Vancouver Opera is the second largest performing arts organization in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 and the largest opera company in western Canada.
It performs in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Queen Elizabeth Theatre

The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is a performing arts venue in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Along with the Orpheum and the Vancouver Playhouse, it is one of three facilities operated by the Vancouver Civic Theatres Department .Formerly the home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, which...

 accompanied currently by the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, one of two specialized opera orchestras in Canada (the other being Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

’s Canadian Opera Company

Canadian Opera Company

The Canadian Opera Company is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and the third largest producer of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.-History:For 40 years until...

). Vancouver Opera mounts four productions a year.

History

Vancouver Opera was founded in 1958 and presented its first production in 1960. From its inception until 1974, and for two seasons from 1982 to 1984, the company was headed by Artistic Director Irving Guttman. Conductor Richard Bonynge

Richard Bonynge

Richard Alan Bonynge, AO, CBE is an Australian conductor and pianist.Bonynge was born in Sydney and educated at Sydney Boys High School before studying piano at the Royal College of Music in London. He gave up his music scholarship, continuing his private piano studies, and became a coach for...

 served as Artistic Director from 1974 to 1982, and he was the founding Music Director of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra in the moment of its creation in 1977 (till that moment Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra performing in Vancouver, British Columbia. Over 240,000 people attend its live performances each year. It was founded in 1930 and plays in 12 venues. Its home is the Orpheum theatre. With an annual operating budget of $9.5 million, it is the...

 played also in the pit in opera productions). In 1984, Brian McMaster began a five-year tenure. He was followed by Guus Mostart for three seasons (1989-90, 1990-91 and 1991-92), and by Robert Hallam, who in 1991 was appointed to the new position of General Director.

The company's current General Director, James W. Wright, assumed the position in 1999. Formerly the head of Opera Carolina, Wright's career includes senior positions with Anchorage Opera

Anchorage Opera

' is a professional opera company located in Anchorage, Alaska and is a member of OPERA America.-About AO: is the largest producer of the performing arts in Alaska and one of America’s leading regional opera companies...

, Tulsa Opera

Tulsa Opera

The Tulsa Opera, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the 18th oldest opera company in the United States and is ranked among the top 10 regional opera companies in the nation. The company produces three opera productions each season performed at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center...

, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Its Music Director is Jonathan Darlington

Jonathan Darlington

Jonathan Darlington is a British conductor and the Music Director of the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Vancouver Opera...

.