The Los Angeles Opera company, which made its debut in 1986 with a production of Verdi's Otello starring Plácido Domingo, traces its roots back to the Los Angeles Civic Grand Opera, which was formed in 1948. It presented staged productions through the 1950s. Shortly after its third production at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company abandoned its own production projects and recreated itself as the Music Center Opera Association by bringing opera from other cities to the Music Center, notably the New York City Opera. The NYCO brought productions to Los Angles every fall from 1966 to 1982.
In 1984, under the direction of Peter Hemmings, the Los Angeles Opera company was organized to begin producing and performing original productions once again. The Los Angeles Opera gives between seventy and one hundred performances a year. It offers productions in the standard operatic repertory as well as new and rarely-staged operas.