Opera News

Fort Worth Opera's new Family Series aims to make opera fun for kids

Fort Worth Opera's Family Series will include four short, family-frinedly productions.

Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Opera

Fort Worth Opera is aiming to bring the art of opera to a wider audience with its new Family Series, an initiative designed to make opera more welcoming, affordable, and accessible for families throughout North Texas, they say.

According to a release, the 2026-27 season will include four productions that celebrate music, storytelling, creativity, and shared experiences across generations.

The four productions include:

The Ugly Duckling, which celebrates kindness, confidence, and self-discovery. Performances, designed specifically for children in Pre-K through 3rd grade, will take place at the Fort Worth Zoo on September 26, 2026, with every ticket including Zoo admission and an interactive animal encounter. The production will repeat at Rose Marine Theater on March 5-6, 2027, where families can also enjoy complimentary admission to Artes de la Rosa's exhibition of contemporary Hispanic women artists and one hour of hands-on arts and crafts following each performance.

Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World, which celebrates courage, creativity, and finding one's own voice through the story of one of history's most iconic artists. The production, created for students in grades 4-8, will be presented at the Fort Worth Zoo on November 7, 2026, and again at Rose Marine Theater on March 5-6, 2027.

Harmony for the Holidays, a festive musical celebration featuring beloved holiday favorites and family-friendly entertainment. The concert, taking place on November 21, 2026 invites audiences to gather, sing, celebrate, and experience the joy of the holidays together.

Amahl and the Night Visitors, Gian Carlo Menotti's beloved holiday opera that follows a young boy whose life is forever changed after an unexpected visit from the Three Kings. The production, presented December 12-13, 2026, at Stage West Theatre, has introduced generations of families to opera through its heartfelt message and beautiful music.

FWO says each will be presented in English, with approachable storytelling and colorful productions. With younger audiences in mind, each performance will run less than an hour.

“The Family Series represents an important investment in Fort Worth Opera's future," says Fort Worth Opera General and Artistic Director Angela Turner Wilson in a release. "By creating opportunities for families to experience the joy and wonder of live opera together, we are building meaningful connections that inspire the next generation of audiences and help ensure Fort Worth Opera remains a vibrant part of our community for many years to come."

Families can purchase tickets for all four productions through the FWOpera Family Package that comes with exclusive subscriber savings like 20 percent off tickets for each performance, 15 percent off additional single tickets throughout the 2026-2027 season, and a free gift.

Family packages and single tickets are now on sale at fwopera.org or by calling the Box Office at 817-731-0726.

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Arts in Fort Worth

Fort Worth's Amon Carter Museum debuts landmark Statue of Liberty exhibition

Amon Carter Museum of American Art presents "The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol"

Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834–1904), Early View of the Statue of Liberty, n.d.,, watercolor, Musée Bartholdi, Colmar, 2005.0.16.3, © Musée Bartholdi, Colmar, Photo Chr. Kempf

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The Amon Carter Museum of American Art will celebrate the United States' 250th anniversary with a major exhibition examining one of the country's most recognizable symbols: "The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol" will open Saturday, August 15 for a nearly five-month run.

The exhibition, co-organized by the Denver Art Museum, is an examination of the Statue of Liberty’s enduring relevance in American visual culture and the evolution of its image from the 1870s to the present.

According to a release, it will bring together nearly 100 artworks and objects from more than 70 artists, exploring the statue’s varied manifestations - from artistic marvel and pop culture icon to symbol of immigration, patriotism, and resistance.

Successive generations of artists who have represented the statue's iconic form over the past 150 years will be included in the exhibition, including Pacita Abad, Benny Andrews, Edward Moran, Norman Rockwell, Nari Ward, and Andy Warhol.

The exhibition is anchored by a rare cast of French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s bronze sculpture Liberty Enlightening the World (Statue of Liberty) (1894-1901), one of only five domestic-scale bronze reductions made during the artist’s lifetime.

The exhibition will be broken up into four distinct sections:

Creating a Monument, which focuses on the statue’s origins and initial public reception in the tumultuous decades between the American Civil War and World War I.
A National Monument, which showcases the way society and visual culture were inundated with Statue of Liberty imagery between World War I and the 1950s. The installation of newspapers, advertisements, lithographs, images, films, and paintings demonstrate the turning point in the statue’s transformation into a dominant American icon.
Reimagining an Icon, which explores pop art and reproductions of the statue’s imagery, demonstrating its increasing detachment from its original image and malleability as an American symbol.
The Statue of Liberty Today, which closes the exhibition with a selection of works by living artists who have continued to investigate the Statue of Liberty’s meaning in the 21st century.

“This monumental exhibition tells the story of how our nation has interpreted the Statue of Liberty not only as a national icon, but also as a reflection of American values, creativity, and identity throughout our collective history,” said Scott Wilcox, Interim Director of the Carter, in a statement. “Premiering 'The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol' in Fort Worth on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding invites our community to see this emblematic statue in new dimensions.”

"The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol" will remain on display through January 3, 2027.

It will then travel to Denver for a presentation from March 14-July 4, 2027. The exhibition will also travel to the Munson Museum of Art in Utica, New York, from August 5-December 5, 2027.

The Amon Carter Museum will celebrate the opening with a special event called "Liberty Talks" on August 15 from 11 am-3 pm, featuring gallery talks, live music, poetry, treats, and more. A second event, "Second Thursdays: Monuments & Martinis," will take place September 10 and include Statue of Liberty-inspired flash tattoos by Fort Worth artist Joseph Ayala of Panther City Tattoo.

Admission to the Carter is free.

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