Knoxville Opera’s mission is to provide the residents of East Tennessee with high quality, locally produced opera and to contribute to the future of the operatic art form by educating the community about opera and its role in our culture. Knoxville Opera, founded in 1978, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization presenting productions made possible, in part, by generous funding from our patrons, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the City of Knoxville, Knox County, the Arts and Culture Alliance of Knoxville and the Robert H. and Monica M. Cole Foundation.