Des Moines Metro Opera


Des Moines Metro Opera is an American opera company based in Indianola, Iowa, which lies some south of Des Moines, Iowa. It was founded by Robert L. Larsen and Douglas Duncan in 1973. The director is Michael Egel.
During its annual summer festival, the company typically performs three mainstage operas in rolling repertory during June and July.

Programming

Most of the company's opera productions are performed at the Blank Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Simpson College.
In 1986 the company presented a new opera based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, with music by Lee Hoiby and a libretto by Mark Shulgasser.
The company's first performance of an opera in a language other than English was Tosca in 1998, at the Civic Center in Des Moines.

Singers

Singers who had their start with the company include Kimm Julian.

Labor Abuse Investigation

In September of 2025, The Des Moines Register released six articles detailing labor abuse allegations against Des Moines Metro Opera. Among other labor abuses, the investigation revealed that production crew and singers continually work far more than a 40-hour week, with some crew members working more than 100 hours.