About VOPA
VOPA
Mission Statement.
Valley Opera and Performing Arts (VOPA) is dedicated to enriching our community through the power of music and the arts.
Our mission is to inspire, entertain, and educate through world-class musical and theatrical productions, fostering a vibrant cultural scene in the heart of the valley. We are committed to providing accessible, diverse, and high-quality performances that engage, challenge, and unite our audiences, artists, and supporters, as we celebrate the transformative and timeless beauty of the human spirit expressed through music and the performing arts.
19th season
Bringing Opera and other musical genres to Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley & Beyond!
VOPA practices and deeply values diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
VOPA presents performances of everything from fully staged opera and musical theater works with orchestra, to laid back concerts of jazz standards and even classic rock concerts with its band VOPA Rocks. Through the company’s Opera Tree Outreach, Education, and Community Service program, VOPA provides entertainment for underserved and economically or otherwise disadvantaged communities such as retirement communities, charities, homeless shelters, schools, and hospitals.
General & Artistic Director
Shira Renee Thomas.
Shira has produced over 40 fully-staged productions, in addition to numerous concerts and other events, overseeing everything from auditions and casting, to audience development and marketing. VOPA has helped launch the careers of many singers who’ve gone on to perform in organizations such as English National Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and San Francisco Opera, to name a few. Ms. Thomas is working to sew the performing arts into the fabric of the San Fernando Valley community, and to allow everyone to enjoy the uniting power of music. Through collaboration with other artists, organizations, and businesses, Ms. Thomas seeks to build a more robust and thriving artistic landscape for all to enjoy.
As a singer herself, Ms. Thomas has performed as a soloist alongside such superstars as Quinn Kelsey and Christian Van Horn, as well as renowned artists such as Nicole Cabell, Rodell Rosel, and Milena Kitic. Among the numerous awards earned by Ms. Thomas, she won 1st prize in the prestigious Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod Vocal Solo Competition in North Wales, which has hosted such legendary singers as Luciano Pavarotti and Bryn Terfel in past years.
Having suffered from debilitating recurrent Depression for over 25 years, Ms. Thomas has become an advocate for mental health, and is frequently invited to attend various events in order to tell her story of finally finding a treatment, Ketamine Infusion Therapy, that put her Depression into remission. She has also written articles on the subject that have been published in HuffPost and Classical Singer Magazine (CS Music), and she has been interviewed by National Geographic and local news stations about her experience with Depression and Ketamine Infusion Therapy. Ms. Thomas seeks to bring attention to the major mental health issues like Depression and Anxiety that are so prevalent in the singing community, and is working toward destigmatizing mental illnesses and educating about treatments, old and new, that are available to help treat them.
Managing Director
Julia Timmons.
Julia Timmons is a Ukrainian-American graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, holding a BFA in Vocal Performance with a Minor in Music Technology and a Masters in Entertainment Industry Management (MEIM). Timmons’ combined skills in performance, music technology, and entertainment management make her uniquely qualified to work in arts management.
Timmons currently serves as Managing Direcor at Valley Opera and Performing Arts (VOPA). Her journey with VOPA started at the tender age of 16, when she was beginning to plan her future. VOPA provided a safe environment in which to develop her on-stage talents while also learning the rudiments of arts administration by observing her mentor, VOPA’s General Director, Shira Renee Thomas. VOPA staff continued to guide Timmons throughout her undergraduate and graduate studies, welcoming her back as an employee upon her graduation. At VOPA, Timmons oversees daily operations, which include staffing, calendar management, marketing and social media, and production management.
Still very active on the musical side, Timmons teaches voice through her studio, JCT Vocal Studio. Under her tutelage, her students have garnered many awards and honors: Honorable Mention from the YoungArts competition; appearances as contestants on “American Idol” and “The Voice;” and admission into top colleges and Young Artist programs such as the Clive Davis Institute and Musical Theater Intensive at the Goodman Theater. Julia is also on the organizational committee of the Semi-Annual Blue Trolley Music Festival in New York. Julia is the Co-Artistoc director of the Blue Troll stage where she talent buys, curates programs, and runs a youth performance program for the festival.