I’m writing this as fast as I can because I don’t want the inspiration to leave me. It’s 12:41 a.m. on Friday, January 23, 2026, and I’ve just returned from my one-hour drive from Nashville to Bowling Green, Kentucky. There’s so much to say about this evening, and I know I won’t get to all of it—but here goes.
I’ll keep the travel part brief. The drive down from Bowling Green was sunny and easy. I stopped at my favorite Thai place, Thai Phuket II (915 Rivergate Pkwy, Goodlettsville), and had Tom Yum Gung soup and Red Curry Chicken, level 3—both excellent. From there, I continued south on I-65 and took Briley Parkway West to avoid the downtown loop, which was completely jammed at 5:30 p.m. I parked in the garage next to the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.
I have to start with the venue. I honestly don’t know what possessed Belmont University to build a structure like this unless they were planning to present opera. The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts is Nashville’s newest music palace, rivaled only by the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Simply being inside either building is enough to elevate your day.
The Main Hall is breathtaking—soaring columns, marble floors, and a lofty ceiling. On either side are two expansive rooms with wood floors, high ceilings, and large windows that can apparently open into the Main Hall. One hosted a VIP donor function; the other featured a pre-opera lecture with John Hoomes.
Inside the auditorium, you find a classic horseshoe-shaped grand theater—a beautifully balanced blend of Greek Revival, a touch of Puritan restraint, and refined modernism. It’s elegant without excess and exactly right for opera. Live, unamplified music performed by real musicians and singers in a space like this delivers the authentic operatic experience—the kind you only fully appreciate in a true opera house.
The performance was La fanciulla del West by Giacomo Puccini, with a libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini, directed by John Hoomes and conducted by Dean Williamson with the Nashville Opera Orchestra.
I have tried to listen to recordings and watch videos of this opera, but have never been able to do so. If any opera needs to be witnessed live, it is The Girl of the Golden West.
The Performers:
I will start with the singers, who are what make opera the great art form it is.
Minnie, soprano Kara Shay Thomson, sang this very difficult and awkward role with confidence, a beautiful full sound with the necessary dramatic weight. She portrayed the mountain woman with strength and sensitivity. Dick Johnson, tenor Jon Burton, handled the role well throughout all ranges of the voice. Like Minnie, this role demands a lyric sound but with the necessary power and slancio to carry over the orchestra. I’m not sure I would have directed nor costumed him to be like all of the other miners on the stage, but would have preferred he stand out more in the style of a Puccini Tenor, as a slickly styled woman’s man of the world, flawed and passionate, who in spite of his character wins you over. Sheriff Jack Rance, baritone Kyle Albertson, delivered a convincing portrayal as the white hat law enforcer who wears all black, which accurately reveals his underlying lecherous character. Ashby and Jack Wallace, bass Harold Wilson, displays a profound sound which is immediately perceptible. His acting could be more animated, but he portrayed them well. Sonora, baritone Ryan Bede, was a convincing stage presence and has a beautiful voice.
The other roles were all sung and played well. Greg Sliskovich, Galen Fott, Noah Mond (MREA)*, and Louis Tiemann (MREA)* are the soloists named. Wowkle, mezzo Hailey Cohen (MREA)*, was convincing in her portrayal.
The Nashville Opera Orchestra, led by Conductor Dean Williamson, played seamlessly throughout the evening. The full sound of the orchestra was enhanced by the great acoustics of the hall and displayed a refined sensitivity to the stage. This is a very good set of musicians, and Maestro Williamson is completely devoted to the singers.
The Nashville Opera Chorus, in this case a purely men’s chorus, was a joy to listen to and watch. Chorusmaster Stephen Carey developed a great sound and accurate singing in a score that is highly parlando and rhythmically tricky. In the fight scenes, Fight Choreographer Eric Psto-Crosby makes the stage brawls as convincing as any I have seen.
Director John Hoomes found wonderful solutions to the challenges this score provides. He can put together a story onstage that is clear and emotionally engaging. His obvious enthusiasm for his work is carried through his actors.
The stage design was open, with minimal but effective set pieces. The most striking element in the production was the huge high-definition LED screen that served as the “drops” for the set. The Lighting and Video Designer Barry Steele created a brilliantly beautiful and effective backdrop for all of the scenes. The danger in such a striking delivery is that it would overpower what happened in front of it. But I found that it didn’t do that but helped elevate the performance to heights that may not have otherwise been possible. The snow effects, the saloon, the horses running through the forest, the rising sun at the end, all beautiful and moving. It’s a shame there are only two performances of this production. This would be fun to watch again.
The costumes, Jessica Mueller, and make-up, Brittany Rappise, were well done in the style of the Golden West.
I am genuinely excited about this new chapter for Nashville. Belmont University should do everything it can to continue making this venue available to Nashville Opera. For all intents and purposes, the Fisher Center is an opera house—one ideally sized, beautifully resonant, and capable of presenting the art form as it was meant to be experienced.
What happens in this hall matters. The natural acoustic sound of an orchestra, the human voice in its unamplified state, and the direct emotional exchange between stage and audience create a musical and theatrical experience that no amount of technical enhancement can replace. This is the essence of opera.
No matter where you go in the world, every opera company is, as they say, “cooking with water.” The art form is demanding, expensive, and unforgiving. You hear everything exactly as it is. There is no place to hide—and that is precisely its power. When it works, as it did here, it is thrilling.
This hall can support not only Puccini, but the deeper heart of the repertoire—Verdi beyond La traviata, works that require space, balance, and acoustic truth. Nashville should get behind this because this city already calls itself Music City. This is what that name can mean.
If opera is to reawaken here, this is how it happens—honestly, acoustically, and at the highest level. And judging by this Fanciulla del West, Nashville Opera is more than ready.
*(MREA) Mary Ragland Emerging Artist. Singers listed with this designation are part of a residency program for promising young opera professionals. Named after the company’s founder and Metropolitan Opera singer, Mary Ragland
