Opera Bucket List: 10 Houses Every Opera Buff MUST Visit!

The grand art of opera is generally associated with Europe - all those French, German and Italian composers! But America has had a love affair with the singing art for centuries.

There are records of an opera house (the first in the US) being established in 1722 in Williamsburg, VA. George Washington reportedly enjoyed a night at the opera - but not long after, religious groups proved to be a major buzzkill on the art form. Apparently, the stories were just too sinful.

Fortunately, opera persevered. After the Civil War, it really took off, with most large cities featuring an opera house. The growth of the railroad helped those spaces, giving bored folks in the hinterland a chance at entertainment in the nearest city.

The 1950s and 60s saw another boom in opera's popularity. Today, "the season" attracts both opera experts and those looking to experience some serious vocal Olympics. Opera's fortunes have come and gone in recent decades, but these are ten of the most enduring performance spaces in America.

1. Metropolitan Opera House, New York, Ny

Although the "Met" has been in New York City since 1883, the current venue opened in 1966. It features one of the most technologically sophisticated stages in the world -- and crystal chandeliers donated by the Vienna State Opera as thanks for America's help in re-building their own venue after WWII.

2. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts, Washington, Dc

The initial idea for a space in the nation's capital dates back to 1933 when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt first put it forth. Since opening in 1971, it's become the busiest performing arts facility in America. The Opera House portion has about 2,300 seats and is the site of the annual Kennedy Center Honors.

3. Modell Performing Arts Center, Baltimore Md

This historic building was modeled after the famed Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Since it's opening in 1894 (as the Lyric Theatre), it's hosted opera greats including Enrico Caruso, Beverly Sills and Rosa Ponselle. The space has also hosted non-opera performers, including Will Rogers and Charles Lindbergh.

4. Civic Opera House, Chicago, Il

This glorious Art Deco building opened in 1929. An urban legend goes that Samuel Insull, the businessman who envisioned the space, had it built to showcase either his wife or daughter's talents as a singer, after neither could cut it at New York's Metropolitan Opera House. But those stories are just that-legend. Whatever: today, it's the permanent home of the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

5. Music Hall, Cincinnati, Oh

Since 1878, this building has been the epicenter of Cincinnati's cultural life. It was designed to host classical music and opera in its main auditorium, and other events in the side wings. Besides being listed as an historic site, it also regularly makes lists of the "most haunted" places in America. Maybe because it was built on the site of a pauper's cemetery. That's something to scream about.

6. Mahalia Jackson Theater Of The Performing Arts, New Orleans, La

First opened in 1973, the venue was named for New Orleans native and gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. Hurricane Katrina damaged it severely, but in 2009, it reopened with Placido Domingo performing. It also hosts dance and theatrical performances.

7. Bass Performance Hall, Ft. Worth, Tx

Legendary pianist Van Cliburn suggested to philanthropist Nancy Lee Bass that the city was craving a world-class performance space. So she and her husband ponied up the big bucks, and it opened in 1998. Modeled after the grand European opera houses, it also hosts symphony orchestras and ballet companies.

8. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, Ca

Yes, it's the site of the annual Academy Awards. But the Los Angeles Opera also calls it home. It was dedicated in 1964, the brainchild of Dorothy Chandler who wanted to revive the performing arts in L.A. The New York City Opera also stops by each year.

9. War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, Ca

Since it's opening in 1932, this breathtaking Beaux Arts building (one of the last in America) has been home to the San Francisco Opera. After the bombings at Pearl Harbor, the theatre was often blacked out. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake resulted in the need for major renovations.

10. McCaw Hall, Seattle, Wa

Part of its original funding (1928) was courtesy of a local saloon operator. During the 1962 World's Fair, it hosted Van Cliburn and Igor Stravinsky. In 1999, a major renovation was funded primarily by cell phone pioneer Craig McCaw, who got the honor of naming the building after his mother. Besides being home to the Seattle Opera, it's also home to Pacific Northwest Ballet.