Opera FAQs

Why is an opera house staging The Sound of Music? 
The line between operas and musicals can be quite blurry. When The Sound of Music debuted on Broadway in 1959, it featured operatic singing and a full orchestra. So the Wortham Theater Center is the perfect place to experience the musical, just as its creators intended. 

What exactly is opera? 
A story told through voice and instrumental music. The word “opera” is Italian for “work.” 

Where did opera come from?  
Opera began in Florence, Italy, in the 16th century, as a way to share ancient Greek stories.  

Who is it for?  
At first, opera was only for the nobility. But it soon expanded in popularity, and public opera houses started going up around Italy. Today there are opera houses all over the world—and opera is for everyone. 

What kind of stories do operas tell?  
In the 18th century, opera seria (serious opera) was popular, but it wasn’t long before opera buffa (lighthearted and comedic opera) arrived. These days just about any good story can become an opera. HGO has commissioned 76 operas, and counting, sharing stories old and new!  

Someone always dies in opera…right?  
Wrong! Yes, there are genres where that’s true. But the art form runs the gamut, from the comedic to the romantic, horrific, gory, scary, and adventurous.  

And all opera singers wear horns and blonde braids?  
Only sometimes. Singers in German operas like Wagner’s Die Walküre, which features characters from Norse mythology, wear them in traditional productions. But contemporary productions (including German ones!) include every possible variety of costume, just like TV shows, films, and musicals.   

Opera’s in Italian, and I won’t understand it. Are you sure it’s for me?  
100 percent sure! The art form was born in Italy 400 years ago, but since then, operas have been written in French, German, Czech, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, English, and many more languages. Today’s productions always include translations on the screen above the stage, but even without them, the sound of the instruments and voices alone have the power to convey universal human emotions.