To spot the Los Angeles Opera, look for a striking, modernist building with tall, vertical columns and a grand wall of shimmering glass panels curving gently outward-it’s standing like a regal music box right across from the reflecting pool in front of you.
Now, as you stand here, it might look like a serene place of culture, but behind these glassy walls, the LA Opera has a story worthy of its own stage. Imagine: it’s 1986, and Los Angeles is buzzing for a new opera company with big dreams. The city already had some opera in its blood-from performances in a Beverly Hills church (yes, really!) to grand productions flown in by companies from San Francisco and New York since the mid-1900s. But LA was ready for its own voice to ring out, and thus the Los Angeles Opera burst onto the scene at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, right where you are now.
Picture the glittering lights, the buzz of opening night, and legendary tenor Plácido Domingo performing in their very first show, Verdi’s Otello. The company quickly gained a reputation, not just as LA’s home for opera, but as a magnet for world-class stars and daring productions. You could say they really sang for their supper-and the critics ate it up!
Over time, the LA Opera has seen more drama behind the scenes than some of its productions! Its first visionary leader, Peter Hemmings, was tasked with the challenge of building a company truly from scratch-no easy feat in a city known more for movies than Mozart at the time. As generations of talent came and went, the leadership would become a game of musical chairs, sometimes with more suspense than a Puccini opera. Plácido Domingo, the famous Spanish tenor, came on as general director, waving his baton and raising eyebrows alike. Domingo performed over 30 roles here and even conducted 18 different operas-proving that sometimes, it’s good to be the boss.
But not every scene was a high note. In 2019, allegations of misconduct surfaced around Domingo, sending tremors through the opera world. The LA Opera responded with the decisiveness of a Wagnerian heroine, commissioning an investigation that ultimately found no professional misconduct or quid pro quo, but recommended stronger safeguards for the future. The company didn't just tiptoe off-stage; they committed to reform and transparency, ensuring that the real drama remains up on the boards-not in the boardroom.
There have been many stars here-James Conlon, the dynamic conductor, kept the orchestra in check for decades (and will soon become Conductor Laureate, which sounds fancy and probably comes with a special hat). Upcoming baton-bearers like Domingo Hindoyan and Lina González-Granados promise to keep LA Opera’s sound fresh and fiery.
If you’re wondering whether this place is just about the classics, think again. LA Opera has built their reputation on daring premieres and revivals, from the world premieres of operas like Daniel Catán’s Il Postino and Eurydice by Matthew Aucoin, to their blockbuster staging of Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles. They’ve invited Hollywood directors to try their hand at opera-yes, even Woody Allen got a turn! (Don’t worry-nobody had to sing “I’m Just a Gigolo.”)
And the Recovered Voices project is perhaps the most poignant act in LA Opera’s repertoire: resurrecting forgotten operas written by composers silenced during the Third Reich, giving these powerful works the applause they never received in their own time. There’s always a current of history here, from intense controversies-like their ambitious staging of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, which sparked both citywide celebration and heated debate-to financial cliffhangers worthy of their own arias. In fact, after producing Wagner’s monumental epic, they famously had to borrow $14 million from the city, but like all great stories, they made a triumphant comeback and paid it all back.
But what truly sets LA Opera apart is its embrace of the city. From children’s matinees to free outdoor performances and programs for students and teachers, opera isn’t just for tuxedos and tiaras here-it’s for everyone. So next time you pass this house of music, think of all the voices-onstage and off-that echo through its shimmering halls, and remember: in Los Angeles, the next great moment is only an aria away.
Want to explore the leadership, productions of non-standard repertory or the notable guest performers in more depth? Join me in the chat section for a detailed discussion.
