The History

Opera Carolina is the premiere professional opera company in the Carolinas, presenting four mainstage productions, an annual holiday production of Amahl & The Night Visitors, and acclaimed Education & Outreach Programs to more than 70,000 citizens in the Carolinas each year. 2007/2008 also presents Opera Carolina's first Valentine's Day Concert, Love Notes.

The season opens in October with a journey to 19th century Austria in Charles Gounod's operatic adaptation of William Shakespeare's masterpiece Roméo et Juliette. The production enlists the talents of two Opera Carolina debut artists – Gaston Rivero as Roméo and Sari Gruber as Juliette – in the famous tragedy of two star-crossed lovers. The journey continues to Egypt in January with a tale of love versus duty in Verdi's Aida featuring sopranos Susan Patterson and Oksana Krovytska sharing the title role. Mozart's Don Giovanni takes us to 17th century Spain in March featuring Bass-Baritone Kris Irmiter as the world's greatest seducer; and the season will come to a close in Vienna with the comic operetta by Johann Strauss II, Die Fledermaus.

This excellent roster of guest artists joins the Opera Carolina Chorus and the Charlotte Symphony for a season that will thrill and move the opera fan and the novice alike. There are many elements to our website that will help make your experience at the opera fulfilling, so have fun navigating through synopsis, musical excerpts, librettos, and artist information.

See you at the opera!



James Meena
General Director & Principal Conductor

About Us

Founded in 1948 as a Charlotte Music Club project by a small group of volunteers with a budget of $125, Opera Carolina today is the largest professional opera company in the Carolinas. Opera Carolina is the product of a 1986 merger of the Charlotte Opera Association and North Carolina Opera, combining mainstage, educational, and touring operations.

Opera Carolina's current annual operating budget is $3.5 million.

The mission of Opera Carolina is:

To inspire the region's diverse community through the presentation of excellent Opera, Operetta, Music Theatre and Education & Outreach Programs that elevate the quality of life in the Carolinas.

Opera Carolina's vision is to be the premiere professional opera company in the South, encompassing a level of performance and community service that inspires the general population. We envision:

  • Opera Carolina performances as being sought-after events by a socially and culturally diverse population that values the quality of our productions and the interesting, balanced repertoire we present.
  • Opera Carolina as being an acknowledged leader in the opera field itself by maximizing our financial resources to present opera performances of the highest quality.
  • A company that is actively engaged in the community, offering unique, diverse and sometimes challenging performances and presentations.
  • A company that makes a quantitative and qualitative difference in the education of young people, and that enriches the curriculum of schools in the region.

The mainstage season is presented at the Belk Theater of the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center located in uptown Charlotte. In addition, Opera Carolina's acclaimed Education & Outreach Programs educate and entertain thousands of students and their families in North Carolina and South Carolina annually.

Opera Carolina is a member of OPERA America, Inc., and receives funds from the Arts & Science Council/Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the North Carolina Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.