The Dallas Opera (TDO) marks a milestone in its 2025/2026 Season: the 10th anniversary of The Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors (HIWC). In 2015, to address gender imbalance on opera podiums, TDO launched the Hart Institute to train women conductors. More than 500 candidates from 40 nations have applied to be trained, advised, and supported by this extraordinary leadership initiative over the past decade.
In honor of the 10th anniversary, the Hart Institute takes a different format. Instead of the typical residency with a class of conductors, this year’s program will celebrate the Institute’s achievements in a special Anniversary Showcase Concert on Sunday, January 25, at 3 PM at the Winspear Opera House. The concert will feature six alumnae from the Institute’s first decade—Elizabeth Askren, Tiffany Chang, Michelle Di Russo, Barbara Dragan, Tianyi Lu, and Shira Samuels-Shragg—and a guest host. Each conductor will lead The Dallas Opera Orchestra and guest singers in excerpts from operas significant to TDO’s history. The evening will also include video retrospectives and reminiscences from distinguished guests. A virtual reunion for all Institute alumnae will take place in this fall.