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Located in Quincy, Illinois, the Muddy River Opera Company was founded by Mary Anne Scott and Mary Jane McCloskey in 1989 as a non-profit arts organization. The company was incorporated in 1990. Scott and McCloskey had two goals in mind: to make professional operatic performances and educational opportunities available to the tri-state area. In keeping with the mission of its founders, the company consistently produces two to four operas a year. For several years, most MROC productions of foreign-language operas were performed in English translation, though the company has, in recent years, mounted several productions of operas in the original language with projected English supertitles.
The company hires professional singers, directors, designers and musicians for every production. Auditions for roles in all productions take place in Quincy, St. Louis, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois prior to the beginning of every new season. The company also utilizes the Quincy community's impressive reserve of professional and amateur singers, musicians and artists.