Mark Adamo’s Little Women and Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Cinderella) Headline Venerable Company’s 2024-2025 Offerings
(Fort Worth, Texas) – As the last notes of Puccini’s La Bohème echoed through Bass Hall this past weekend, Fort Worth Opera General & Artistic Director Angela Turner Wilson announced details for the company’s upcoming 2024-2025 season.
The season — the company’s 79th — will feature two mainstage productions, one early in the season and the other serving as a spectacular finale. In November 2024 the company presents Mark Adamo’s heartwarming Little Women at the W. E. Scott Theatre in the Fort Worth Cultural District. And then in April 2025, the company brings fully staged opera back to Bass Hall in downtown Fort Worth with Gioachino Rossini’s comic masterpiece, La Cenerentola (Cinderella).
Other highlights of the 2024-2025 season include the Julia Child-themed Bon Appétit! Gala in September, the return of family favorite ¡Bienvenidos! de Frida Kahlo to the Rose Marine Theater in October, the holiday-themed Wintersong in December, Elixir of Love, Showcasing Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists on March 1, 2025, and as a special treat for opera lovers, the return of the biennial McCammon Competition on March 23, 2025.
“Seventy-nine years ago, three gracious, charming, and iron-willed Texas ladies founded Fort Worth Opera,” said Turner Wilson. “Those women were on our minds when we put together this season. From Julia Child, who provides the inspiration for our gala, to the March sisters of Little Women and of course to Angelina, Rossini’s version of Cinderella in La Cenerentola, we are thrilled to present a season-long exploration of iconic female stories. The fictional heroines — and one real woman — at the heart of these stories made bold choices, took destiny in their own hands, and showed us how to rise over adversity with kindness, compassion, and determination.”
Based on the classic coming-of-age novel by Louisa May Alcott, Mark Adamo’s Little Women was first commissioned by Houston Grand Opera in 1998. It has since become one of the most frequently performed American operas of the last quarter century. Called a "masterpiece" by John Rockwell in the New York Times when it premiered at New York City Opera in 2003, Little Women blends lyrical music with spirited performances from a young ensemble for a fresh perspective on the 19th century tale. Little Women was last staged by Fort Worth Opera in 2005 and promises to return as an instant audience favorite.
With Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Fort Worth Opera invites audiences to step into the magical world of Cinderella. The beloved tale will be brought to life onstage at Bass Hall with beautiful voices, moving performances, lush costumes, evocative sets, and the full Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra performing Rossini’s enchanting score.
“For audiences more familiar with the French or German fairy tale, the Italian opera version of the story will bring some delightful surprises,” said Turner Wilson. “This Cinderella meets and falls in love with her prince — in disguise as a servant — long before the ball. Then when the ball ends, she challenges him to prove himself worthy in a way that girls today will find charmingly resonant. La Cenerentola is truly the perfect opera experience for the whole family, and we can’t wait to share it with our friends here in Fort Worth.”
In a fun coincidence, two premier local arts organizations run by women will both be presenting versions of Cinderella in their upcoming seasons, with Texas Ballet Theater including Prokofiev’s Cinderella in their 2024-2025 offerings.
“We’re going to have a whole wonderful year of Cinderella here in Fort Worth,” said Turner Wilson. “We hope you’ll join both our companies to enjoy two very different interpretations of this classic tale of kindness triumphing over cruelty.”
For more details on the 2024-2025 season, and to browse and purchase available season ticket packages, please visit the Fort Worth Opera website at fwopera.org. Along with enjoying mainstage presentations of Little Women and La Cenerentola, season ticket holders can experience the Civic Impact productions of ¡Bienvenidos! de Frida Kahlo and Elixir of Love, Showcasing Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists, and the exciting return of the McCammon Competition — which promises performances from the most gifted opera singers from across the globe. Season ticket benefits also include the best seats at reduced prices, discounts on extra tickets, free exchanges, and other surprise offerings throughout the year.
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 boasts a highly successful opera education program, consisting of The Lesley Resident Artist program and the Children’s Opera Theatre, which brings opera to nearly 40,000 school children each year across the state of 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.