In the fall of 1982, Tulsans were privileged to hear two native Oklahomans starring in Giuseppi Verdi’s Il Trovatore at Tulsa Opera. Leona Mitchell (Enid, OK) and William Johns (Tulsa, OK) were Metropolitan Opera stars of the day. Mitchell had recently won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for Porgy & Bess, and Johns had made major house debuts at the Met and in Germany. Eminent maestro Kurt Adler, who was then nearing the end of an illustrious career, conducted.
Johns continued a thriving career as a dramatic and Wagnerian tenor, starring at major international houses including the Metropolitan Opera, the Paris Opera, La Scala, and the Royal Opera House, and recording on the Erato, Warner Fonit, and Opera D’Oro labels among others.
Mitchell enjoyed a career as a leading soprano at the Met for 18 seasons and starred regularly in major European houses. She is an inductee of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. She continues to add to her legacy and was last seen at Tulsa Opera as Granny/The Giant/Cinderella’s Mother in the 2023 production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods.
Our 2024-25 season features even more amazing Oklahoma talent, including some of the best artists Tulsa has to offer. Don’t miss your chance to hear the stars of tomorrow TODAY. Subscriptions are on sale now – purchase online here or call our box office at (918) 582-3133 to get yours today!