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HISTORY

DIJI AND BILL SCALES

Longview's Community Theater formed the East Texas Opera in 1992 with a volunteer director and a few paid educators filling the cast and crew categories. East Texas Opera has grown to a year-round company with a blended national and local cast along with a crew of over fifty and full professional orchestra performing in a 1200-seat auditorium.

Opera singer Diji Scales and her husband Bill retired in Longview and started the dream of an opera for the community. Bill Scales passed away in 2005. Diji Scales is now an Honorary Lifetime board member. They built sets, held fund-raisers, created a board and group of volunteers that produced one opera each year the first weekend in June. Operas were selected from the “best loved opera” list and were performed in English for the first eleven years.

In 2000 the company hired a year-round, part time director and in 2001 the move was made from the original 250-seat theater to a local city auditorium. Continuing to grow, the company began to contract professional director, conductor, and artistic director. Casts changed from amateur to professional with local auditions for regional chorus and secondary roles.

With the assurance of audience growth, major fund-raisers began to provide extra incentive to increase the professionalism of the company. Each year since 2001, auditions have been held in New York and area auditions have been expanded to all local college campuses. Since 2002, operas are performed in original language and technical categories are filled by professionals, who are often sponsored by a corporate donation.

In 2002 a National Young Opera Artist Competition was started, along with a “Greatest Hits of Opera – POPERA”, a Big Band Dance, 4 th of July Pops Concert featuring Lawrence Welk star Ralna English and Keith Harris, Opera Longview's NYOA Winner. In 2003 a Student Nights at the Opera was initiated, which utilizes the final dress rehearsal as a free performance to students and mentors of the Partners in Prevention program, as well as participation from area retired living and nursing home residents. A musical review of favorite “Big Apple” songs called “Broadway Nights” was added in 2005 as the first-time collaboration with Longview Community Theatre.

In the spring of 2006, Opera East Texas was the proud partner of a Carmen Concert with the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, Tyler, which was the first collaboration of the two companies. Opera East Texas provided the cast and chorus, and ETSO provided the 60-piece orchestra, which was joined by the Tyler Civic Chorale. Other partnerships are on the horizon and will be announced in the fall of 2006.

Fundraisers include a February Pasta and Pucinni Night, April & May's Meet the Stars Luncheons, and Kaleidoscope Gala with the Cast of the June opera. The first-time “Puttin' on the Glitz” fundraiser began in fall of 2005 and features donated evening wear for resale. Other items planned for the near future include and melodious “Holiday Home Musical Tour,” featuring area opera voices, and “Antique Appraisers Really Old Road Show.”

A volunteer Opera Guild “Bravo!” was created in 2002 to assist with fundraisers which benefit the opera company and sponsor the national singing competition. The opera board increased from ten to thirty members in 2004. Audience numbers doubled with our move to T.G. Field Auditorium in 2002, and continues to increase each year.

Continued audience development includes Opera Night at the Library, including a monthly donation of opera videos and showing operas free to the public with opera insights for the public on a given night. Master classes continue with conductor, director, and technical personnel for area students on regional college and university campuses. Classes and workshops are developed in conjunction with the music departments.

Ever expanding to meet the needs of the region, the company has had a two name changes. The original Longview Opera Company became Opera Longview in 2001 and became Opera East Texas September 2005. The company will continue to be based in Longview , but will include programs and productions in other cities, including Tyler and Kilgore.