One Ounce Opera Production Company invites you to experience opera in Austin, in spaces where you can gather to immerse yourself in dynamic storytelling.

Together, we explore contemporary topics through the lenses of diverse trailblazers, forging new paths in the art form for all to enjoy.

OOO produces opportunities for you to:

take in an intimate, virtuosic, sonic experience
reflect + recharge + escape
meaningfully connect – or reconnect – with your community
grow compassion for a different lived experience than your own, and/or
see your culture – or your neighbor’s culture – reflected in an impactful and affirming way

We enrich by creating opera in accessible, non-traditional spaces, and meet folks where they are in places that don’t seem out of reach, regardless of your socio-economic status or past experience with the art form. Since our launch in 2012, we remain dedicated to reimagining opera in unexpected spaces.

What's our "why?" What makes us different?

Opera is a monolith. Its immersive, transformative power has a long history of resonating with people and changing lives. But that long history also includes a lack of racial and intersectional diversity.

OOO has long been dedicated to creating art that supports, connects, and reflects our diverse community. We center the artistic and performance work of People of Color, LGBTQ+ folks, folks with disabilities, and women – groups historically underrepresented in all facets of the operatic genre.

Of the 28 short operas we have produced, 26 (93%) have included a POC, queer, and/or female composer or librettist, and 24 (86%) have included singers who identify as POC, queer, and/or disabled.

Is there more to your history than producing short operas? What else defines OOO's legacy?

Our roots in Austin have grown deep. One Ounce Opera has produced over 100 unique events, concerts, and shows at some of Austin’s most storied venues. Launched in a club in the Red River Cultural District, early collaborations and co-hosted productions with burlesque performers, folk groups, Texas Swing, avant-garde storytellers, new indie-classical ensembles, and one magnificent Queen cover band helped us redefine what it meant to share opera as a living, breathing, efficacious art form.

Re-imagining opera in unexpected spaces

Audiences join us to experience opera in Austin resonating in places as never before. The Bullock Museum. City Hall. The Palmer Event Center. Republic Square Park. Central Market. Salvage Vanguard and The Vortex Theaters. Numerous bars and clubs, breweries and wineries, public parks and street corners. As part of the Austin Studio Tour, HONKTX!, Downtown Austin Alliance’s Annual Tree Lighting, City Hall’s People’s Gallery Opening, the Soundspace at the Blanton & B Scene series at the Blanton Museum, PrideAustin, Here Be Monsters, and more. We even staged an entire operetta in a Hyde Park living room. From 2013-2015, we co-produced a free SXSW showcase called The Listening Garden, transforming an East 6th Street pottery studio and workshop into a 3-stage choose-your-own-adventure indie-classical fest, giving curious passersby a peek into the brilliant undercurrent of classical music happening in Austin.

So when we discovered a treasure trove of micro-operatic works existed and just needed to be explored and brought to life, it only made sense to transform a former factory warehouse and welcome our community to experience something new and exciting. And kinda punk. Our mascot is a mohawked figure, after all.