Over the last half-century, Detroit Opera—formerly Michigan Opera Theatre—has become a deeply rooted cultural force in a city of innovation and diverse perspectives, presenting programs that resonate with people of all ages and backgrounds while positively impacting the local economy. Appointed as the company’s second-ever Artistic Director in 2020, Yuval Sharon has begun to set an ambitious standard for American opera and dance, emphasizing community engagement, education, accessibility, and artistic risk-taking.
Detroit Opera’s Role
Yuval is uniquely gifted at bringing a progressive, experimental approach to the operatic art form while addressing contemporary issues relevant to Detroit and beyond. By gathering people together and encouraging conversations, he has spurred a marked increase in ticket sales and audience diversity.
The New York Times wrote in 2022 that Yuval has “radically elevated Detroit Opera’s status in the larger cultural ecosystem.” Furthermore, the title of that same article posed a question that the organization has been answering with every new production: “Is the future of American opera unfolding in Detroit?”
This Moment
From 2025 and beyond, it is crucial for Detroit Opera to amplify its impact and match the ingenuity of the city it serves by expanding the operatic form. Detroiters have been given a taste of what a revitalized approach to opera can do for its community—and this is the perfect opportunity to explore its transformative potential fully.
Doing so requires the organization to continue to focus its efforts and resources on the four areas that have contributed to its recent success:
- New productions
- Culturally responsive programming
- Firsts for Detroit
- Detroit’s unmatched leadership tea
New Productions
Detroit Opera’s new and reimagined works have given Detroiters access to contemporary perspectives in opera and have influenced the broader field with a catalog of productions presented by its peers, carrying Detroit Opera’s brand across the country and internationally.
The unprecedented number of recent high-profile collaborations for Detroit Opera-led or co-led productions includes:
- The Metropolitan Opera (New York, NY)—X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
- Lyric Opera of Chicago (Chicago, IL)— TWILIGHT: GODS
- Spoleto Festival USA (Charleston, SC)—La bohème
- Los Angeles Philharmonic (Los Angeles, CA)—The Valkyries
- Scottish Opera (Glasgow, Scotland)—Ainadamar/Fountain of Tear
Culturally Responsive Programming
While Detroit Opera performs many classic works of the operatic repertoire, it is also committed to balancing this with contemporary creations. At its core, opera examines all facets of the human experience—so it is Detroit Opera’s duty, as an anchor cultural institution of the region, to ensure that all members of the broader community see themselves in its work.
“After four years of exploring the environment of Detroit, it’s time to really focus on what the Detroit Opera House can mean as a gathering place for our communities by inviting them in and exploring what truly matters to them.”
Yuval Sharon, Artistic Director
Notable examples include:
The organization’s September 2021 production of Blue, which explored timely themes of law enforcement and social justice, featured an all-Black cast and was accompanied by a series of community discussions around safety. More than 60% of the predominantly Black audience had never attended a Detroit Opera performance before.
In spring 2022, Detroit Opera gave the world premiere of a new version of Anthony Davis and Thulani Davis’s 1986 opera, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. It garnered the highest number of single tickets sold for any Detroit Opera production in a decade and, in advance of the production, Detroit Opera hosted events focused on Malcolm X’s life and legacy with community partners.
Detroit Opera’s October 2023 co-production of Madame Butterfly was developed by a Japanese and Japanese American creative team. It transported Puccini’s tragic story to the modern day and was supported by a series of community dialogues addressing the challenges of producing works with histories of cultural appropriation, stereotyping, and racial inequity.
Firsts for Detroit
Changing from Michigan Opera Theatre to Detroit Opera in 2022 signaled a pledge to keep this remarkable city at the center of all it does. This means that Detroiters are among the first to reap the benefits of our inventive approach.
Recent and upcoming firsts include:
- World premieres of new productions (TWILIGHT: GODS, 2021; La bohème, 2022; X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, 2022)
- The North American premiere of a new production (Breaking the Waves, 2024)
- The US premiere of a new production (Ainadamar/Fountain of Tears, 2023)
- Detroit adaptations of new productions:
- Blue, 2021 (restaged for the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre)
- BLISS, 2021 (restaged for the Michigan Theater Building)
- The Valkyries, 2022 (restaged for the Detroit Opera House)
- Composer milestones:
- Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves, April 2024 (the first opera by a woman composer featured in a Detroit Opera mainstage season)
- Leoš Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, May 2024 (the first time Detroit Opera has ever performed a work by the Czech composer)
- Director’s Debuts:
- 2020 Tony Award nominee Robert O’Hara (X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, 2022)
- 2021 Guggenheim Fellow Kaneza Schaal (Blue, 2021)
- Celebrated directors Francesca Zambello, Louisa Proske, and Nataki Garrett (2024-25 season)
Unmatched Leadership Team
Having successfully navigated a transition period from a founder-driven organization to a post-founder leadership model, Detroit Opera’s visionary artistic and administrative leadership team is in place.
Yuval Sharon, Artistic Director
Yuval Sharon, a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship (informally known as the “Genius Grant”), was described by The New York Times as “the most visionary opera director of his generation.” He is one of today’s most sought-after artistic luminaries, and his fresh perspectives have energized Detroit Opera and its communities, garnering unprecedented media attention and acclaim.
Roberto Kalb, Music Director
Appointed to the new position of Music Director in 2022, Mexican-born conductor Roberto Kalb works to ensure that Detroit Opera’s musical performances reflect the company’s reputation as the destination for groundbreaking opera in America.
Jon Teeuwissen, Artistic Advisor for Dance
Following four decades in dance and non-profit management, including roles as a producer, presenter, and agent for dance, Jon Teeuwissen joined Detroit Opera as Artistic Advisor for Dance in 2019. He ensures that Detroit Opera’s dance offerings strategically complement its operatic programming.
Patty Isacson Sabee, President & CEO
A transformative, collaborative leader with over 35 years of experience driving excellence at US arts institutions, Patty Isacson Sabee was appointed President & CEO in 2024. Before joining Detroit Opera, Patty was Executive Director of Planet Word, CEO & Director of Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, and Interim Executive Director of the Seattle Symphony.
The Detroit Opera House
What is now the Detroit Opera House was originally constructed as the Capitol Theatre in 1922. Dubbed the “showplace of Michigan,” it began as a bustling creative, cultural, and community destination that screened movies, presented live musical and dance performances, and housed shops.
Over the years, the complex changed hands numerous times and gradually fell into disrepair, closing in 1978. But, in 1989, Michigan Opera Theatre selected the building as its new permanent home, beginning a lengthy refurbishment until the grand reopening in 1996. Since then, the Detroit Opera House has become one of the city’s most iconic cultural landmarks and has played a significant role in revitalizing Detroit’s downtown corridor.
The six-story, 160,000-square-foot complex comprises:
- The Ford Center for Arts and Learning, which itself houses:
- Allesee Dance and Opera Resource Library
- The Chrysler Black Box Theatre
- The Margo Cohen Center for Dance
- The David and Marion Handleman Studio
- 2,700-seat auditorium with superb acoustics
- Detroit Opera Sky Deck
- Cadillac Cafe
- A full suite of production facilities, including a full-stage-size rehearsal hall, dressing rooms, practice studios, and a costume shop
- Administrative offices
