Texas Opera Companies Form Alliance
The Dallas Opera has joined with the opera companies of four other major Texas cities to form an alliance that – they hope – will help all five through the pandemic and beyond.
Houston Grand Opera, Austin Opera, The Dallas Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and OPERA San Antonio announced the creation of the Texas Opera Alliance, on Thursday.
Facing the same challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has presented for performing arts organizations across the globe, the five companies have identified this opportunity to give Texans more access to opera through a strategic alliance. The mission of the Texas Opera Alliance is to advance and diversify the operatic art form through innovative production partnerships, audience-building initiatives, and collaborative investments in new works.
“This statewide alliance seems a natural and necessary next step towards championing artistic collaboration and cross-promotional opportunities,” says Ian Derrer, The Dallas Opera’s General Director and CEO. “We look forward to sharing content from our popular TDO Network — viewed by more than 34 million in 50 countries — as well as upcoming digital programs including reprised and original content as we work with our sister companies to elevate this astonishing art form.”
In its first year, in addition to each organization implementing its own unique promotional initiatives, TOA will cross promote digital content and programming while creating unique touchpoints with audience members from all five organizations. In addition to streaming video content, TOA will provide member companies access to an array of publications and online resources, webinars, and supplementary programming. Through this cross promotion, the organizations’ digital content will have a larger reach.
“The Texas Opera Alliance supports a diverse and innovative group of organizations across the state. Our goal is simple: to make opera accessible. Through this alliance, we will be able to bring new and unique content to audiences all over Texas,” says HGO Managing Director Perryn Leech. “While it is not the season we had planned, it is exciting to see our organizations pushing the boundaries of the art form and bringing incredible opera to the screen. We are grateful that Sarah and Ernest Butler, longtime opera supporters, have made the extraordinarily generous pledge of $1 million to help underwrite HGO’s and Austin Opera’s digital programming, to be shared with opera lovers across Texas.”
“I’m heartened and inspired by the unprecedented level of collaboration between our five companies in recent months. I believe these cost-effective strategies to expand our mutual offerings will serve as a new model for the growth and sustainability of our art form,” said Annie Burridge, general director and CEO of Austin Opera and vice-chair of OPERA America. “Nearly every project we are currently working on at Austin Opera intersects with a member of the Texas Opera Alliance, from co-productions to the engagements of Texas-based artists.”
Each organization will be creating new digital offerings for Texas audiences.
More information about the Texas Opera Alliance, its member companies, and their seasons and digital offerings can be found at www.texasoperaalliance.org.
