John Hoomes On The Nashville Opera
John Hoomes is the CEO and Artistic Director of Nashville Opera. Since 1995, he has guided the organization from a budget of $340,000 to over $3.4 million annually in 2024. Under his leadership, Nashville Opera has staged more than 200 productions of opera and music theater. In this episode, Carli and Spencer talk with John about accessibility to the arts, upcoming productions, and how Nashville is uniquely positioned to produce cutting-edge work.
About John Hoomes
Director Mr. Hoomes is the CEO and Artistic Director of Nashville Opera, a position he has held since 1995.
As a freelance stage director, he has directed over 200 productions of opera and music theatre in the US, South America, and Canada. The New York Times called his Nashville Opera world premiere of Elmer Gantry “An Operatic Miracle...in Nashville.”
Since earning his master’s degree from Indiana University, he has worked with many professional opera companies including New York City Opera, Teatro Colón, Cincinnati Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera.
Mr. Hoomes has directed a wide variety of operas including Tosca, La Bohème, Carmen, Madama Butterfly, The Marriage of Figaro, Salome, Otello, and Turandot.
He staged the world premiere of Robert Aldridge’s Elmer Gantry, which was recorded on Naxos Records and won 2 Grammys. He also directed the world premiere of Marcus Hummon’s chamber opera, Surrender Road.
