Center Opera Collection

The Center Opera Company of Minnesota was founded by the Walker Center Arts Council in 1963. The company's first production occurred when the Walker Art Center commissioned Dominick Argento to compose the opera, Masque of Angels, for the Walker's performing arts program. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Dr. H. Wesley Balk, Center Opera continued to commission and focus on new works and/or new interpretations of existing works. Because of its relationship to the Walker Art Center, many Center Opera productions were heavily influenced by the work of then contemporary visual artists and designers as well. Center Opera was a nationally-recognized opera company known for its progressive productions of new or alternative music-theater throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In 1969, Center Opera became independent from the Walker Arts Center. The organization began to program more traditional operatic repertoire, and changed its name to Minnesota Opera in 1972.