User:Kevinabq/Opera Southwest

Opera Southwest is a professional regional opera company serving Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was founded in 1972 as Albuquerque Opera Theatre. It currently produces two operas per year at the historic KiMo Theatre in downtown Albuquerque, one of the few remaining examples of the "Pueblo Deco" architectural style.

Opera Southwest was led in its early days by conductor Kurt Frederick and director James Bratcher. In its first 37 years, Opera Southwest produced 128 productions of 78 different operas, including 12 commissioned original works. Many of these productions were directed and produced by General Director Justine Opel, who joined the company in 1977. The current Artistic Director of Opera Southwest is David Bartholomew. Anthony Barrese serves as Music Director and Principal Conductor.

The company was originally created with the purpose of providing performances opportunities for local artists. Over time, the company changed its emphasis and now uses exclusively professional singers, directors and designers.

Due to the intimacy of the 650 seat KiMo Theatre, Opera Southwest generally performs repertoire composed for smaller spaces. The operas of Mozart, Donizetti and Rossini have been prominent in its repertoire; in fact the company is currently in the midst of a multi-season Rossini cycle.