Knoxville Opera

It was founded in 1978 as the Knoxville Civic Opera by Edward Zambara, who served as Artistic Director until 1981.[5] The 1978 inaugural performance of La Traviata included opera stars Delores Ziegler and Knoxville native Mary Costa, who garnered fame for creating the voice of Princess Aurora in the 1959 Disney film Sleeping Beauty.Notable appearances with the company include gala performances by Luciano Pavarotti, Marilyn Horne, Cheryl Studer and Catherine Malfitano,[6] in addition to leading roles performed by Rosalind Elias, Mary Dunleavy, Faith Esham, Stella Zambalis, Jami Rogers-Anderson, Joyce El-Khoury, Talise Trevigne, Rachele Gilmore, Barbara Dever, Victoria Livengood, Enrico Di Giuseppe, Carl Tanner, Richard Troxell, David Keith, Robert Orth, Kevin Langan, Kevin Short, Kevin Burdette, Jan Opalach, Jeffrey Wells, Andrew Wentzel, and Zachary James.[10] In 2011, the company celebrated the Tenth Anniversary of their Rossini Festival and Italian Street Fair in downtown Knoxville.[12] In 2015 the company was the subject of national attention regarding a controversy over physical appearance in opera hiring practices.
opera companyKnoxville, TennesseeEdward ZambaraBrian SaleskyLa TraviataDelores ZieglerMary CostaPrincess AuroraDisneySleeping BeautyLuciano PavarottiMarilyn HorneCheryl StuderCatherine MalfitanoRosalind EliasMary DunleavyFaith EshamStella ZambalisJami Rogers-AndersonJoyce El-KhouryTalise TrevigneRachele GilmoreBarbara DeverVictoria LivengoodEnrico Di GiuseppeCarl TannerRichard TroxellDavid KeithKevin LanganKevin ShortKevin BurdetteZachary JamesCarroll FreemanThe Marriage of FigaroUniversity of TennesseeTennessee TheatreNkeiru Okoye'sAmerican Opera ProjectsKnoxville Symphony OrchestraWayback MachinePlaybillNorman Lebrecht