History
Nearing its fiftieth anniversary, the FLORIDA STATE OPERA is one of a handful of American arts organizations that is as respected for its excellence in the educational arena as for its presence as a regional force. The Opera is dedicated to serving not only the professionally-oriented student, but also the musical and scholastic life of the University and the cultural vitality of the immediate geographic area. Its primary aim is to identify and unlock the potential of the student singer, coach/accompanist and stage director, equipping him or her with a secure technical foundation in all areas vital to the development of a successful and fulfilling professional life in opera/music-theater. In the area of performance, the FSU OPERA is one of the School of Music’s most beloved, successful and visible venues. The Opera stresses the importance of its visibility as a performance resource not only to the University, but also to the Greater Tallahassee community and beyond. As such, it is the particular mission of the Opera to explore the scope and variety of the vast body of work comprising the repertory and, in so doing, to create and provide stimulation and vital productions; professional in quality, strong in musical and theatrical values and rich in imagination.

Florida State Opera’s history boasts a wide range of music-theater repertoire, covering a compositional span of nearly 400 years. More than 150 productions of 105 operas by 59 composers have been presented to a wide-ranging regional audience in the Opera’s forty-six year history. Composers ranging from Monteverdi to Mozart, Verdi to Britten, Rossini to Sondheim have been presented in season selections rich in interest and variety for our audience, full of opportunities for our students. In addition four world premieres have been mounted at the Opera, including the internationally-acclaimed SUSANNAH by Carlisle Floyd. SUSANNAH, which rapidly made its way into the standard repertoire following its 1955 premiere, makes a long-awaited entry into the annals of the Metropolitan Opera during the 1998-99 season. Composer Carlisle Floyd returned to the faculty of the FSU School of Music in 1996.

Florida State Opera seeks, in addition, to provide the community with performances and other activities designed to foster interest in opera and related music-theater forms; developing new audiences, stimulating the current opera-going public and introducing school-aged children to its myriad rewards.