Best Opera Programming in Nashville 2026: John Hoomes
Nashville Opera’s John Hoomes has been quietly shaping the local arts landscape for more than three decades, consistently programming a marvelous mix of classic grand operas and intriguing, often groundbreaking contemporary titles. A champion of new works, he has staged a number of world premieres over the years — including Robert Aldridge’s Elmer Gantry, Marcus Hummon’s Surrender Road, Robert Paterson and David Cote’s Three Way, and Shawn E. Okpebholo’s The Cook-Off. This season alone offered an ambitious multimedia production based on Stephen King’s The Shining, along with Puccini’s The Girl of the Golden West and a raucous rendition of The Barber of Seville.
