Mid-Columbia Opera debuts with Handel’s Messiah

Note from the interviewer: I sang in the chorus with the Washington East Opera Company in Kennewick about twenty years ago. That company folded soon after, but I’m thrilled to say that local opera hasn’t completely disappeared! This year, a new opera company was formed with their first production debuting in December 2025. I spoke with my good friend Mitzi Holmes, the new Artistic Director for the Mid-Columbia Opera (MCO).

I’m so excited that we finally have a local opera company again! Tell me about Mid-Columbia Opera and how this new performing-arts company came to be.

Mitzi Holmes : My love for classical music started long before Mid-Columbia Opera was ever a dream. I grew up in a home where music was always part of the fabric — my parents’ influence shaped so much of who I became as an artist.

Fast-forward to Opera on the Vine. It was founded in 2016 by Cynthia Vaughn, a beloved local voice teacher and singer, who passed it on to me in 2022. Over the next couple of years, our small roster of phenomenal singers performed pop-up opera in wineries, restaurants, breweries, alleyways — anywhere people gathered and were willing to be surprised by music.

Those intimate performances taught me something: people here are hungry for opera, even if they don’t always know it. They want emotion, storytelling, and beauty — but they also want it to feel approachable and community-centered.

By the end of 2024, it felt clear that all that energy needed a larger home. Forming a fully structured nonprofit opera company felt like the natural next step.

So, in January 2025, Mid-Columbia Opera officially launched as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We are honored to stand alongside Mid-Columbia Symphony, Mid-Columbia Mastersingers, Mid-Columbia Ballet, and Mid-Columbia Musical Theatre as the fifth ‘Mid-Columbia’ performing arts nonprofit in the region. That sense of collaboration and shared purpose is part of what makes this new chapter so meaningful.

And truly, we’re just getting started.

Mid-Columbia Opera members after ‘Arias in the Alley’ at CIAO Trattoria in Pasco on 9/6/2025. Pictured from left to right: Gavin Duncan, Reg Unterseher, Judson Virden, Jacqueline Itzel Medina Green, Nelson Green, Mitzi Holmes, Paul Davis, Karl Hedlund. Let’s talk about this first big project: Handel’s Messiah . Tell me more about the amazing group of artists you have lined up and what it was like to bring them together.

Messiah is such a beloved part of Tri-Cities arts history. For more than 30 years, it was an annual holiday tradition — performed faithfully through 2011. Since then, performances have been sporadic or absent entirely. Bringing this tradition back felt like the perfect way to introduce Mid-Columbia Opera to the community.

Messiah remains a timeless favorite, and we are thrilled to offer a fresh, vibrant interpretation in an intimate chamber setting for audiences to experience its beauty anew.

We’ve assembled a remarkable ensemble of fourteen professional solo singers, forming a chamber choir that brings both individuality and a unified, expressive sound that is gorgeous and deeply moving. Add a 15-player chamber orchestra and the leadership of our conductor and MCO Artistic Advisor Bernard Kwiram, and you have something truly special.

Bernie and I have been friends since college. He is the Music Director of Tacoma City Ballet, leads the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society, and conducts Puget Sound Concert Opera. He’s also worked with Tacoma Opera, Pacific Northwest Opera, Bellevue Opera, and Civic Light Opera. His musicianship, energy, and kindness make him a dream collaborator.

This ensemble feels both intimate and powerful — exactly the spirit we wanted for reviving this treasured tradition.

And this is only a start. What is next for MCO?

After Messiah , we turn our attention to Puccini’s La Bohème , coming Fall 2026 — one of the most romantic and emotionally rich operas ever written. Our production will be beautifully musical, heartfelt, and accessible.

In the meantime, we have several wonderful smaller projects planned, including Caroling with Santa & Mrs. Claus, a recital series, community pop-up opera performances, educational outreach and partnerships with local schools, and collaborations with our fellow Mid-Columbia arts organizations

We want to be visible, engaging, and woven into the everyday arts life of the Tri-Cities, not just an organization you see once a year.

For those who may never have been to an opera, what can you tell them about the experience of live opera?

Opera can seem intimidating, but at its core, opera is deeply human. It’s passion, humor, heartbreak, joy — all expressed through the human voice with no microphones, no filters, and no digital enhancements.

It’s raw and alive in a way that surprises people. The stories are relatable. The emotions are universal. And there’s nothing like the physical sensation of hearing a live operatic voice in the room — it vibrates differently, more honestly, more immediately.

Most people who think they won’t like opera end up loving it once they experience it live. The hardest part is just getting them through the door.

How can the community support MCO?

There are so many meaningful ways to support Mid-Columbia Opera:

Come to performances! Audience energy is everything!

Spread the word! Share posts, invite friends, and tell your coworkers.

Volunteer. We need assistance with ushering, ticket tables, poster drops, and event support.

Donate or sponsor. Even small contributions make a big difference for a young nonprofit.

Collaborate with us. Calling on schools, businesses, arts organizations, and more! We love partnerships.

Opera thrives when a community believes in it, and we already feel the warmth and enthusiasm of this region behind us.

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?

Yes, that Mid-Columbia Opera is being built for this community and with this community. Whether you’re a lifelong opera lover or someone who has never experienced a performance before, we want you to feel welcome, included, and inspired.

And personally, I’m incredibly grateful. Every singer, musician, board member, volunteer, donor, and audience member has played a part in making this dream real. It feels like the beginning of something truly beautiful.

We hope you’ll join us. We’re only just getting started.

Handel’s Messiah December 5 at 7pm & December 6 at 2pm Uptown Theatre, Richland

Tickets and more information : midcolumbiaopera.org

Follow MCO on Facebook and Instagram.

Ted Miller has been part of the local performing arts scene for over 25 years. He currently serves on the board of the Washington State Community Theatre Association and on the American Association of Community Theatre.

Mid-Columbia Opera debuts with Handel’s Messiah

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