Tulsa Opera

Tulsa Opera was founded in 1948, making it one of the older regional opera companies in the United States and a fixture of Oklahoma's cultural scene for over 75 years. It predates the postwar boom in American regional opera companies by a couple of decades. That longevity is a point of institutional pride in Tulsa.

Its mainstage productions are staged at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in downtown Tulsa, principally in the Chapman Music Hall. The PAC has been the company's home since the venue opened in the late 1970s. Smaller concerts and events are sometimes held in other PAC spaces around the city.

Yes — the American composer Tobias Picker, known for operas like Emmeline and An American Tragedy, served as the company's artistic director from the mid-2010s. His tenure brought attention to contemporary American work alongside the standard repertory. It's unusual for a working opera composer to lead a regional company, which made the appointment notable.

The company typically mounts a small number of fully staged mainstage operas each season — commonly around two to three — plus concerts and community events, which is typical for a mid-size American regional company. Seasons generally run from fall through spring. Single tickets and subscriptions are sold through the Tulsa Performing Arts Center box office.