A rich piece of history and an iconic town landmark located right here in Indianola just a few blocks from Simpson College’s campus, The Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) has become one of the most successful and respected performing arts centers in the entire state.

DMMO was founded by Dr. Robert Larsen and Douglas Duncan in 1973 and has expanded profoundly throughout the years.

Having just celebrated their 50th season in March of 2022, performances and events are still continuing strong.

According to their annual report of 2022 on the Des Moines Metro Opera website, it was a very successful year for them, especially during their annual summer festival from May through July.

Last year’s performances included “Porgy and Bess”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “A Thousand Acres.” During the annual summer festival in 2022, 6,759 tickets were sold, beating an outstanding 12-year record. 12 of the 16 performances were sold out shows and there were 732 accounts on the waitlist.

On top of this, last year’s Opera Iowa was also a success in engaging many young people in an arts education experience as they have been doing for over 35 years. Over 21,000 students have benefited from this program, and they completed 125 workshops in 2022 alone.

And the fun doesn’t end there. The 2023 summer festival is right around the corner with performances of ”Carmen”, “Bluebeard’s Castle” and “The Love for Three Oranges.” As well as other events and performances that will take place before the festival, such as the Wine, Food and Beer Showcase and Leah Hawkins in concert, all happening in March.

Lists of events as well as other information about The Des Moines Metro Opera can be found on their website, Des Moines Metro Opera.org.