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Bass Performance Hall
2021 is shaping up to be a big year for Fort Worth Opera — not just for its 75th anniversary, return to Bass Performance Hall following the past year's pandemic, or first full season under new general director Afton Battle.
The Opera is also breaking a 14-year tradition in hopes of reaching more audiences throughout the city.
Rather than following a festival format, during which the Opera produces a few shows during the spring, the company will host performances year-round. The Opera's also hitting the road, taking shows everywhere from the Fort Worth Botanic Garden to the Rose Marine Theater — and even Whiskey Ranch.
The season kicks off Oct. 9 and runs through May 2022.
"Fort Worth Opera will return this upcoming season as ‘The People's Company,’ focusing more on concerts and performances in the community and building strong relationships with other arts and civic organizations," Battle said in a statement. "During this period while performing arts organizations have been on pause, a lot has changed, but one thing remains the same — the people of Fort Worth can count on FWO to deliver the highest quality of the classical performing arts, both in Bass Hall and throughout our community.”
The first show of the season is a one-night-only event, Entre Amigos (that is, "among friends") — a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration scheduled for Oct. 9 at Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center for the Arts at the Rose Marine Theater. Singers Vanessa Becerra, Claudia Chapa, and Luis Alejandro Orozco co-curated the programming, which will also feature tenor Rafael Moras, Columbian pianist Eduardo Rojas, and San Antonio Mariachi ensemble, Trio Chapultepec. After enjoying a mix of arias, art songs, rancheras, and more, audiences can head next door to the Gallery of Artes de la Rosa for more music from Fort Worth rock/pop musician and DJ Ronnie Heart. Del Campo Empanadas will also be on hand with Argentine pastries and desserts.
Other highlights of the season include a 75th Anniversary Fall Preview concert at Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co.'s Whiskey Ranch on Nov. 6, which will also feature an open bar with craft cocktails and hors d'oeuvres catered by Magdalena's chef Juan Rodriguez; Holiday in the Garden at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden in December (date and time pending); A Night of Black Excellence on Feb. 20, 2022, at I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA; and a return to Bass Hall for a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata" on April 22 and 24, 2022.
The full schedule and more information are available at fwopera.org.
