Kostis Protopapas

Who is Kostis Protopapas?

Kostis Protopapas is the Artistic Director of the Tulsa Opera in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He previously served as the company’s Associate Conductor and Chorusmaster. His conducting credits with the company include productions of Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci, La traviata, The Barber of Seville, and many others.

Protopapas has also been an Assistant Conductor for the Los Angeles Opera and has served as Assistant Conductor at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Santa Fe Opera. During the 2002 and 2003 seasons he was the Assistant Chorusmaster at Lyric Opera of Chicago, under Donald Palumbo.

Protopapas has served on the music staffs of Opera Memphis and Virginia Opera; he conducted at Opera in the Ozarks every summer from 2000 to 2004 and has conducted for Da Corneto Opera in Chicago and Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis.

Born in Athens, Protopapas studied Archaeology and History of Art at the University of Athens. He came to the United States in 1993 on an Onassis Foundation scholarship to study piano at The Boston Conservatory and conducting at Boston University.