History

Founded in May of 1986 as Austin’s first professional opera company, Austin Lyric Opera rapidly became a cultural touchstone for the fine arts community in the Central Texas region. Co-founders Joseph McClain and the late Dr. Walter Ducloux envisioned a dynamic company that would enrich, entertain, and educate the community. In January 1987, the sold out inaugural production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute debuted to rave reviews, and an opera company was born.

With a growing vibrant Austin economy, the homegrown company grew through the 1980s and 1990s. The company expanded to three performances of three productions in the 1989-90 season and soon expanded to four performances of each opera in the 1990-91 season—a schedule that remained until the 2010-11 season.

The company developed a reputation in the opera industry as an innovator and a showcase for new American talent. From farce to tragedy, classic to contemporary, Austin Lyric Opera is committed to producing outstanding opera and extraordinary experiences. The company’s stellar productions fused with major international artists, directors, and designers garnered international acclaim. Past productions include standouts such as Andre Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Terrence McNally and Jake Heggie’s triumphant Dead Man Walking, Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk in honor of the birth centennial of Dmitri Shostakovich, an Austin-inspired production of Strauss’s The Bat, and the American premiere of Philip Glass’ Waiting for the Barbarians.

Austin Lyric Opera, along with the Austin Ballet and Austin Symphony Orchestra, is one of the founding resident companies of The Long Center, Austin’s creative home. New construction for the Long Center began in November 2005 and ended on time and on budget in early 2008.  The grand opening of the Long Center took place on March 28, 2008. Before this time, performances were held in Bass Hall on the University of Texas at Austin Campus and Paramount Theatre.

Claude Ducloux on Austin Lyric Opera’s founding

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Susan Threadgill on Austin Lyric Opera’s 1987 The Magic Flute production

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Richard Buckley, Claude Ducloux and Susan Threadgill with reflections on Austin Lyric Opera

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.