Shreveport Opera, Director Hicks celebrate 77th season with new works

After seventeen years at the Shreveport Opera, Steve Aiken is retiring from his position as General and Artistic Director. He, with his wife Janice, will return to her family home in Minnesota.

Replacing Aiken is Alan E. Hicks. He brings thirty years of experience in professional opera. A native Mississippian, Hicks has served with the New York City Opera, Seattle Opera, Minnesota Opera, Tulsa Opera, San Diego Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Central City Opera, OpernFest Berlin, Virginia Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and Palm Beach Opera. He has also worked at universities and training programs throughout the United States and Europe.

Lara Yerger joins the Company as Director of Patron Services, replacing the retiring Cathey Sholar, who will assume the role of Guild Treasurer upon her retirement. Yerger has served on the Shreveport Bossier Opera Guild in several positions, including president and treasurer.

The 2025-2026 season starts with the popular Music of the Night event. The September 18 event will introduce the Shreveport Opera Express (SOX) artists, celebrate the retirement of Aiken and welcome Hicks. Additional SOX offerings include Fall Opera Night, Les Boutiques de Noel, and Spring Opera Night.

Mainstage offerings begin with La Boheme on November 1 and continue with Don Giovanni on March 14. Free lectures will precede both events. Other events include the Art After Dark series featuring works by Bertold Brecht and Kurt Weill in the German cabaret style. The works, The Seven Deadly Sins and Mahagonny Songspiel, have never been performed in Shreveport.