Read on to discover opera companies in the state of Ohio.
Known for its history of manufacturing, sports teams, and being home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ohio, the country’s 34th largest state, also offers an array of operatic experiences. Whether in the rural or the micropolitan (defined as an urban cluster with a population of at 10,000 but under 50,000), or bustling cities like Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, opera is thriving within Ohio’s nearly 45,000 square miles proving that what the state may lack in size it makes up for in art.
Located in the Historic Over-The-Rhine neighborhood, Cincinnati Opera, founded in 1920 and currently led by general director and CEO Christopher Milligan and artistic director Evans Mirageas, boasts an international summer festival featuring opera, musical theatre, recital, and community programming. For their 2025 season, operatic staples by Verdi (Rigoletto) and Puccini (Tosca) comingle with Fiddler on the Roof and a host of recitals and concerts featuring some of America’s most exciting up-and-coming vocal talent. Returning to performances in Cincinnati’s Music Hall in 2018, the company is also at the forefront of developing new works with its Opera Fusion: New Works program. Developed in 2011 as a partnership between Cincinnati Opera and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the program brings composers and librettists to Cincinnati for a ten-day residency where they are able to take advantage of resources and talent from both the opera and the university. For the 2026 summer season, Cincinnati Opera presents Salome and Carmen, alongside the world premiere of Lalovavi, music by Kevin Dat and a libretto written by Tifara Brown. This world premiere is part of Cincinnati’s “Black Opera Project” that “engages creators to develop new works celebrating black stories. The company also champions artistic diversity and community engagement through its popular “Opera Goes to Church” series.
Opera Columbus has been a force in central Ohio since its founding in 1981. Under the leadership of Julia Noulin-Mérat, the company has purposefully expanded the concept of what opera can be. The 2025-26 season features a daring season with Rappicini’s Daughter by Daniel Catán, Joseph Bologne’s L’amant anonyme, Paolina Prestini’s The Old Man and the Sea, a modern opera produced in conjunction with the Wexner Center for the Arts, and La traviata, another collaboration with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and its music director, Rossen Milanov. Committed to educating and training future artists from all over the country, Opera Columbus continues its Crane Directing Fellowship program and producing the annual Cooper-Bing Vocal Competition.
Nestled on Lake Erie, Toledo, sometimes referred to as “Glass City” because of its history with the glass industry, has had an opera company since 1959. Toledo Opera presents a mixture of grand opera, operetta, and musicals in the 900-seat Valentine Theatre, situated in downtown Toledo. Additionally, the company is vastly committed to community engagement with a goal to increase public programming that reflects current social issues as well as broadens the opera audience demographic. For their 2025-2026 mainstage, they will present Carmen and The Elixir of Love. Toledo Opera is under the leadership of general director James M. Norman and artistic director Kevin Bylsma.
Now merged with the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, Dayton Opera continues to distinguish itself with unique performances each season. The company employs four emerging artists who spend the season performing opera, oratorio, and engagements throughout the community and in partnerships with the Dayton Philharmonic and the Dayton Ballet. Founded in 1960, the company was guided by Lester Freedman and performed for several years in the historic Memorial Hall. Kathleen Clawson serves as the artistic director and primary stage director. Next season will see productions of Carmen, a double-bill of Shawn E. Okpebolo’s The Cook-Off and Lee Hoiby’s Bon Appétit, and Porgy and Bess. Additionally, the company will present countertenor extraordinaire John Holiday in concert with the Dayton Philharmonic.
In the mood for operetta and musicals? Ohio Light Opera, the resident professional company of the College of Wooster and Opera Project Columbus, in Columbus, Ohio have plenty to offer. Ohio Light has been in existence since the mid-1970s and provides young singers from all over the country the opportunity to immerse themselves in the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, Gershwin, old-school musical theatre, and rare gems by composers like Friml, Lehár, and Coward. Artistic director Steven A. Daigle and executive director Laura Neill continue to uphold the company’s vision to “preserve the tradition of operetta and musical theatre with engaging and accessible productions.” Since it’s founding in 2011, Opera Project Columbus has evolved from presenting Italian operatic gems to Columbus’ summer opera company presenting two operettas carrying on the tradition of the defunct Columbus Light Opera. Eric Gibson, executive director and conductor William Boggs have reinvigorated the light opera scene in Columbus while also forging an exciting path forward.
Making its debut with a production of Pagliacci in 2004, Youngstown, Ohio’s Opera Western Reserve was born. With a goal to bring opera to northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, Opera Western Reserve presents one mainstage opera each season using talented regional artists as well as a selected group of six to eight emerging artists. Community engagement plays a large part of the company focus with a host of education programs as well as free attendance to the opera’s summer camp. Production director Scott Skiba and music director and conductor Susan Davenny Wyner helm the company and will present their fall production of Faust.
Cincinnati’s Queen City Opera, founded in 2012, offers emerging singers, directors, designers, and musicians an opportunity to develop their skills in high-quality, collaborative productions. Led by Founder and Artistic Director, Issac Selya, and Associate Music Director, Michael Patterson and Engagement Director, Alea Louise Vernon, Queen City Opera has distinguished itself not only for its adventurous repertoire, but its focus on community collaboration including the Ohio Innocent Project and the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Always advocating for opportunities for a diverse group of artists, their summer production of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta featured Cristina Jones, known as the Blind Soprano, in the title role.
Despite the wealth of operatic activity in Ohio, a few of its companies are still working to find their footing in an ever-changing economic landscape. The Cleveland Opera and Cleveland Opera Theatre, as well as Mansfield, Ohio’s Mid-Ohio Civic Opera are actively assessing how to best preserve their artistic legacy and remain a valuable arts asset to their communities. When people think of Ohio, the word opera is not usually the first thing that comes to mind, but it’s evident from Ohio’s eight vibrant opera companies that this artform entertains, educates, and enriches the lives of its citizens season after season.
