la boheme, la traviata, and the magic flute.

education programs: education programs: our youth education programs include opera goes to school (in-school workshops/performances of children's opera for grades k-12), free student tours of our theatres, and free student tickets to mainstage productions for middle and high school students. These unique programs support children's learning and development, building an appreciation for opera and the arts while teaching important life lessons, such as preventing bullying. In 2016-2017, opera columbus' education programs served approximately 13,000 students.

vocal competition: the purpose of the annual irma m. Cooper-arthur and hetty bing international vocal competition is to discover, recognize, and encourage young operatic talent through cash prizes and audition experience. Founded in 1983, the competition attracts exceptional artists each year, helping to launch the careers of many of its competitors. Former winners include internationally-renowned superstar denyce graves and metropolitan opera artists dina kuznetsova, richard paul fink, susan foster, lucas meachem, and alyson cambridge. The encouragement award (launched in 2013) honors a talented high school or undergraduate artist from central ohio, who receives a cash prize and an opportunity to perform at the vocal competition finals.