Opera Birmingham

About Opera Birmingham

Northern Alabama’s only professional, regional opera company, Opera Birmingham has entertained and informed audiences in the region for over 50 years. From its humble beginnings in 1955 to its 50th anniversary in 2005 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, John D. Jones, has led the Opera into its fifth decade.

In addition to performing fully staged operatic productions, Opera Birmingham educated thousands of Birmingham-area school children through its Educational Tour.

Who We Are

John D. Jones, General Director

John D. Jones has served as General Director of Opera Birmingham since 1999. In Birmingham, he has provided many young singers the opportunity to successfully expand their repertoire and he has also brought many internationally acclaimed artists to the city in both recital and staged performances. Sopranos Kallen Esperian, Elizabeth Futral, Renée Fleming and Angela Brown, mezzos Susan Graham and Kristine Jepson, tenor Jay Hunter Morris and baritone Nathan Gunn are among those superstars performing for Birmingham audiences during the past decade. He has also engaged two talented rising American conductors, Steven White (2000-02) and Joseph Mechavich (2004-present), to serve as the Company's music director and principal conductor.

Prior to joining Opera Birmingham, John served as Public Relations Director for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Marketing Director for Opera Memphis and Director of Institutional Development at Virginia Opera. He also completed an administrative internship at the Santa Fe Opera. As a young singer, he appeared in Opera Memphis productions of Carmen and Tosca as well as serving as production manager for productions of Aida, La Bohème, and Ariadne auf Naxos.

His nominations have led to recognition on a national scale for Opera Birmingham, supporter Betty Healey, and corporate partner Alabama Power. Nancy Raabe of The Birmingham News named him the outstanding arts administrator in his first season and The Birmingham Business Journal tapped him as one of their "Top 40 Under 40" in 2001. A native of Memphis, John earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Memphis and a law degree from the University of Mississippi. His initial introduction to opera came when a high school music teacher suggested he volunteer to usher when the Metropolitan Opera made its annual tour stop in Memphis. He has been hooked ever since.

Joseph Mechavich, Principal Conductor

Entering his fifth season as Principal Conductor of Opera Birmingham, Joseph Mechavich has been praised as a conductor of "authority and warmth" with "a meticulous liaison between stage and pit." The 2007-08 season saw Maestro Mechavich making his New York City Opera debut leading performances of Madama Butterfly and his European debut conducting Porgy and Bess for Deutsche Oper Berlin. He returned to Kentucky Opera for Il Trovatore, led The Mikado for Fargo-Moorhead Opera, and took the podium for Orlando Ballet's The Nutcracker. Future engagements include Cendrillon with the Aspen Music Festival, his return to Kentucky Opera for Werther and L'Elisir d'Amore with both Dayton Opera and Tulsa Opera, and Opera Birmingham for both Turandot and La Traviata, as well as his debuts with Utah Opera conducting Madama Butterfly and Washington National Opera conducting Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Equally at home on the concert stage as in the opera pit, Maestro Mechavich has appeared with the Orlando Philharmonic, Hartford Symphony, Waterbury Symphony, Virginia Symphony and Florida West Coast Symphony. He has also collaborated on ballet productions with the Nutmeg Ballet and Sarasota Ballet.

A native of Minnesota, Joseph Mechavich completed his studies at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the Yale University School of Music before returning home, where he held the positions of Assistant Conductor, Chorus Master, and Coach for Minnesota Opera for five years. He then went on to serve as Director of Music for Orlando Opera and Associate Conductor for Virginia Opera. He served as cover conductor for four seasons with The Santa Fe Opera. In addition, he has collaborated with New York City, Washington National, Austin Lyric, Utah, New Orleans, Des Moines Metro, Mobile, Tulsa, Nevada and the Berkshire Operas. A frequent recitalist, Mechavich has appeared as a pianist working in partnership with members of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, New Music New Haven, Virginia Symphony and the Orlando Philharmonic.

The Opera Birmingham Chorus

The Opera Birmingham Chorus is an essential part of the success of Opera Birmingham. The chorus is led by Daniel Seigel, and rehearses in the fall for January operas and the spring for March operas. Auditions are usually held annually; interested singers should email Daniel Seigel for more information.

Choral groups and college choirs are often invited to participate in Opera Birmingham productions—for more information, contact Daniel Seigel by email.