A Season That Worked
Nemorino might have drunk all the elixir in February's L'Elixir D'Amore, but the Toledo Opera is confident there's enough left over to keep the magic going for the 2026-2027 season, and beyond.
Though there isn't enough magic to add productions, General Director James M. Norman said the formula of one major opera and one lighter one is working for the company.
"Last season went well," Norman said. "Obviously, Carmen sold really well, and we knew Elixir was going to be a tougher sell, but we actually made our ticket goals."
Artists Director Kevin Byslma agreed. "Carmen was beyond our expectations. And with Elixir we met our goal. I would have loved to have seen it sold out"
Norman said the season met another goal.
"I think artistically, both audiences raved about the production values and the artistic values and the singers, so it was two thumbs up."
What's Next: Aida and HMS Pinafore
Carmen is one of the "ABCs" of opera, Norman said, so the company will be opening in October with another "war horse," Giuseppe Verdi's Aida, and ending in February with H.M.S. Pinafore by W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan, rarer works in the TOA repertoire.
Opera in a Difficult Landscape
Opera and classical music have been struggling for decades. Audiences have left performances citing irrelevance, misogynistic and dated storylines, and stale productions. Bugs Bunny mocked it, and Hollywood star Timothee Chalamet has called opera and ballet something "no one cares" about.
The pandemic hit opera hard. Even the Metropolitan Opera felt, and is still feeling, the weight of revenue loss, the art form's declining reputation, and high ticket prices during a period of inflation. For many opera houses, large and small, the difficulties compounded.
Norman once compared his company to a small motorboat, one that could, and is, navigating those rough waters.
Toledo's population is 270,871 as of 2020. Once known as the Glass City, Toledo struggled along with other urban areas. Businesses closed, and ill-conceived urban development pushed people away from cities like Toledo, Youngstown, and Detroit.
But the arts community never gave up. The Toledo Museum of Art, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, a vibrant and historic jazz community, and numerous actors, artists, and dancers continued to put on strong performances.
A Company Built Over Decades
The TOA was part of that. Established in 1959 by Lester Freedman, the company drew top-tier artists and emerging stars such as Placido Domingo, Martina Arroyo, and Renee Fleming to its stages at the art museum's Peristyle, then Masonic Auditorium (now the Stranahan Theater), and finally the historic Valentine Theatre, built in 1895, which was saved from demolition and restored in the 1990s.
The Toledo Opera persisted as directors and visions changed along with economics, population dynamics, and a pandemic. Two new works premiered under Executive Director Suzanne Rorick: I Dream, composed by Douglas Tappin, an opera about Martin Luther King, Jr., was performed in 2018. In 2022, Blue, a look at a Black family headed by a Black cop whose son is killed by police, took the stage. Librettist Tazewell Thompson directed the work, and Chelsea Tipton II conducted it. Several singers had performed in the work’s debut.
Though the number of productions has dropped from four to three to two, the company has built a reputation for excellence relative to its city’s size. Furthermore, it compares favorably to community opera companies across the country, according to industry publications such as Opera America. According to TOA figures, 24 percent of ticket buyers are new; Carmen welcomed 30 percent first-time attendees; 50-plus new donors became supporters; more than 1,200 community members joined its 20 events in the 24-25 season; more than 50 people joined the chorus; and 2025’s South Pacific attracted 40 percent new opera-goers.
The Financial Reality
Despite the TOA’s resilience, or because of it, Norman and Bylsma are keeping the number of productions to two for several reasons, with the primary reason being the bottom dollar.
“Opera productions are averaging about $300,000 for each one,” Norman said. “Corporate sponsors are not as plentiful in Toledo, and we’re trying a new strategy of branching out to new sponsors and donors and different ways of attracting more money … because it is a struggle.”
Community events are another way to build both audiences and revenue. The opera has long had a yearly gala, but newer events like the recent Cocktail Competition of Operatic Proportions have brought the public in, along with Opera Cabarets, dinners, and pop-up events that generate donor support and introduce the uninitiated to the Valentine and to opera in general.
Norman said he’s excited about the company’s direction.
“Every arts group is facing a challenge monetarily,” he said, “but I think we’re making smart financial decisions. And I’m really excited about the mix of artistic decisions that Kevin and I are making, expanding our offerings to the operatic and grand, golden musical fare that we’ve been offering these last couple of years.” Two recent musicals were Ragtime and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific. “I think that we’re doing a good job of blending traditional operas like Carmen with non-traditional but lighter fare like The Merry Widow and Pinafore,” Norman said.
The Singers Who Keep Coming Back
The TOA’s talent pool runs deep, as many singers want to keep appearing with the company. Soprano Kathryn Lewek, known for her Queen of the Night, fell in love with her husband, Zach Borichevsky, while performing in Lucia di Lammermoor. Bass baritone Jason Budd, a former resident artist, calls the company his opera home. Tenor Brendan Boyle, another former resident artist, sang in Ragtime, debuted his Cavaradossi in Tosca and Don Jose in Carmen, all to strong reviews not only in Toledo but across the country. Boyle returns as Radames in October’s Aida, along with contralto Lauren Decker as Amneris and soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams as Aida.
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