About First Coast Opera

For 25 years, First Coast Opera has been bringing the power and beauty of live opera to Northeast Florida. As the region's first opera company, we are dedicated to presenting fully-staged productions, offering audiences the full theatrical experience with the grandeur of orchestra, chorus, sets and costumes. Rounding out each season we offer dinner concerts and free community programs that open the world of opera to all and showcase its remarkable versatility.

As we look to the next 25 years, we invite you to join us in celebrating opera's rich tradition and vibrant future on the First Coast. Our 26th season brings two beloved 19th-century masterpieces, Bizet's Carmen and Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. We look forward to sharing them with longtime supporters and welcoming new audiences into the First Coast Opera family.

Our Story

In January 2000, soprano Barbara Norris and her husband Anthony Fast produced a concert titled An Evening of Opera, leading to the formation of First Coast Opera in Saint Augustine. Serving Northeast Florida’s First Coast region, the company began a series of concerts and staged productions of operas and operettas featuring local talent. Before relocating to North Carolina, the founders hosted their final concert with the company, aptly titled Addio!, in May 2008.

First Coast Opera continued under the leadership of Board Presidents Pamela Tsitos, Dulcy Freedman, Adam Mayo, and Nancy Perry, programming a wide variety of themed cabarets and concerts, as well as staged productions ranging from Weill’s Three Penny Opera to Puccini’s Turandot to Terrence McNally’s play Master Class.

In 2014, Curtis Tucker joined First Coast Opera as Artistic Director. Under the leadership of Maestro Tucker and Board President Michele Bova, the company has expanded its programming and artistic reach through staged productions of both classic and new works, tribute concerts highlighting the careers of Marian Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, Mario Lanza, and Edith Piaf, and increased outreach to area schools.

As the first producing opera company in Northeast Florida, First Coast Opera is a leading arts voice and active arts partner in the region. In 2015, FCO partnered with other arts organizations to commemorate the City of Saint Augustine’s 450th Anniversary with a festive concert at the local Amphitheatre. FCO has been a frequent collaborator with Flagler College, Stetson University Opera, University of North Florida Opera Theatre, Lightner Museum, A Classic Theatre, Romanza Festivale of the Arts, St. Augustine Orchestra, St. Augustine Community Chorus, St. Augustine Art Association, St. Augustine Youth Chorus, and Limelight Theatre.