Opera Birmingham, the only professional opera company in northern and central Alabama, has appointed Keith A. Wolfe, executive director of Fort Worth Opera, as the new general director of the company.
Wolfe, 43, starts his new position with the 60-year-old company Jan. 5 and hopes to usher in a new era of community engagement, greater visibility and adventurous programming.
“Contemporary opera can address political and social issues, and that can be used as a launching point for greater community conversations,” he says.
But he will still maintain traditional productions such as the grand operas of Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti.
Chosen after a seven-month national search, Wolfe will succeed John D. Jones, who has directed Opera Birmingham for the last 16 years. Wolfe is extremely qualified for the job, having spent 14 seasons with the Fort Worth company in Texas, most of it as the company's managing director. While in Texas, he developed training programs for young artists and contributed to the “Ten Commandments of Auditioning,” a list of suggestions for young singers that was featured in Opera America. He was also the artistic director of the Fort Worth Men’s Chorus and interim director of the Opera Studio at Texas Christian University.
“I am delighted that Keith has agreed to come on board as my successor,” Jones said of Wolfe. “I have known and respected him for many years as a friend and colleague. He even served as a judge for our competition 10 years ago. Opera Birmingham is in good hands.”
Wolfe hopes to continue in the footsteps of Jones and has a goal to bring opera to the broader public by making it more relevant and timely. He believes free concerts or shows in more informal settings will help opera seem more inclusive.
Wolfe’s first production will be Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet, which will be performed Jan. 23 and 25. It stars baritone Corey McKern and soprano Leah Partridge.
