Walter Herbert, Frankfurt-born general director of The New Orleans Opera, was brought in to conduct the thirty-six piece orchestra. Herbert also advised tech company on such important matters as repertory, casting, general policy, and rehearsal schedules. TCU music students made up the thirty-five voice chorus and dancers from Dentons’s Texas State College for Women formed the corps de ballet. Opening night, November 25, a crowd of nearly three thousand dressed in “Golden Horseshoe” splendor” gathered in Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium to witness the Civic Opera’s premiere effort. Dallas Morning News critic John Rosenfield lauded the product as “the start of something,” calling it “a performance of competence and balance.
As we approach our 75th anniversary season in 2021, look out for more fun facts & photos from the FWO archive.