A sold-out crowd at the Zoo Opera Pavilion.

During the years Cincinnati Opera performed at the Cincinnati Zoo, interaction with—an interruption by—the Zoo’s primary residents was a frequent occurrence. Here, the cast of the 1949 production of Andrea Chenier gets acquainted with a feathered fan: (L to R) Stella Roman, Kurt Baum, Thelma Altman, and Frank Valentino.

American mezzo-soprano Shirley Verrett appeared in the 1970 production of Samson and Delilah.

Superstar soprano Beverly Sills appeared in eight seasons with the company, including in Lucia di Lammermoor (1968, 1971).

A spectacular production of Boito’s Mefistofele was selected as the company’s first production in Music Hall in 1972, starring Norman Treigle in the title role.

In 1972, the company moved its season to Cincinnati Music Hall. The spectacular opening production of Mefistofele was followed by the comic opera Die Fledermaus. As a salute to Cincinnati Opera’s former home, the Cincinnati Zoo, Die Fledermaus featured an onstage visit by Zoo animals just before the performance of the Strauss opera. Shown here are several of those animals: a peacock, held by a trainer; Schottzie, the elephant (with trainer Cecil Jackson); and Eddie, the chimp.

Cincinnati Opera presented Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking in 2002, based on the life of Sister Helen Prejean. At left is renowned mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, who offered a moving portrayal of the mother of a man on Death Row. Photo by Philip Groshong.

Denyce Graves starred in the title role of Margaret Garner (2005), with music by Richard Danielpour and libretto by Toni Morrison. Cincinnati Opera’s first-ever co-commission and inspired by true events, the opera told the story of an enslaved woman held captive on a Northern Kentucky farm who escaped to Cincinnati. Photo by Philip Groshong.

Suzuki (Zheng Cao, on left) and Butterfly (Chen Sue) prepare for Pinkerton’s return in the 2001 Madame Butterfly. Production by Francesca Zambello; photo by Philip Groshong.

Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Rivera performed the trouser role of Lazuli in the charming comic opera L’Etoile by Emmanuel Chabrier. Photo by Philip Groshong.

Cincinnati Opera presented a new production of John Adams’s A Flowering Tree in 2011, starring Russell Thomas, Jessica Rivera, and Eric Owens. Photo by Philip Groshong.

Cincinnati Opera presented Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg in 2010.

Cincinnati Opera’s 2010 production of La Boheme. Photo by Philip Groshong.

In 2013, Cincinnati Opera expanded its footprint to include the neighboring School for Creative and Performing Arts. The company’s first outing there was Philip Glass’s Galileo Galilei. Photo by Philip Groshong.

Puccini’s Tosca closed the 2016 season in a beautiful new production with sets and costumes designed by Robert Perdziola. Performances were at the Aronoff as Music Hall was undergoing renovation. Evelina Dobraceva was Tosca with Gordon Hawkins as Scarpia. Photo by Philip Groshong.

For its second season at the Aronoff Center in 2017, Cincinnati Opera presented a fantastical new production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Photo by Philip Groshong.

The world premiere opera Blind Injustice (2019) told the true stories of six individuals who were wrongfully imprisoned and eventually exonerated. Pictured here, Derrick Wheatt (Sankara Harouna, in chair) is restrained as his mother (Deborah Nansteel) cries out. Photo by Philip Groshong.

A shot from Music Hall’s gallery of the closing production of the 2019 season, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. Photo by Philip Groshong.