Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre

Opera has been part of island culture for more than a century.  Its history in Hawaiʻi dates back to the 1850s, including stories of Queen Emma singing in the chorus of Verdi’s Il Trovatore while her husband, King Kamehameha IV served as the stage manager!  Today, Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre is known for its vibrant and creative productions and award-winning education programs.

Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre (HOT), founded in 1960 as a division of the Honolulu Symphony Society and incorporated in 1980, servesto enhance the quality of life in Hawaiʻi by presenting opera performances and education programs of the highest standards.  With its upcoming 60th Anniversary Season as the only professional opera company in Hawaiʻi, HOT is one of the largest performing arts organizations in the state with performances and education presentations on all of the major islands reaching over 30,000 patrons, students and teachers annually.  In May, 2019, General Director Andrew Morgan became the companyʻsfifth executive leader, bringing over 25 years of experience as a non-profit leader, singer and stage director.

HOT’s year-round educational programs serve as both catalyst and active participant in the artistic education of Hawaiʻi’s youth, serving over 20,000 students, parents and teachers each year.  Opera for Everyone provides access to a dress rehearsal for each of HOT’s mainstage productions for a large and enthusiastic audience of students.  Opera Express takes opera into elementary and middle schools with special tours to all neighbor islands of an engaging and age-appropriate production.  HOT’s Opera Residency program brings our education and production staff members into an elementary school to work with students and teachers to compose an opera production centered on curriculum components.  Adult education offerings include Opera Highlights, a non-credit course at the University of Hawaii; Opera Previews, a lecture and Q&A with artists at the Honolulu Museum of Art; pre-performance Lanai Lectures on the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall lanai; and other presentations at venues throughout the state.  For the 2020-2021 Season, the company has adapted all of its artistic and education programs for online distribution through HOT Digital.