Arizona Opera Arizona Opera Arizona Opera is an opera company which operates in both Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. Arizona Opera was established in 1971 as the Tucson Opera Company, under founding general director James P. Sullivan, and presented its first production, of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville", in 1972. By 1976 the company had expanded to include performances in both Tucson and Phoenix. Arizona Opera is now permanently headquartered in Phoenix. The company has a subscriber base of approximately 10,000 drawn from the two metropolitan areas, and an annual expenditure of $5.8 million, according to the company's 2011 IRS Form 990. The
Kimberly Barber debut in 2002 as Nero in Handel's "Agrippina" and her Paris Opera debut as Annio in Mozart's "La Clemenza di Tito". On November 18, 2003, Barber performed in recital with fellow mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and pianist Steven Blier at Wilfrid Laurier University's Maureen Forrester Recital Hall. In the 2006-2007 season, Barber created the role of Jessica in John Estacio’s opera "Frobisher" for Calgary Opera. Her discography includes Ravel’s L’heure espagnole on Deutsche Grammophon under André Previn, Handel’s Rinaldo on Naxos Records and a solo disc of Handel and Hasse arias for CBC Records. Kimberly Barber Kimberly Barber (born December