Opera Birmingham, Alabama’s largest professional opera company, has entertained audiences for over 65 years. From its humble beginnings in 1955 to its 60th anniversary in 2015 and beyond, Opera Birmingham has produced world-class operatic productions and concerts that have been hailed by critics and loved by audiences.

Opera Birmingham began in 1955 as the Birmingham Civic Opera. Under the leadership of Martha Dick McClung, director of Opera Theater at Birmingham-Southern College, the company’s first production was Smetana’s The Bartered Bride, followed by Puccini’s Madama Butterfly the following year. Since then, the Opera has produced over 50 different operas, and has brought hundreds of the best operatic performers from all over the world to Birmingham’s artistic doorstep.

After merging with Southern Regional Opera in 1986, the company became Birmingham Opera Theater for its 1987 season, and finally Opera Birmingham in 1996. The current General Director, Keith A. Wolfe, leads the Opera through its sixth decade.

Keith A. Wolfe-Hughes joined Opera Birmingham as its General Director in January 2015, leading the company as it expands both the variety of works presented on the stage as well as opportunities to engage with the community in programs off the stage.  He helped the company launch a successful chamber opera series, bringing powerful contemporary stories to life through song, and started informal pop-up Opera Shots concerts and an annual Children’s Opera performance.

Prior to Opera Birmingham, Keith worked fourteen seasons with Fort Worth Opera, first as Managing Director since 2001 then as Executive Director as of March 2014.  He also served as the former Artistic Director of the Fort Worth Men’s Chorus and was appointed as Interim Director of the Opera Studio at Texas Christian University in Fall 2013.  During his tenure at Fort Worth Opera, Mr. Wolfe-Hughes developed a number of expanded training programs for area young artists, including the development of the Fort Worth Opera Studio and formulated “The Ten Commandments of Auditions” with General Director Darren K. Woods, which was featured in Classical Singer magazine. Recent programming includes strategic planning for singers in master classes and seminars, and serving as a panelist for Opera America, presenting both the strategic planning process as well as how technology can be used to streamline the artistic process.  Keith also serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Association of Nonprofits.

Previously, Mr. Wolfe-Hughes served for seven years as the General Manager of the Seagle Music Colony (now the Seagle Festival) in upstate New York, the oldest young artist training program in the United States, where he returned to conduct Mark Adamo’s Lysistrata and workshops of Jorge Martín’s Before Night Falls and Joe Illick’s Bliss.  Keith holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and opera.  Prior to moving into arts administration, he performed with the Virginia Opera, the Washington Opera, the Virginia Symphony, the Shreveport Symphony, and the Virginia Pro Musica.  Among his roles, favorites include Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, and Nanki-poo in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado.

The Opera Birmingham Chorus, led by Chorusmaster Daniel Seigel, is an essential part of the success of Opera Birmingham. Chorus rehearsals traditionally take place on alternating weekends—Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings—beginning in the fall. For three weeks in advance of a production, rehearsals increase—taking place every Tuesday and Thursday evening, as well as Saturday and Sunday.

In addition to performing in Opera Birmingham’s fully-staged operas, the Opera Chorus also participates annually in the holiday concert, and has produced its own fundraiser, the Chorus Cabaret, which takes place in the fall.

Choral groups and college choirs are often invited to participate in Opera Birmingham productions.

Auditions are held year-round. Singers interested in auditioning for the Opera Birmingham Chorus should email info@operabirmingham.org for details.