Des Moines Metro Opera

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Des Moines Metro Opera Festival 2027 runs July 2–25. The company's summer festival season runs from May through July of each year during which three operas are performed in repertory.
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“Des Moines has become one of the country’s most ambitious and successful smaller companies.” — The New York Times

Experience world-class opera in a theatre that brings you within arm’s reach of the action on stage. Des Moines Metro Opera has taken its place as a major American summer opera festival and is one of the Midwest's largest performing arts organizations, annually producing over 100 performances in the metro area and around the region. The summer festival season takes place in the intimate 467-seat Pote Theater at the Blank Center for the Performing Arts in Indianola, Iowa. All productions, regardless of language, are performed with English supertitles above the stage.

Congratulations to soprano Madison Leonard and baritone Ian Rucker, both nominated in the Rising Star category at the 20...
10/12/2026

Congratulations to soprano Madison Leonard and baritone Ian Rucker, both nominated in the Rising Star category at the 2026 International Opera Awards!

Often called the "Oscars of opera," the awards celebrate outstanding achievements on stage and behind the scenes while championing the artists who bring opera to life.

Madison was a member of DMMO's 2016 Apprentice Artist Program, and Ian makes his DMMO debut next summer in the title role in Britten's BILLY BUDD. We hope you'll join us in congratulating them both on this wonderful achievement and wish them the best of luck at the award ceremony!

Winners will be announced on Saturday, November 21, at Vienna's MusikTheater an der Wien.

Learn more about the awards and see a full list of nominees here:https://operaawards.org/archive/2026/

10/08/2026

“Another op’nin’, another show!” 🎶

Make your hometown the next stop for Des Moines Metro Opera’s OPERA Iowa troupe this spring! From beloved opera arias and ensembles to Broadway favorites, OPERA Iowa Spotlight Concerts bring professional artists to your stage for an engaging, intimate concert experience. These all-ages performances are a wonderful way to bring the whole community together for an afternoon of beautiful music.

The 2027 tour runs February 22–April 30, and dates are filling quickly. Book your Spotlight Concert soon! To learn more or book, visit https://desmoinesmetroopera.org/operaiowa/

An apprenticeship is about more than building a résumé. It’s a chance to grow as an artist, forge lasting relationships,...
10/05/2026

An apprenticeship is about more than building a résumé. It’s a chance to grow as an artist, forge lasting relationships, and have some fun along the way!

After receiving a record 1,127 applications for the 2027 season, the DMMO artistic team is preparing for a national audition tour spanning seven cities in just one month to select the next 40 artists of the Frank R. Brownell III Apprentice Artist Program. Now in its 53rd year, the program is one of the oldest and largest in the country. Over seven weeks every summer, emerging singers hone their craft through coaching, concerts, scene programs, and performance opportunities in mainstage productions, including chorus, comprimario roles, and covers of leading roles.

“My two summers with the deeply supportive artistic family at DMMO offered unique chances to explore bold, unconventional repertoire early in my career, along with some epic pickleball matches with friends.” —Robert Frazier

This spring, two operas are joining OPERA Iowa’s repertory for the first time! Our 2027 troupe will perform John Davies’...
10/02/2026

This spring, two operas are joining OPERA Iowa’s repertory for the first time! Our 2027 troupe will perform John Davies’ Pinocchio for schools and Joshua Borths’ Hansel & Gretel vs. the Witch for communities across Iowa. 🤥🪄

In Pinocchio, a familiar puppet is tempted to skip school and discovers the value of honesty and responsibility. Hansel & Gretel vs. the Witch gives the classic tale a playful twist as a grown-up Hansel reveals what really happened inside the gingerbread house.

The OPERA Iowa troupe will travel across the state from February 22 through April 30, 2027. Want them to visit your school or community? Dates are filling quickly, so we encourage you to book soon!

Learn more or request a performance at
desmoinesmetroopera.org/operaiowa/

10/01/2026

A familiar voice takes the stage at the Met! 🎶 Tenor Duke Kim, who charmed DMMO audiences as Count Almaviva in our 2024 production of Rossini’s THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, stars as Ferrando in Mozart’s COSÌ FAN TUTTE at the Metropolitan Opera.

Enjoy this preview of his heartfelt “Un’aura amorosa,” then join us at The Varsity Cinema this Saturday, October 3, at noon to experience the full production on the big screen for the first Met Live in HD screening of the season!

Learn more and reserve your tickets: https://bit.ly/metopera2026cosifantutte

DMMO returns to the airwaves for Iowa Public Radio's Opera in October series 📻🎶Every Saturday at noon (CT), Iowa Public...
10/01/2026

DMMO returns to the airwaves for Iowa Public Radio's Opera in October series 📻🎶

Every Saturday at noon (CT), Iowa Public Radio will broadcast an opera from our 2025 Festival Season. The month begins with Wagner's THE FLYING DUTCHMAN on October 3, Janáček's THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN on October 10, and Stravinsky's THE RAKE'S PROGRESS on October 17.

Tune in to these Saturday broadcasts at noon (CT) on your local IPR Classical station or at IowaPublicRadio.org

10/01/2026

The Met: Live in HD season kicks off this Saturday, Oct. 3 with Mozart’s satirical comedy of fickle young love, one of the composer’s most sublime creations: Così fan tutte – presented with Des Moines Metro Opera. 🎭

Phelim McDermott’s colorful, inventive staging, inspired by Coney Island in the 1950s, sets the uproarious story at a boardwalk amusement park, where the two pairs of lovers at the heart of the tale find themselves on one emotional—and literal—thrill ride after another.

Soprano Federica Lombardi and mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey sing Fiordiligi and Dorabella, opposite tenor Duke Kim and baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky as Ferrando and Guglielmo. Bass-baritone Gerald Finley stars as the cynical Don Alfonso, with soprano Ana María Martínez as the witty maid Despina.

A representative from DMMO will be present 30 minutes before each screening to share information about DMMO, the upcoming 2027 Festival Season, and connect with patrons. Tickets available at our website!

Every fall, DMMO embarks on a nationwide search for the next class of Frank R. Brownell III Apprentice Artists. This yea...
09/28/2026

Every fall, DMMO embarks on a nationwide search for the next class of Frank R. Brownell III Apprentice Artists. This year alone, the program received 1,127 applications from emerging singers looking to spend seven weeks with DMMO studying, performing, and building the skills needed to launch a professional opera career.

Again and again, aspiring opera singers view a summer at DMMO as more than a place to perform. It's where they're challenged, supported, and given the opportunity to grow.

"My second season at DMMO allowed me to step into larger responsibilities than in my first season, including mainstage assignments and larger cover roles. The incredible professional development opportunities—paired with the camaraderie between fellow artists and staff—make a DMMO summer unforgettable!" — Harrison Hancock

09/26/2026

For more than 40 years, Des Moines Metro Opera’s OPERA Iowa program has brought the wonder of live opera directly into schools and communities across the state.

Each spring, a troupe of professional artists and artisans crisscrosses across Iowa, presenting fully staged operas, interactive classroom workshops, masterclasses, and breathtaking concerts for more than 20,000 students and adults.

Booking is now open for the 2027 tour, which features two new operas: PINOCCHIO by John Davies and HANSEL & GRETEL VS THE WITCH by Joshua Borths, along with the Spotlight Concert and Masterclass. Dates are filling quickly. We’d love to bring OPERA Iowa to your community next spring!

To learn more or to book, visit: desmoinesmetroopera.org/operaiowa/

Don't miss DMMO's acclaimed production of Carlisle Floyd's OF MICE AND MEN, streaming worldwide on Iowa PBS through Nove...
09/25/2026

Don't miss DMMO's acclaimed production of Carlisle Floyd's OF MICE AND MEN, streaming worldwide on Iowa PBS through November 2!

Based on John Steinbeck's novella, the opera follows George and Lennie, two migrant workers searching for work and a place to call home in Depression-era California. Through Floyd’s poignant music, George and Lennie’s dream of a better life feels both deeply human and heartbreakingly fragile.

Filmed live during our 2026 Festival, audiences can relive this uniquely American opera exclusively through the Iowa PBS app for a limited time.

Learn how to watch: to.pbs.org/4hvKUiE

Address

106 W Boston Avenue
Indianola, IA
50125

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10am - 4:30pm
Friday 10am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+15159616221

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