Pittsburgh Festival Opera (PFO), formerly Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, is a professional American opera company based in Pittsburgh's university and museum district. Pittsburgh Festival Opera performs at non-traditional venues around the city. Pittsburgh Festival Opera was established in 1978 by the noted opera star Mildred Miller Posvar and Helen Knox. In 2012, Pittsburgh Festival Opera reinvented itself as a summer festival presenting staged operas, musicals, recitals, and cabaret. PFO is currently under the leadership of Managing Director Roxy MtJoy and Artistic Director Marianne Cornetti.

Activities

Artistic initiatives have included a Music that Matters series, exploring new work that tells socially relevant stories, a Fusion Festival of American-Asian works at the Andy Warhol Museum which included the world premiere of RedDust, a multi-media opera by Mathew Rosenblum and The Sound of a Voice by Philip Glass and David Henry Hwang. Other projects have included the Pittsburgh Ring, two complete cycles of Wagner's great operas in collaboration with Long Beach Opera using Jonathan Dove's orchestral reduction. Recent American operas include A Gathering of Sons, Just Above My Head, a world premiere jazz opera by Pittsburgher Nathan Davis. Operatic versions of classics American plays have included Lee Hoiby's Summer and Smoke, William Bolcom's A View From the Bridge and Regina, an operatic version of The Little Foxes by Marc Blitzstein. In 2020, Pittsburgh Festival Opera premieres Virgula Divina by Karen Brown and Jessica Lanay. Aside from forays in the traditional repertory, PFO has sought to present a number of modern masterpieces which are not regularly included on standard programs: Lost in the Stars, The Emperor of Atlantis, Bluebeard's Castle, Brundibar, Der Jasager, and the English language premiere of Weill's Die Bürgschaft. Past productions also include a "Salon Series" devoted to shorter works performed in unusual spaces, such as Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, performed in a church converted into an art gallery; Bizet's Djamileh, presented in a Persian Carpet Emporium; Thomas Pasatieri's La Divina, and Salieri's Prima la Musica, e Poi le Parole, performed in Pittsburgh's own version of the Petit Trianon Palace.

The Mildred Miller International Voice Competition

Pittsburgh Festival Opera annually hosts the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition in honor of its founder, Mildred Miller Posvar. The event, held in Pittsburgh, is a search for America's best singers. Young professionals aged 18–35 are eligible to compete for cash prizes and solo roles in the company's summer Festival. Past competition winners include Juan José de Leon, Andrey Nemzer, Meghan Kasanders, Alasdair Kent, Karen Chia-ling Ho, and Elizabeth Baldwin. PFO previously celebrated annually The Millie Awards. The purpose was to reflect several diverse aspects of Mildred Miller's distinguished career - singing, acting, community service and education. The "Millies", as they are affectionately called, recognize and show appreciation for high accomplishments in the performing arts, honoring those individuals whose support has been instrumental in the success of Pittsburgh Festival Opera.

Community Engagement and Education

Pittsburgh Festival Opera's engagement with its community is of primary importance. Working directly with schools as well as in partnership with fellow non-profit organizations, PFO has taken opera to more than 500,000 school children in its 42-year history. In addition, it actively seeks opportunities to include students in productions, exceeding state standards for direct arts experiences and creating partnerships with the communities and the families for which it performs.

Record of Repertory

Festival 2018 - July 6–July 22, 2018 Festival 2017 - June 15–July 23, 2017 Festival 2016 - July 7–24, 2016 Festival 2015 - July 10–August 2, 2015 Festival 2014 - July 10–27, 2014 Festival 2013 - July 6–21, 2013 Festival 2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 2006-2007 2005-2006 2004-2005 2003-2004 2002-2003 2001-2002 2000-2001 1999-2000 1998-1999 1997-1998 1996-1997 1995-1996 1994-1995 1993-1994 1992-1993 1991-1992 1990-1991 1989-1990 1988-1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1982 1981 1979 1978