“Opera Pro Cantanti” means, “Opera for Singers.”

And Opera Pro Cantanti is just that: an opera company whose purpose is to provide local singers with opportunities to prepare and perform mainstream operas in fully staged productions.

Our operas are prepared in a collaborative environment, though final decisions are with artistic director, Richard Williams, himself an accomplished singer. Artistic decisions are based on the singers’ needs, not the audiences’. Experienced singers are free to explore their own characterizations of the role and its staging. Beginners and less experienced singers are supported by the director and the more experienced singers. They help the singers prepare their roles, create their characters and learn stagecraft basics. The singers themselves create their own costumes and props.

Opera Pro Cantanti's small performing space and limited technical means focuses attention on the singing and the drama, rather than the theatricality of opera. The net result is an intimacy not found in larger theatres and opera houses. Artistic Director, Richard Williams describes the company as "Matchbox-opera on a shoestring.”

Opera Pro Cantanti is an independent company, privately owned by Richard Williams. It is self-financed. The singers themselves underwrite the costs of production. As an independent company, Opera Pro Cantanti does not receive government grants or corporate donations. Neither is it eligible for lottery funds. We welcome private donations but cannot issue tax receipts.

Though we sing for ourselves and our fellow singers, we love our audiences. Opera is communication and we cannot sing without you. Your enjoyment of our performances makes our efforts meaningful. The magic starts onstage, but it doesn't end there.