In 1950, building on earlier amateur efforts, Baltimore Opera was formally established as the Baltimore Civic Opera Company, with the famous American sopranoRosa Ponselle as its first artistic director. She brought Beverly Sills to Baltimore for a production of Manon in 1952.
By embarking upon a program of modernization in 1960 the company attracted private funding to be able to hire professional set designers and diversify its repertoire.
The name Baltimore Civic Opera Company was changed to Baltimore Opera Company in 1970 since the word "civic" denoted amateurism, a term deemed no longer applicable to the company's offerings.
In 1993, Baltimore Opera inaugurated its Summer Aria Series, dedicated to works by American composers and, in the following year, a sizable grant was awarded to the BOC by the National Arts Stabilization Fund in order to give the company complete financial stability. The 1994/1995 season saw additional subscription performance offered for each opera.
After the BOC collapse in 2009, two companies sprang up in an attempt to take its place in producing opera in Baltimore: Baltimore Opera Theatre performs at the Hippodrome downtown, while Lyric Opera Baltimore has taken over the keystone role at the BOC's old venue, the Lyric Opera House. In addition, opera is presented by smaller organizations or on a smaller scale by companies as different as Baltimore Concert Opera and Opera Vivente, the latter presenting productions with "a modern spin".[4]
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