Festival Opera Archives

A Proud Tradition

Festival Opera was founded in 1991 by Dr. Theodore Weis, who helped create the Arizona Opera Company 20 years earlier in Tucson. After moving to Walnut Creek, Dr. Weis recognized a need for a regional company that could provide quality opera at affordable prices.

The first production, Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio, was a notable success. Other acclaimed productions followed, and in the ensuing years Festival Opera has built a tradition of excellence, presenting a variety of operas, from Verdi's La Traviata and Rossini's Barber of Seville to Massenet's Werther and the West Coast premiere of Rorem's Our Town.