Name: Prima Voce
Start: 2026-09-19T18:30:00
Location: Ridglea Country Club

Fort Worth Opera

Join us for an unforgettable evening of live opera, cocktails, a silent auction, and an Italian-inspired dinner. Named for the Italian phrase meaning "first voice," Prima Voce offers an exclusive first look at the artists, music, and stories that will shape Fort Worth Opera's 81st Season. Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy intimate live opera performances by our Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists, exclusive artist interviews, and behind-the-scenes features as we celebrate the opening of our season before the first curtain rises.

Prima Voce

Ridglea Country Club

The Ugly Duckling is a whimsical retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairy tale, with an original score by composer Andrew Duncan. This production allows students to experience the thrill of opera—at their very own school—through a story that encourages young people to accept the differences in others.
 

In this tale, the Ugly Duckling doesn’t fit in with the other ducklings because she looks and sounds different than they do. After discovering the Big Bad Wolf’s tricks and saving the other ducklings from danger, the Ugly Duckling teaches those around her an important lesson about kindness, courage, and appreciating others for who they are.
 

Through this adaptation of the classic fairy tale, students will be exposed to operatic music and classical singing, while also exploring the important themes of diversity and tolerance.

Designed specifically for children in Pre-K through 3rd grade, The Ugly Duckling celebrates kindness, confidence, and self-discovery through an engaging production and character photo opportunities.

The Ugly Duckling

Fort Worth Zoo

Rose Marine Theater

Fort Worth Opera welcomes internationally renowned Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique for a one-night-only recital at Van Cliburn Concert Hall. Appearing with distinguished Belgian pianist Aaron Wajnberg, De Bique brings her extraordinary artistry to an intimate concert setting that places her luminous voice—and her singular interpretive voice—in full focus. 

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Hailed for her “dazzling virtuosity” (Gramophone) and praised for performances that are “electrifying” and “fearlessly individual,” De Bique has rapidly emerged as one of the most compelling sopranos of her generation. Celebrated for her flawless technique, sparkling coloratura, and keen dramatic intelligence, she captivates audiences with performances that are at once virtuosic and deeply personal. Her versatility allows her to move seamlessly across Baroque, Classical, and contemporary repertoire, bringing clarity, immediacy, and emotional truth to every phrase.

Jeanine De Bique in Concert

TCU Music Center

Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World is a 35-minute performance based on the acclaimed book by author and illustrator Laurence Anholt that tells the true story of a young girl named Mariana who lives in Mexico City. Overcoming her awe and fear of the famous artist Frida Kahlo, Mariana forms an unlikely friendship with the vibrant painter.

Join Mariana on her magical journey as she sits for her portrait and discovers the power of bravery and friendship. With original music and colorful characters, this heartwarming tale is perfect for the whole family. Young audiences will delight in participating in this musical adventure that brings this beautiful story to life. Created for students in grades 4–8, this inspiring opera celebrates courage, creativity, and the power of finding your own voice through the story of one of history's most iconic artists. Puppets are part of the performance, and after the show, families can enjoy a special puppet photo experience!

Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World

One of the most talked-about contemporary operas of the past decade, Scalia/Ginsburg—the sharp-witted and unexpectedly touching comedy by American composer-librettist Derrick Wang—comes to the historic Ridglea Theater. This North Texas premiere brings one of opera’s most celebrated modern works to Fort Worth audiences.

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Since its 2015 debut, Scalia/Ginsburg has earned widespread acclaim for its wit, warmth, and surprising emotional depth. The late Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself famously called it “a dream come true,” while critics have praised it as a “perfect…jewel” (Opera Today) and “the kind of opera that should be everywhere” (OperaWire). The Los Angeles Times went even further, declaring: “Could we please make it a constitutional requirement that no one can be sworn into office in the White House or Congress without having first seen Scalia/Ginsburg?”

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This sharp-witted and unexpectedly moving opera explores the unlikely friendship between U.S. Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg—and the pivotal moment that would shape the Court for years to come. Directed by celebrated American director, writer, and producer Audrey Chait and conducted by Stephanie Rhodes Russell, Resident Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Associate Professor and Music Director of Opera at the University of North Texas, the production brings theatrical clarity, musical agility, and electric chemistry to this iconic pairing.

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Award-winning tenor Peter Scott Drackley embodies the formidable and incisive Scalia, while Metropolitan Opera and Broadway leading lady Jennifer Zetlan brings intelligence, wit, and commanding presence to the role of Ginsburg. Powerful lyric bass Andrew Simpson appears as the Commentator, a quick-tongued narrator who frames the action with comic precision and theatrical flair.

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The ensemble features musicians of the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, whose artistry and precision provide a vibrant, intimate soundscape perfectly suited to Wang’s sparkling score, continuing a valued artistic collaboration into the 2026–2027 season.

Scalia/Ginsburg

Ridglea Theater

A newly created, family-friendly experience at The Woman’s Club of Fort Worth, Harmony for the Holidays is the perfect way to begin the holiday season. Thoughtfully designed to be a warm and welcoming gathering for the community, this event invites audiences to step into a nostalgic holiday celebration filled with music, joy, and tradition.  

 

Featuring Fort Worth Opera’s Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists, this interactive event blends beloved holiday classics, elevated seasonal selections, and meaningful performances chosen by the artists themselves.

Harmony for the Holidays

The Woman's Club of Fort Worth

The holiday season begins with Fort Worth Opera’s return to Stage West Theatre on Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13, 2026, for Gian Carlo Menotti’s beloved Christmas opera Amahl and the Night Visitors, a heartwarming family tradition for local audiences. This quietly magical work has been cherished since its historic premiere, broadcast live on NBC on Christmas Eve 1951 as the first opera ever composed for television.

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Directed by Anthony D. Pound, this new production features the company’s talented Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists, including tenor Cecil Garrison as the warm and whimsical King Kaspar, bass Noah Mond as the noble King Melchior, and mezzo-soprano Lauren Salazar as the Page and Shepherdess. This timeless production honors the opera’s enduring legacy as a work that speaks with clarity and compassion to audiences of all ages.

Amahl and the Night Visitors

Stage West Theatre

The holiday festivities continue with Wintersong, Fort Worth Opera’s annual free holiday concert and heartfelt gift to our community. Now in its fifth year, this Fort Worth favorite fills First Presbyterian Church with joyful seasonal music, featuring the company’s Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists performing beloved Christmas carols, timeless holiday classics, and selections ranging from traditional favorites to opera-inflected seasonal gems.

 

More than a concert, Wintersong is a shared celebration. Alongside spirited performances by Fort Worth Opera’s singers, audiences are invited to join in a joyful sing-along of cherished holiday tunes, continuing a beloved tradition of carol singing that brings families, friends, and neighbors together for an afternoon of music, memory, and community cheer.

Wintersong 2026

First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth

This season, Fort Worth Opera is giving its Resident Artists the opportunity to step into the spotlight and curate concert experiences of their own with Cowboys and Culture, presented February 7 and 14, 2027, at 7 p.m. in the Fort Worth Stockyards at the Stockman's Club. The two concerts will offer audiences an intimate introduction to the Resident Artists as individual performers. Rather than presenting a traditional company recital, each performance will feature just two Resident Artists, who will select repertoire from their own musical interests and create a program that reflects their individual voices and personalities. February 7 will feature soprano Rayna Mia Campbell and tenor Cecil Garrison. The Stockyards serve as a distinctly Fort Worth destination for the performances, bringing together two defining elements of the city’s cultural identity: the cowboy and the arts.

Cowboys & Culture – Lauren & Noah

Fort Worth Stockyards

The 20th Biennial Marguerite McCammon Voice Competition returns to the stage of the Kimbell Art Museum’s Renzo Piano Pavilion, placing one of the opera world’s most prestigious and closely followed vocal competitions in one of Fort Worth’s most iconic cultural settings. Since its founding in 1985, the McCammon has earned an international reputation as the “American Idol” of opera—a thrilling, career-defining showcase where extraordinary emerging singers compete before leading industry professionals in an unforgettable afternoon of artistry, ambition, and discovery.

20th Biennial Marguerite McCammon Voice Competition

Kimbell Art Museum

The 81st Season comes to a jubilant close with the return of The Barber of Seville, Gioachino Rossini’s riotously funny comic masterpiece, at Bass Performance Hall. A Fort Worth favorite that last had audiences rolling in the aisles in 2016, Barber returns in a vibrant new production bursting with quicksilver wit, buoyant physical comedy, and some of the most instantly recognizable music ever written for the stage.

 

​​​​​​​​​Since its premiere, Rossini’s Barber of Seville has become one of the most frequently performed operas in the world—and it’s clear from the opening notes of the overture. Drawing inspiration from Pierre Beaumarchais’ razor-sharp comedy, Cesare Sterbini’s sparkling libretto and Rossini’s effervescent score deliver nonstop comic invention: disguises pile up, plans unravel, and laughter comes fast and often. As the Minnesota Star Tribune raved, it’s “a delirious joy…a burst of sumptuous music [and] gales of laughter.”

The Barber of Seville

Bass Performance Hall

Project: Opera returns for a second year with Project: Opera –Macbeth, a student-centered exploration of Verdi’s powerful adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Through a TEKS-aligned, multi-week residency, professional teaching artists and the Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists work directly with high school students to explore operatic storytelling, music, and performance. Directed by Anthony D. Pound, this 60-minute English adaptation will be performed on participating school campuses throughout the season, culminating in student performances that expand access to the arts and inspire the next generation of performers and audiences.