Fort Worth Opera Announces Its 2026–2027 Season and Phase II of Match the Momentum
- Fort Worth Opera
- Apr 23
- 13 min read
FORT WORTH OPERA ANNOUNCES ITS 2026–2027 SEASON
AND PHASE II OF MATCH THE MOMENTUM
A critically acclaimed soprano in concert, a razor-sharp courtroom comedy, a beloved holiday classic, the return of a prestigious vocal competition, and Rossini’s hilarious comic masterpiece
FWOpera’s 81st Season features: International opera star & recording artist Jeanine De Bique in Concert; the North Texas premiere of Derrick Wang’s Supreme Court-inspired comic opera Scalia/Ginsburg;
Gian Carlo Menotti’s heartwarming family favorite Amahl and the Night Visitors; the 20th biennial Marguerite McCammon Voice Competition; and Gioachino Rossini’s uproarious comedy The Barber of Seville.
2026–2027 Education and Community Engagement Season features: Wintersong, Fort Worth Opera’s free community holiday concert; Project: Opera – Macbeth, a high school residency and performance initiative; Joe Illick and Mark Campbell’s popular children’s opera Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World; and Andrew Duncan’s charming children’s opera The Ugly Duckling.
Subscriptions available at 817.731.0726 and FWOpera.org
FORT WORTH, TX – April 23, 2026 – Fort Worth Opera (FWOpera)—hailed as “one of the most forward-thinking companies in the U.S.” by The Wall Street Journal and praised for its “spirited, musically superb” productions by The Dallas Morning News—announces its 81st season with a richly varied and artistically ambitious lineup of fully staged operas, concerts, and special events presented across the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex from September 2026 through April 2027. Under the leadership of General and Artistic Director Angela Turner Wilson, the season pairs internationally celebrated artists with beloved classics and boldly imaginative contemporary works.
The season opens with the company’s Prima Voce Dinner on September 19 at the Ridglea Country Club. Additional highlights include international opera star Jeanine De Bique in Concert at TCU’s Van Cliburn Concert Hall (October 29); the North Texas premiere of Derrick Wang’s courtroom comedy Scalia/Ginsburg at the Ridglea Theater (November 13–14); Gian Carlo Menotti’s beloved Christmas opera Amahl and the Night Visitors at Stage West (December 12–13); the company’s popular free community holiday concert Wintersong at First Presbyterian Church (December 19); the 20th biennial Marguerite McCammon Voice Competition at the Kimbell Art Museum (February 28); and Gioachino Rossini’s comic masterpiece The Barber of Seville at Bass Performance Hall (April 16 and 18).
Reflecting on the company’s season programming, Angela Turner Wilson says:
“Fort Worth Opera’s 81st season celebrates what we do best: welcoming extraordinary new voices to the city while honoring the stories that continue to resonate with audiences. From the remarkable artistry of Jeanine De Bique to the sharp wit of Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg at Ridglea Theater, the holiday warmth of Amahl and the Night Visitors at Stage West, and the laugh-out-loud comedy of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at Bass Performance Hall, this season brings together exceptional artists and unforgettable storytelling across some of Fort Worth’s most distinctive stages.
“As we enter the next phase of our four-year, million-dollar Match the Momentum campaign,” Turner Wilson continues, “we are expanding the work that connects Fort Worth Opera with audiences of all ages across North Texas—bringing ambitious artistic work to our stages, strengthening community partnerships, and investing in the next generation of opera artists and creative leaders while ensuring opera remains a vibrant part of Fort Worth’s cultural life for years to come.”
MATCH THE MOMENTUM CAMPAIGN ENTERS PHASE II
Launched during Fort Worth Opera’s 80th Anniversary Season, Match the Momentum has successfully unlocked its full $250,000 challenge—and surpassed its initial $125,000 goal through new and increased gifts. This milestone marks not a finish line, but a turning point.
Phase II builds on the energy of the inaugural year, expanding the company’s educational reach, strengthening institutional capacity, and increasing Fort Worth Opera’s ability to collaborate at a broader level. It provides the stability to plan multiple seasons ahead, deepen partnerships across North Texas, and extend Fort Worth Opera’s impact beyond the mainstage. Grounded in disciplined governance and intentional growth, Phase II positions the company to move forward with greater scale and clarity.
Powering this next stage are the Momentum Makers—supporters who have made new or increased multi-year commitments, anchoring this work for the long term. Their leadership investment ensures Fort Worth Opera’s progress is not episodic, but sustained—supporting artistic excellence, expanding community engagement, and shaping the company’s trajectory for years to come.
Phase II ensures that Fort Worth Opera’s momentum is an enduring movement—one that will define the company’s future and its role in the cultural life of our city.
SEASON OPENS WITH THE PRIMA VOCE DINNER
The 2026–2027 Season opens on Saturday, September 19, 2026, with Fort Worth Opera’s Prima Voce Dinner at Ridglea Country Club. Cocktails begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. The evening features live performances by the company’s Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists and a conversation with The Barber of Seville director Chuck Hudson, an internationally recognized stage director whose work spans opera, theatre, and musical theatre.
Formerly known as Dinner with the Stars, this beloved event is reimagined for the 2026–2027 Season with a new name drawn from the Italian phrase prima voce (“first voice”), evoking the moment when a singer’s voice is heard at its most natural and resonant. In that spirit, the evening offers audiences their first chance to hear Fort Worth Opera’s new Resident Artists while meeting the creative collaborators who will shape the productions to come.
Designed to open the season in a welcoming and relaxed setting, Prima Voce brings artists and audiences together for an evening of music, conversation, and shared anticipation for the year ahead. Guests will enjoy dinner while gaining insight into the productions, ideas, and personalities behind the season, before the first curtain rises.
2026-2027 MAINSTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Following last season’s sold-out recital with tenor Jonathan Tetelman, the company is thrilled to welcome another spectacular artist on the rise to Fort Worth. On Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., at Texas Christian University’s Van Cliburn Concert Hall, internationally renowned Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique takes the stage alongside distinguished Belgian pianist Aaron Wajnberg for a one-night-only concert event.
De Bique has appeared with many of the world’s leading opera companies throughout Europe and the United States, including San Francisco Opera, the Paris Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Zurich Opera. In recital, she is celebrated for her radiant voice, magnetic stage presence, and adventurous programming. Her debut album, Mirrors—recorded with Concerto Köln and released on Harmonia Mundi—earned widespread praise for its vivid, character-driven journey through Baroque repertoire, pairing beloved Handel with rarities by his contemporaries, including several first recordings.
Wajnberg, a pianist praised for his expressive depth, luminous touch, and refined musical insight, is a highly sought-after collaborator at Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and BOZAR in Brussels. Regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of art song of his generation, he is known for his poetic sensitivity and dynamic partnership with singers, bringing a rare combination of technical brilliance and interpretive nuance to the stage.
Fort Worth Opera is delighted to present this special recital, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience one of today’s most compelling soprano voices up close—radiant, fearless, and unforgettable.
Turning from vocal virtuosity to theatrical spark, Fort Worth Opera continues its commitment to bold contemporary storytelling with composer-librettist Derrick Wang’s sharp-witted, heartfelt comedy Scalia/Ginsburg —one of the most talked-about contemporary operas of the past decade—coming to the historic Ridglea Theater on Friday, November 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. Since its 2015 debut, the critically acclaimed work has been hailed as “a dream come true” by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a “perfect…jewel” (Opera Today), and “the kind of opera that should be everywhere” (OperaWire).
This surprisingly heartfelt opera explores the unlikely friendship between U.S. Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg—and the pivotal moment that would shape the Court for years to come. Directed by celebrated American director, writer, and producer Audrey Chait and conducted by renowned American conductor Stephanie Rhodes Russell, Resident Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Associate Professor and Music Director of Opera at the University of North Texas, the production brings wit, warmth, and musical agility to this iconic pairing. Both performances will feature musicians of the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, building on this season’s collaboration for Philip Glass’ La Belle et la Bête and continuing that artistic partnership into the 2026–2027 Season.
Award-winning tenor Peter Scott Drackley embodies the formidable and incisive Justice Antonin Scalia, while Metropolitan Opera and Broadway star Jennifer Zetlan portrays the trailblazing Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Powerful lyric bass Andrew Simpson appears as the Commentator, a quick-tongued narrator who frames the action with comic precision. Fort Worth Opera is proud to present the North Texas premiere of this celebrated work, which The Los Angeles Times memorably praised: “Could we please make it a constitutional requirement that no one can be sworn into office in the White House or Congress without having first seen Scalia/Ginsburg?”
The holiday season begins with Fort Worth Opera’s return to Stage West Theatre on Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13, 2026 (four performances at 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.) for Gian Carlo Menotti’s beloved Amahl and the Night Visitors, a heartwarming family tradition for local audiences. Directed by Anthony D. Pound, this new production features the company’s talented Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists, including tenor Cecil Garrison as the warm and whimsical King Kaspar, bass Noah Mond as the noble King Melchior, and mezzo-soprano Lauren Salazar as the Page and Shepherdess. This timeless production honors the opera’s enduring legacy as a work that speaks with clarity and compassion to audiences of all ages.
Full cast and artistic team for Amahl and the Night Visitors to be announced at a later date.
The holiday festivities continue Saturday, December 19, at 2:00 p.m. with Wintersong, Fort Worth Opera’s annual free holiday concert and gift to the community. Now in its fifth year, this Fort Worth favorite features performances by the company’s four Resident Artists singing Christmas carols and holiday classics—alongside a joyful audience sing-along—at First Presbyterian Church.
EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING
Beyond the mainstage season, Fort Worth Opera continues its commitment to education and community engagement through a wide range of programs presented throughout North Texas. Building on the success of its inaugural Project: Opera residencies, Fort Worth Opera continues the initiative in its second year with Project: Opera – Macbeth, a student-centered exploration of Giuseppe Verdi’s powerful adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Through a TEKS-aligned, multi-week in-school residency, professional teaching artists and the Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists collaborate directly with high school students, guiding them through operatic storytelling, music, and performance.
Directed by Anthony D. Pound and featuring Igor Parshin, Pianist for Education and Community Engagement, this thrilling, 60-minute version in English—performed on participating school campuses throughout the season—culminates in student performances, deepening Fort Worth Opera’s investment in arts education by expanding access, strengthening partnerships with local schools, and inviting young performers to experience opera as a living, collaborative art form.
This season, Fort Worth Opera remounts its acclaimed children’s opera Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World, the delightful one-act work by composer and Music Director Emeritus Joe Illick and Pulitzer Prize–winning librettist Mark Campbell that premiered with the company in 2019. Inspired by Laurence Anholt’s popular children’s book, the opera brings the story of Frida Kahlo and a young girl to life through imaginative storytelling and accessible music designed to engage and inspire young audiences. Directed by Anthony D. Pound and featuring Igor Parshin at the piano alongside Fort Worth Opera’s Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists, the production will be performed throughout the season in schools and community settings, continuing the company’s commitment to creating meaningful operatic experiences for children and their families.
Fort Worth Opera will also mount The Ugly Duckling, a children’s opera by American composer Andrew Duncan and librettist Steven Malone. Thoughtfully crafted for young listeners, the work brings Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved tale to life through accessible music and vivid storytelling. Performed by the Resident Artists, The Ugly Duckling will tour schools and community settings throughout the 2026–2027 Season, offering an inviting introduction to opera for young music lovers.
The 20th edition of the Biennial Marguerite McCammon Voice Competition takes place on Sunday, February 28, 2027, at 2:00 p.m. on the stage of the Kimbell Art Museum’s Renzo Piano Pavilion, marking a significant milestone for one of the opera’s most prestigious and enduring talent showcases. Since its debut in 1985, the McCammon Voice Competition has earned an international reputation as the “American Idol” of opera—a high-stakes platform where exceptional emerging singers compete before leading industry professionals. Held every two years, this eagerly anticipated event underscores Fort Worth Opera’s long-standing commitment to discovering and launching the next generation of operatic talent.
The season culminates on Friday, April 16, 2027, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 18, 2027, at 2:00 p.m., at Bass Performance Hall with the return of Gioachino Rossini’s riotously funny comic masterpiece, The Barber of Seville. From the visionary imagination of international stage director Chuck Hudson, this fast-paced audience favorite brims with buoyant physical comedy, infectious wit, and dazzling vocal fireworks. Hailed by the Minnesota Star Tribune as “a delirious joy…a burst of sumptuous music [and] gales of laughter,” the production delivers Rossini at his most irresistible.
The production also marks the return of distinguished conductor Christian Capocaccia to the Fort Worth Opera podium. After earning acclaim for his “amazing precision and nuance” in last season’s La Cenerentola, Capocaccia reunites with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, shaping Rossini’s effervescent score with clarity, agility, and an ear finely tuned to the fantastic cast of singers (The Dallas Morning News).
Radiantly poised and quick-witted, Rosina is sung by Winona Martin, the 2025 Marguerite McCammon Voice Competition winner, whose sparkling mezzo-soprano brings both charm and resolve to the role. At the center of the opera’s whirlwind of schemes is the irrepressible barber Figaro, portrayed by Michael Adams—a Fort Worth native and Metropolitan Opera and Santa Fe Opera favorite—making a triumphant return to Fort Worth Opera, where he made his first-ever operatic mainstage debut during the company’s 2013 Festival as the Lackey in Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos and the Corporal in Gaetano Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment.
Prize-winning tenor Minghao Lu brings elegance and aristocratic charm to Count Almaviva, with renowned basso buffo Kevin Glavin (La Bohème, 2024) as the conniving Dr. Bartolo and William Guanbo Su, a 2023 McCammon winner, as the delightfully meddlesome Don Basilio. Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Emily Pulley adds comic bite and sparkle as the maid Berta, alongside beloved local baritone Fred Craven as Fiorello, Count Almaviva’s ever-loyal servant. Bursting with instantly recognizable melodies and fearless virtuosity, this high-spirited, romantic romp will feature a cast of fresh and familiar Fort Worth Opera faces.
FORT WORTH OPERA’S 2026-2027 MAINSTAGE SEASON
September 19, 2026–April 18, 2027
Prima Voce Dinner
Saturday, September 19, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
Ridglea Country Club, 3700 Bernie Anderson Ave.
Guest artists TBA
Jeanine De Bique in Concert
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, 2900 W Lowden St
GUEST ARTISTS:
Jeanine De Bique, soprano
Aaron Wajnberg, pianist
Scalia/Ginsburg Music and libretto by Derrick Wang
Friday, November 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. Ridglea Theater, 6025 Camp Bowie Boulevard
CAST: Peter Scott Drackley* (Antonin Scalia)
Jennifer Zetlan* (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)
Andrew Simpson* (Commentator)
ENSEMBLE:
Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth
ARTISTIC TEAM:
Stephanie Rhodes Russell, conductor*
Audrey Chait, director*
*Denotes FWOpera debut season
Amahl and the Night Visitors
Music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti
Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 13, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Stage West, 821 W Vickery Blvd
CAST:
TBA (Amahl’s Mother)
Cecil Garrison (King Kaspar)
Noah Mond (King Melchior)
Lauren Salazar (Page and Shepherdess)
ARTISTIC TEAM:
Igor Parshin, pianist
Anthony D. Pound, director
Marguerite McCammon Voice Competition
Sunday, February 28, 2027, 2:00 pm.
Kimbell Art Museum (Renzo Piano Pavilion)
The Barber of Seville
Music by Gioachino Rossini and libretto by Cesare Sterbini
Friday, April 16, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 18, 2027, at 2:00 p.m.
Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce St.
CAST:
Winona Martin* (Rosina)
Michael Adams (Figaro)
Minghao Lu* (Count Almaviva)
Kevin Glavin (Dr. Bartolo)
William Guanbo Su* (Don Basilio)
Emily Pulley (Berta)
Fred Craven+ (Fiorello)
ARTISTIC TEAM:
Christian Capocaccia, conductor
Chuck Hudson, director
*Denotes FWOpera debut season
+Mainstage debut
2026-2027 EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Wintersong (Free Community Concert)
Various composers & librettists
Saturday, December 19, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church, 1000 Penn St
ARTISTS:
Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists
TBA, soprano
Lauren Salazar, mezzo-soprano
Cecil Garrison, tenor
Noah Mond, bass
ARTISTIC TEAM: Igor Parshin, pianist
Anthony D. Pound, director
Project: Opera – Macbeth
Music by Giuseppe Verdi with English translation of the original libretto by Walter Ducloux
Adapted from Macbeth by William Shakespeare
High School Residency & Performance Project
Dates and school locations to be announced Presented in partnership with Fort Worth Independent School District and area high schools
STUDENT PERFORMERS: Participating high schools, TBA
CAST:
Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists
Cecil Garrison (Macbeth)
TBA (Lady Macbeth)
Lauren Salazar (Macduff and other roles)
Noah Mond (Banquo and other roles)
TEACHING ARTISTS & ARTISTIC TEAM: Igor Parshin, pianist
Anthony D. Pound, director
Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World Music by Joe Illick and libretto by Mark Campbell Based on the children’s book by Laurence Anholt
Performed throughout the 2026–2027 Season Schools and community venues across the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex
CAST: Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists
TBA (Mariana)
Lauren Salazar (Frida)
Noah Mond (Diego and Bonito)
Cecil Garrison (Mr. Xoloti)
ARTISTIC TEAM: Igor Parshin, pianist Anthony D. Pound, director
The Ugly Duckling Children’s Opera – Education & Community Engagement Tour
Music by Andrew Duncan and libretto by Steven Malone
Performed throughout the 2026–2027 Season Schools and community venues across the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex
CAST: Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists
Lauren Salazar (Ugly Duckling)
TBA (Pig and Duck)
Cecil Garrison (Sheep and Duck)
Noah Mond (Cow and Wolf)
ARTISTIC TEAM: Igor Parshin, pianist
Anthony D. Pound, director
SCHEDULE OF 2026-2027 PERFORMANCES
Saturday, September 19, 2026, cocktails at 6:30 p.m.; dinner and performances at 7:30 p.m., Ridglea Country Club, Prima Voce Dinner Thursday, October 29, 2026, 7:30 p.m., Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, Jeanine De Bique in Concert Friday, November 13, 2026, 7:30 p.m., Ridglea Theater, Scalia/Ginsburg
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 7:30 p.m., Ridglea Theater, Scalia/Ginsburg Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Stage West Theatre, Amahl and the Night Visitors
Sunday, December 13, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Stage West Theatre, Amahl and the Night Visitors Saturday, December 19, 2026, 2:00 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, Wintersong Sunday, February 28, 2027, 2:00 p.m., Kimbell Art Museum, Marguerite McCammon Voice Competition Friday, April 16, 2027, 7:30 p.m., Bass Performance Hall, The Barber of Seville
Sunday, April 18, 2027, 2:00 p.m., Bass Performance Hall, The Barber of Seville
TICKETS: Season subscriptions for Fort Worth Opera’s 2026–2027 Season are available now at fwopera.org, offering the best choice of seats, reduced prices, free ticket exchanges, discounts on additional tickets, and exclusive subscriber perks throughout the season. Single tickets go on sale Monday, July 6, 2026.
Season subscriptions range from $152 to $392 while single tickets will range from $25 to $210 (prices subject to change). For tickets and additional information, visit fwopera.org, call 817.731.0726, or toll-free at 1.877.396.7372
ABOUT FORT WORTH OPERA
Founded in 1946 by three visionary women — Eloise MacDonald Snyder, Betty Berry Spain, and Jeanne Axtell Walker — Fort Worth Opera is the oldest opera company in Texas, and one of the oldest opera companies in the United States. The organization has received local and national attention from critics and audiences alike for its artistic excellence, pioneering spirit, and long history of community-based cultural engagement. In addition to producing traditional repertoire with rising stars and inspirational young talents, the company is known throughout the operatic world as a champion of new American works.
With a dedication to the community both on and beyond the operatic stage, Fort Worth Opera proudly supports opera education through the Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artist program and a robust statewide initiative that brings in-school performances and educational programs to 16,000 schoolchildren each year across Texas.
Fort Worth Opera is committed to producing opera of the highest possible artistic quality and integrity; to identifying and training talented young singers; to serving as a crucible for creating new American operas; to joining forces with other arts organizations in significant collaborations; and to enriching the community by stimulating cultural curiosity and creativity in people of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds.
Visit fwopera.org for more information.
Comments