Our History

Washington Concert Opera is a fully-professional concert opera company offering internationally-acclaimed singers, professional musicians and choruses in concert versions of rarely-heard, full-length operatic works.  Founded in 1986 by Stephen Crout and currently led by Artistic Director and Conductor Antony Walker (formerly of Welsh National Opera), Washington Concert Opera has presented over 40 operas in a concert format, featuring world-class singers who regularly appear on the most renowned opera house stages—the Metropolitan Opera; La Scala; Paris Opera Bastille, and the Royal Opera House (Covent Garden). The roster of artists the company has brought, and often introduced, to local audiences includes Renee Fleming, Stephanie Blythe, Elizabeth Futral, Ben Heppner, Deborah Voigt, James Morris, Alessandra Marc, Denyce Graves, Sumi Jo, Richard Leech, Luis Lima and Jerry Hadley.  Young artists also made their area debuts with WCO to critical acclaim such as, in recent seasons, Sarah Coburn, Celena Shafter, Kenneth Tarver, and Lawrence Brownlee, winner of the 2006 Richard Tucker and Marian Anderson Awards.

Washington Concert Opera’s distinctive repertoire—consisting of operas which either have not been presented recently in the Washington area, or in general are infrequently performed, or represent extraordinary opportunities to showcase renowned artists in performance—provides audiences with a unique musical experience. 

Washington Concert Opera has repeatedly and consistently been acclaimed in the local, national, and international press as one of the finest in the field, having been designated by critics as “integral to the musical fabric of this city” (Washington Post) and praised as offering “…performances of the highest order” (Opera News).