Mission Statement:

The mission of Pensacola Opera is to enrich the culture of Northwest Florida by producing professional opera performances, educational programs and other opera-related community events for people of all ages, interests and backgrounds.

Our History

In 1983 a small group of people interested in opera, including singers, parents of singers, singing teachers, professionals and business people, decided that Pensacola could mine our rich local talent to produce quality opera.   They created a grassroots opera company called "Pensacola Chamber Opera".  The fledgling Chamber Opera successfully produced Mozart's Così fan tutte, in English.

The original Pensacola Chamber Opera was an all-volunteer company.  Sets were created in the founders' workshops, sewing machines buzzed in homes to create the costumes, the orchestra and singers were hired and rehearsals staged. The first opera production was performed three times, for a total audience of seven hundred.

In the early 1990s, Pensacola Opera moved to its current performance home at the historic 1800-seat Saenger Theatre in downtown Pensacola.  A full-time office, staffed by volunteers, allowed Pensacola Opera to offer its first season subscriptions and to begin its now nationally-recognized outreach programs.   Through the next decade, the Opera built on its subscriber and sponsor base, and moved into the Pensacola Opera Center, which provides office and rehearsal space for its main stage season.  The Pensacola Opera League, a group of committed volunteers, was founded to serve as the fundraising and support wing of the Opera, and continues to be an integral part of the company, now known as the Pensacola Opera Guild.

Pensacola Opera has now grown into a thriving professional organization, with a full-time General and Artistic Director, Education and Outreach Director, Development & Marketing Director, Patron Services Manager, and Office Administrator. In 2004, the Opera began its Artists in Residence program, bringing four talented young singers for a nine-month residency, touring Northwest Florida with its education programs.  That same year, Pensacola Opera was recognized by Opera America among the “fastest-growing companies in the United States.”

In 2008, Pensacola Opera’s 25th Anniversary Season saw it move to new venues, producing at the University of West Florida in Pensacola and, for the first time, at Okaloosa Walton College in Niceville, Florida.   A new addition to the Opera Center added 1100 square feet of office and conference space.  In May 2009, Pensacola Opera returned to the newly renovated Saenger Theatre with the landmark production of Aïda. The 27th Season added its first original commissioned opera, The Widow’s Lantern, to its artistic achievements.

Pensacola Opera continues its mission of enriching the arts and culture of Northwest Florida with its main stage productions, educational performances, and outreach activities, performing from its home base in Pensacola and into five counties in the surrounding region.