FROM THE GENERAL DIRECTOR AND BOARD CHAIR

Welcome back to the 2022/2023 Season!

It is not every day that an opera company unveils a brand-new production, especially of such a revered and intimidating title. Thanks to the incredible team at The Atlanta Opera and our friends at Dallas Stage Scenery, we are doing just that here at the Winspear.

To bring Wagner’s epic Das Rheingold to life, director Tomer Zvulun and projection and set designer Erhard Rom have been planning this project for years. A long-time dream for them both, the excitement has been building from its inception.

Role debuts, not to mention TDO debuts, fill the roster of Das Rheingold, notably Nicholas Brownlee and Michael Mayes’ role debuts as Wotan and Alberich, and the TDO debuts of Amanda Echalaz as Fricka and Karen Slack as Freia.

It takes a staggering number of musicians (96!) to achieve rich, glorious soundscape Wagner imagined for this legendary tale. Be sure to look inside the pit and you will notice that it is expanded to its fullest position—aptly named the “Wagner Pit.” The Dallas Opera Orchestra and cast are led by our inimitable music director, Emmanuel Villaume, who takes the podium with all the power and nuance befitting the scale of this immense opera.

You are all in for a thrill of Wagnerian-sized proportions. Enjoy the splendor!

Welcome!

Dear friends, both familiar and new:

I welcome you to the second half of the 2022/2023 65th Anniversary Season. The fall was a vibrant time at the Winspear Opera House—full of riveting music and rapturous applause. The spectacle continues with a brand-new production of Das Rheingold, returning to the Dallas Opera stage after more than 20 years.

Wagner’s epic tale of greed, gods, myth, and magic gold has echoed through the years, even lending its popular plot to the likes of The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. It is a familiar story and there is truly something for everyone.

To look around and see both new and familiar faces throughout the opera house confirms our success in building new audiences. Earlier this season, the opera offered three programs at approachable pricing: The People’s Choice Concert, A Night Under the Stars at the Arboretum, and the Holiday Concert at Cathedral Guadalupe. We will continue to offer accessible programming with the continued goal of introducing the North Texas community to opera in hopes that we see you at the Winspear in the near future.

Enjoy the performance!