Audio: The Fort Worth Opera plans innovative, original programming for the next generation

The future of opera is now.

Ellen Appel

Ava Pine in Fort Worth Opera's Lysistrata

FORT WORTH — As DFW's arts scene continues its incredible renaissance, many North Texans are finding new artistic loves in old places. And, while it is understandable that potential patrons have shied away from high-quality -- and "high-brow" -- performances in the past, new accessibility is demystifying certain fields, such as opera, without dampening their mysticism.

During this Think interview with Kris Boyd, Fort Worth Opera General Director Darren Woods dispels the myth that opera is meant only for a certain type of patron. Due to innovative programming and financial responsibility, Woods was recently named to Opera New magazine's list of 25 key influences in the "next wave" of opera, and here Woods discusses the organization's 10 year vision, which kicks off its next phase with three world premieres next season, and even more during the recently announced 2014-2026 lineup.

Articulating for the first time to the public the Fort Worth Opera's plans to incorporate works by new, North and South American writers, Woods discusses how the FWO has reached a programming balance between established favorites and new and exciting work outside the opera canon.

Listen to the podcast here: