New annual benefit combines live performances, behind-the-scenes access, an Italian-inspired dinner, and support for Fort Worth Opera’s Education & Community Engagement programs
Before Fort Worth Opera’s 81st Season takes the stage, audiences will have the opportunity to experience the artists, music, and stories shaping the season at Prima Voce, the company’s new season-opening dinner and benefit on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Ridglea Country Club. The evening will begin with a cocktail reception and hors d’oeuvres at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and performances at 7:30 p.m.
Prima Voce—named for the Italian phrase meaning “first voice”—invites Fort Worth Opera supporters to experience the excitement of a new season before the stories unfold on the stage. The evening will feature a cocktail reception, silent auction, elegant Italian-inspired dinner, exclusive performances, behind-the-scenes content, and opportunities to hear directly from the artists and creative teams bringing the season to life.
The event marks the beginning of a new annual tradition for Fort Worth Opera and succeeds the company’s longtime Dinner with the Stars event. More than simply a fundraising dinner, Prima Voce offers guests an intimate introduction to the artistic vision, productions, and performers that will define Fort Worth Opera’s 2026–2027 Season.
Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy exclusive previews and performances highlighting the 81st Season, along with interviews and insights from casts and creative teams. Special video appearances will spotlight Fort Worth Opera’s productions and the artists who make them possible, giving guests an insider’s perspective on the creative process, personal stories, and intentional choices behind the company’s new season.
Prima Voce will showcase the breadth of Fort Worth Opera’s 2026–2027 programming, featuring selections from productions throughout the season. Guests will also learn more about the company’s Education & Community Engagement initiatives and the ways that Fort Worth Opera connects audiences of all ages with opera throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Proceeds from Prima Voce will benefit Fort Worth Opera’s Education & Community Engagement programs, which annually serve more than 16,000 students, educators, families, and community members across North Texas. Support from the event helps bring programs such as Project: Opera, the Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artist Program, and touring operas for young audiences—including The Ugly Duckling and Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World—to Texas, while also providing masterclasses, artist engagement opportunities, and strengthening community partnerships.
What Guests Can Expect
At Prima Voce, guests will enjoy an intimate look at Fort Worth Opera’s new season through:
- Live performances by Fort Worth Opera’s 2026–2027 Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists: Rayna Mia Campbell, soprano; Lauren Salazar, mezzo-soprano; Cecil Garrison, tenor; and Noah Mond, bass
- Musical accompaniment for select performances from Scalia/Ginsburg by Stephanie Rhodes Russell, Resident Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Associate Professor and Music Director of Opera at the University of North Texas, and Dr. Charlene Lotz, Director of Music for Education and Community Engagement at Fort Worth Opera
- Exclusive video features and behind-the-scenes content
- Interviews with casts and creative teams from Fort Worth Opera’s mainstage productions
- Special previews of productions and artistic programming throughout the 81st Season
- A closer look at the artists, stories, and creative process behind Fort Worth Opera
Guests will experience an evening filled with music, storytelling, and special moments designed to celebrate the start of Fort Worth Opera’s 81st Season—while leaving a few surprises for those in the room that evening.
Featured Productions & Initiatives
Prima Voce will offer guests an intimate preview of the artists, productions, and initiatives shaping the 2026–2027 Season, including:
- Jeanine De Bique in Concert
- Scalia/Ginsburg
- Project: Opera – Macbeth
- Amahl and the Night Visitors
- The 20th Biennial McCammon Voice Competition
- The Barber of Seville
- Education & Community Engagement initiatives
Tickets & Sponsorships
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available for Prima Voce, offering guests and community partners the opportunity to celebrate Fort Worth Opera’s 81st Season while supporting the company’s Education & Community Engagement programs. Individual tickets are $275 per person, with sponsorship opportunities available from $2,500 to $10,000.
Season tickets are on sale now! To learn more about Prima Voce or to explore Fort Worth Opera’s 2026–2027 Season, visit fwopera.org or call the Box Office at 817-731-0726.
ABOUT FORT WORTH OPERA
Founded in 1946 by three visionary women — Eloise MacDonald Snyder, Betty Berry Spain, and Jeanne Axtell Walker — Fort Worth Opera is the oldest continuously producing opera company in Texas, and one of the oldest opera companies in the United States. The organization has received local and national attention from critics and audiences alike for its artistic excellence, pioneering spirit, and long history of community-based cultural engagement. In addition to producing traditional repertoire with rising stars and inspirational young talents, the company is known throughout the operatic world as a champion of new American works.
With a dedication to the community both on and beyond the operatic stage, Fort Worth Opera proudly supports opera education through the Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artist program and a robust statewide initiative that brings in-school performances and educational programs to 16,000 schoolchildren each year across Texas.
Fort Worth Opera is committed to producing opera of the highest possible artistic quality and integrity; to identifying and training talented young singers; to serving as a crucible for creating new American operas; to joining forces with other arts organizations in significant collaborations; and to enriching the community by stimulating cultural curiosity and creativity in people of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds.
