# Dayton Opera

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**Dayton Opera** is an American [opera company](/source/Opera_company) based in [Dayton, Ohio](/source/Dayton,_Ohio). The company makes its home at the [Schuster Performing Arts Center](/source/Schuster_Performing_Arts_Center) in downtown Dayton where it annually produces three operas and an operatic concert and has an annual budget of approximately $2 million.[1] Kathleen Clawson is the Artistic Director.[2]

## History

The Dayton Opera was founded in 1960 by the opera impresario [Lester Freedman](/source/Lester_Freedman), who also led the [Toledo Opera](/source/Toledo_Opera) company. For 20 years under Freedman, the company produced opera at Dayton's Memorial Hall. From 1981 to 1993 the company operated in partnership with the [Michigan Opera Theatre](/source/Michigan_Opera_Theatre) under artistic director [David DiChiera](/source/David_DiChiera) and other administrators. In 1996 Dayton Opera entered into a partnership with the [Cincinnati Opera](/source/Cincinnati_Opera), sharing staff including the general director Thomas Bankston. The late 1990s saw the company grow in stature and independence, culminating in a move to the new Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center in 2003.

Over its history the Dayton Opera has produced a wide repertoire of Italian, French, American and German opera. It has presented many prominent guest stars, including [Plácido Domingo](/source/Pl%C3%A1cido_Domingo), [Martina Arroyo](/source/Martina_Arroyo), and [Deborah Voigt](/source/Deborah_Voigt), among others. Since 1987 the company has encouraged new talent in opera through a professional training program and an artist-in-residency.

Since 1998 the company has maintained a partnership with Dayton's [Victoria Theatre](/source/Victoria_Theatre_(Dayton,_Ohio)) under which the two companies share administrative and management functions. The Dayton Opera is a [not-for-profit](/source/Not-for-profit) organization funded by individual and corporate contributions as well as county and state support. The Opera Guild of Dayton is a volunteer support organization.[3]

## See also

- [Dayton Ballet](/source/Dayton_Ballet)
- [Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra](/source/Dayton_Philharmonic_Orchestra)

## References

1. ["Dayton Opera Information"](https://web.archive.org/web/20250222015636/https://www.bizjournals.com/gen/company.html?gcode=E4C52EC114E94EF8929BDF5C08649B47&market=dayton). Archived from [the original](http://www.bizjournals.com/gen/company.html?gcode=E4C52EC114E94EF8929BDF5C08649B47&market=dayton) on 2025-02-22. Retrieved 2009-05-24.

1. lampros. ["Artistic Director"](https://daytonperformingarts.org/artistic-director/). *Dayton Performing Arts*. Retrieved 2022-06-29.

1. ["Dayton Opera History"](http://www.daytonopera.org/site/index.php?page=history). Dayton Opera. Retrieved June 30, 2010.[dead link]

## External links

- [Official Site](https://web.archive.org/web/20031008224519/http://www.daytonopera.org/index.html)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dayton Opera](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton_Opera) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton_Opera?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.