The Opera in the Ozarks Archives: 68 Years of Magic on the Mountain

Photo Submitted

'Wilful Wench' ballet dancers, circa 1957.

Imagine Eureka Springs in 1950. Then, try to imagine a summer fine arts camp with an emphasis on opera. That is a concise description of the beginnings of Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony, a non-profit fine arts organization that has now existed for 68 years and continues to offer full-length, full-orchestra, full-costume productions of operas in their original languages.

Young artists perform all roles, fulfilling the organization's guiding theme that "the students are the stars." Professor Henry Hobart of Phillips University in Enid, Okla., created the organization. Hobart left a stellar vocal career in Chicago in the late 1920s to assume a position as a music professor in Enid and was charged with creating a fine arts camp in the Ozarks.    

University Libraries Special Collections department has recently completed the processing of over 80 boxes of materials from Opera in the Ozarks that contain organizational correspondence, governance records, season programs, scrapbooks, some 6,000 photos and other images, 400 audio and visual recordings, music scores (some from the early 1900s), architectural drawings, production notes and publicity.

The collection documents the beginnings, growth, and ups and downs of an operation that gave the opportunity to thousands of vocalists and other musicians to develop their talents. The collection also features founding director Hobart's early career materials from the 1920s, as well as his administrative correspondence and notes from 1950 until his death in 1966.  

Many vocalists from the Opera in the Ozarks program have been successful in their opera careers. Among them is Leona Mitchell, who sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera Company for 18 years and also performed at the opening of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Latonia Moore, an alumna of Opera in the Ozarks, received a phone call from the Met just a few years ago to be an emergency replacement in Verdi's Aida — an opportunity that jump-started her career. Chris Merritt of Oklahoma City had a notable career that took off at the Santa Fe Opera in 1975, and Hei-Kyung Hong will be one of five honorees at the Metropolitan's Opera News Awards gala this coming April. U of A graduates who are also alumni of Opera in the Ozarks include Holly Gash, Jason Marus and Echo Sunyata Sibley. 

James Swiggart, general director emeritus of the program, attended Opera in the Ozarks as a singer and trombonist 1955-1958 and then, in the course of his career as a music educator, was tapped to become General Director in 1989.  His tenure as general director continued 25 years, until 2014; his papers feature prominently in the collection. 

"It is fitting that the Opera in the Ozarks archives are held at the U of A, which has been closely associated with us throughout our history," said Swiggart.

Special Collections archivist and librarian Janet Parsch remarked that the majority of her opera viewing has been during the Opera in the Ozarks summer season in Eureka Springs.

"Processing the Opera in the Ozarks collection, serving as its repository, and making it available to the general public, to me, is a wonderful example of the University's commitment to outreach, to the arts, and to the preservation of Arkansas's cultural heritage for students, researchers, and the general public," said Parsch. "Personally, processing this particular collection has been quite enjoyable, given the operatic content of the collection and the inspiration that opera as an art form provides." 

The Opera in the Ozarks Collection (MC 1949) can be accessed in person in the Special Collections department, located on the first floor of Mullins Library. The public is welcome to use the collection any time the Special Collections department is open. For hours and other information, call 479-575-5577 or visit the Special Collections website.  

University Libraries, the Department of Music and Opera in the Ozarks are hosting three events Feb. 28 - March 1 to celebrate the opening of the Opera in the Ozarks archive. Stay tuned for more details. All events are free and open to the public.