Detroit Opera is the main opera company in Michigan, USA. It is located in Detroit and performs at the Detroit Opera House. Before February 28, 2022, the company was called Michigan Opera Theatre.

Each year, the company produces four operas in their original language, with English supertitles shown above the stage. It also hosts touring dance companies and musical theatre performances. The company has an orchestra, chorus, children's chorus, and many dance and arts education programs that reach students and communities. In 2005, Michigan Opera Theatre received a National Endowment for the Arts grant called "Access to Artistic Excellence" to help produce the world premiere of Margaret Garner.

As of January 2024, Patty Isacson Sabee is the President and CEO of Detroit Opera. Yuval Sharon became the Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director in 2020.

History

Detroit Opera began in 1961 as Overture to Opera (OTO), which was the educational outreach part of the Detroit Grand Opera Association. This group was responsible for bringing the Metropolitan Opera to Detroit.

In 1963, David DiChiera, the founder and general director of Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT), took over the program, which was in its third year. OTO first showed opera to the public by performing scenes and acts. It did not stage its first full-length opera until 1970, when it performed The Barber of Seville at the Detroit Institute of Arts. OTO became a professional opera company after forming a board of trustees in 1971. In 1973, the company changed its name to Michigan Opera Theatre. In 1977, Karen VanderKloot DiChiera started MOT’s Department of Community Programs. The company became known for casting both experienced artists and young American singers from different backgrounds, a tradition that continues today. MOT was among the first to stage Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess in 1975 and Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha in 1983.

MOT gained an international reputation for performing operas that are rarely seen, such as the North American premiere of Anoush by Armenian composer Armen Tigranian in 1981, The Haunted Castle by Stanisław Moniuszko in 1982, and King Roger by Karol Szymanowski in 1991.

In 1989, MOT decided to buy its current home, the Detroit Opera House. Originally named the Capitol Theatre, the building needed major repairs. The company eventually raised enough money to buy the entire block where the neighboring Roberts Fur building stood. The building was demolished in 1993 to make space for a 75,000-square-foot stage house. This project, called "The Detroit Opera House Project," took about 7 years to complete. It was supported by local individuals, companies, foundations, and unions. Luciano Pavarotti, a famous opera singer, helped by promising to perform at the new opera house’s opening, donating money, and giving performances in Detroit to raise funds.

In April 1996, MOT celebrated the opening of its new home with a gala event that received international attention. Guests included opera stars such as Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, and Marcello Giordani, as well as conductor Steven Mercurio and actor Roddy McDowall. The evening also featured a special piece called Fanfare for the Detroit Opera House by composer William Bolcom. In 1996, MOT also added a permanent dance season, with performances by the American Ballet Theatre and the Cleveland San Jose Ballet.

In 2005, MOT staged the world premiere of Margaret Garner by Richard Danielpour, based on Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved.

In 2014, David DiChiera stepped down as president and CEO of MOT and became artistic director. Wayne S. Brown took over as president and CEO in 2014. DiChiera retired as artistic director in 2017.

During Brown’s leadership, MOT focused on producing operas that appealed to diverse audiences in Detroit, such as Frida by Robert Xavier Rodriguez and The Passenger by Mieczysław Weinberg in 2015, and The Summer King by Daniel Sonenberg in 2018. Brown also led the company’s rebranding to Detroit Opera in 2022.

Brown helped recruit Yuval Sharon as artistic director in 2020. Sharon’s work began as opera companies closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In October 2020, the company produced Twilight: Gods, an adaptation of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, in the Detroit Opera House Parking Center. In 2021, MOT revived X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X by Anthony Davis, which had not been performed since 1986. Other innovative productions included La bohème in 2022, where Puccini’s opera was performed in reverse order, and The Valkyries, which combined Wagner’s Die Walküre with 3D computer graphics. In 2023, Brown was inducted into Opera America’s Opera Hall of Fame.

Since January 2024, Patty Isacson Sabee has been Detroit Opera’s president and CEO. Yuval Sharon continues as artistic director.

In March 2026, it was reported that Sharon would leave the company at the end of the 2025–2026 season, two years before his contract ended. The company had lost financial support from major foundations, and Sharon said the cancellation of productions made him feel like "a lame duck advisor."

Venues

Before the Detroit Opera House opened in 1996, Detroit Opera productions were held in several other performing arts venues. In 1971, the company moved to the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, helping to improve Detroit's Entertainment District. At that time, the company saved the Music Hall from being torn down and performed its first season there with productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Puccini's La rondine. In addition to the Music Hall, the company has also performed at the Detroit Masonic Temple Theatre and the Fisher Theatre. In the 1984 spring season, the company moved to the Masonic Temple to host larger audiences and bigger productions, including its first performance of Anna Bolena, starring Joan Sutherland. This production also featured the American Midwest premiere of English surtitles. In 1985, the company moved to The Fisher Theatre for its autumn season and performed West Side Story, which had an extended run and became one of Michigan Opera Theatre's top-grossing productions.

Since acquiring the Detroit Opera House, the company has presented opera and dance performances at other venues, including the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, and Gem Theatre.

Arts education and outreach

The Detroit Opera's Department of Community Programs, now known as Education and Community Programs, was started by Karen Vanderkloot DiChiera in 1977. In 2000, the department received the Success in Education Award from Opera America for its summer activities for local children. The department also performs at local schools, churches, and community groups. The Detroit Opera Youth Chorus teaches young local singers how to perform in group and main stage shows. The Detroit Opera has also introduced many children's operas, including Vigilance (1975), Pete, the Pirate (1977), Look to the Land (1978), Under One Roof (1981), and Nanabush (1987), which were written by Karen V. DiChiera. Another children's opera, Summer Snow, was written by Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

The Margo V. Cohen Center for Dance was started in 2001 by Dr. Carol Halsted as the Director of Dance. This center, which is part of the Detroit Opera's community programs, is located inside the Ford Center for Learning. It hosts the company's Dance Film series and previously hosted the American Ballet Theatre summer training program. The center also offers master classes for dance students of all skill levels throughout the year, and dance auditions are held there as well.

Since 1979, the Detroit Opera has helped early-career opera professionals through a one-year training program. Since 2022, this program has been called the Detroit Opera Resident Artist Program and is supported by a special fund started in honor of former President and CEO Wayne S. Brown.

Detroit Opera Archive and Resource Library

The Detroit Opera Archive and Resource Library is the official library and archive for Detroit Opera. It focuses on research about dance, opera, and the company's long history. The library was created in 2007 with a gift from Robert and Maggie Allesee. The library and archive have books, sheet music, CDs, videos, and many special items like photos and reviews of performances. From 2009 to 2023, the Resource Library's catalog was available online through a special partnership with Wayne State University's School of Library and Information Science.

Notable productions and performances

Notable productions have included:

• 1979: MOT's production of The Most Happy Fella, which traveled to Broadway.
• 1984: Donizetti's Anna Bolena, featuring Australian soprano Dame Joan Sutherland. This was the first time surtitle translations appeared in the Midwest.
• 1988: Puccini's La bohème, featuring Russian tenor Vyacheslav Polozov.
• 1999: Massenet's Werther, featuring Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli's North American opera debut, with American mezzo Denyce Graves. The production’s final performance was webcast by Global Music Network.
• 2002: MOT's first production of Too Hot to Handel, starting a tradition.
• 2005: Grammy Award winner Richard Danielpour's Margaret Garner world premiere, based on a libretto by Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison.
• 2007: MOT's general director Dr. David DiChiera's Cyrano in its world premiere. The libretto was by Bernard Uzan.
• 2014: Strauss’ Elektra, featuring American soprano Christine Goerke.
• 2015: Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s Frida, featuring Catalina Cuervo.
• 2015: Weinberg’s The Passenger.
• 2016: Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land, an important work for MOT’s resident artists.
• 2016: Kevin Puts’ Silent Night.
• 2017: Mark Adamo’s Little Women.
• 2018: Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27, with a cast made entirely of MOT’s resident artists.
• 2018: Daniel Sonenberg’s The Summer King, part of the company's Take Me Out to the Opera initiative exploring the role of the arts and sports in racial equity.
• 2020: Twilight: Gods, a drive-thru experience of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) with English translation by Yuval Sharon and poetic narration by Marsha Music.
• 2022: Puccini’s La bohème, with music presented in reverse order for the first time.
• 2022: The Valkyries, a new production of Wagner’s Die Walküre using 3D computer graphics and live performance.
• 2022: Anthony Davis' X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.
• 2024: John Cage’s Europeras 3 & 4.
• 2024: Leoš Janáček’s Cunning Little Vixen, combining hand-drawn animation and video projections with live performance.

• 1989–90 Season: Swan Lake performed by Cleveland Ballet; this was the first time dance appeared in the season.
• 1993: MOT’s first self-produced ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, choreographed by Iacob Lascu.
• 1996–97: American Ballet Theatre and Cleveland San Jose Ballet, MOT’s first dance season.
• 1998: Alvin Ailey’s Harlem Nutcracker, MOT debut.
• 1999: Paul Taylor Dance Company MOT debut.
• 2001: Joffrey Ballet’s MOT debut.
• 2000: Ballet Internationale’s The Nutcracker, the beginning of a tradition.
• 2002–2003: Bolshoi Ballet’s Swan Lake.
• 2003: Dance Theatre of Harlem.
• 2003: Les Ballets Africains.
• 2004: The Kirov Ballet’s (now the Mariinsky Ballet) La Bayadère.
• 2004: North Carolina Dance Theatre’s (now Charlotte Ballet) A Streetcar Named Desire.
• 2005–2006: Savion Glover.
• 2007: The Grand Rapids Ballet’s Where The Wild Things Are.

Notable artists

Many famous singers performed at the Detroit Opera Theatre (MOT) early in their careers. Maria Ewing, born in Detroit, sang in the 1970 production of The Barber of Seville. Leona Mitchell performed the role of Bess in the 1975 version of Porgy and Bess. Kathleen Battle made her operatic debut in 1975 as Rosina in The Barber of Seville. Catherine Malfitano first performed the role of Catherine Sloper in the world premiere of Washington Square in 1976.

Other notable performers include Jerome Hines, a bass from The Metropolitan Opera, who sang the title role in Boris Godunov in 1974. Nicole Cabell performed Musetta in La bohème in 2005, shortly after winning the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. Dame Joan Sutherland, an Australian soprano, sang the title role in Anna Bolena. Martina Arroyo and Ghena Dimitrova performed in the 1986 production of Turandot. Luciano Pavarotti sang at Joe Louis Arena in 1989. Irina Mishura played Carmen during the 1996–97 season. The Three Tenors performed at Tiger Stadium in Detroit in 1999. Andrea Bocelli made his staged operatic debut in Werther, and Denyce Graves performed in Werther for her MOT debut. Vyacheslav Polozov, a Russian tenor, sang in La bohème. Ewa Podleś, a Polish contralto, performed in A Masked Ball.

More recently, Christine Goerke, a dramatic soprano, has performed in Fidelio (2013), Elektra (2014), Twilight: Gods (2020), Cavalleria Rusticana (2021), The Valkyries (2022), and Aida In Concert (2022) with soprano Angel Blue. Goerke served as Detroit Opera’s associate artistic director from 2021 to 2024.

Premieres

Detroit Opera presented the first performances of these operas:

• 1976: Washington Square, composed by Thomas Pasatieri, with a libretto by Kenward Elmslie based on Henry James's novel, Washington Square.
• 1978: Singers / "What is there to sing about?", composed by Charles Strouse, commissioned by MOT.
• 2005: Margaret Garner, composed by Richard Danielpour, with a libretto by Toni Morrison based on her novel Beloved.
• 2007: Cyrano, composed by David DiChiera, with a libretto by Bernard Uzan based on Edmond Rostand's play Cyrano de Bergerac.

Detroit Opera also presented these first performances in North America:

• 1981: Anoush, composed by Armen Tigranian, based on a poem by Hovhannes Toumanian.
• 1982: The Haunted Castle (The Haunted Manor), composed by Stanisław Moniuszko and translated from Polish by Sally Williams-Haik.