Aaron Beck

Aaron Beck joined the team at Tulsa Opera, the twelfth-oldest opera company in the United States, in 2010, and was appointed Artistic Director in 2022. 

As Artistic Director, Beck oversees the company’s artistic programming, including mainstage productions, the Filstrup Resident Artist Program, the Tulsa Opera Orchestra, the Tulsa Opera Chorus, the Tulsa Opera Signature Chorale, and Tulsa Youth Opera, while also collaborating on dozens of outreach performances each year. A native of southwest Missouri and an adopted Tulsan, Beck affirms a commitment to both local and international artists, bringing the best of both worlds to Tulsa’s premier performing arts organization.

In recent seasons, Beck has broadened Tulsa Opera’s concert and community offerings, introducing new performance series and expanding the company’s presence beyond the mainstage. As Music Director of Spotlight on Opera, he helped lead the effort to bring the 23-year-old training program to Tulsa for the first time, further strengthening the company’s commitment to artist training and community connection.

As Music Director of Tulsa Youth Opera, Beck guides the company’s acclaimed vocal training program for students in grades 3–12, providing free instruction to more than forty young singers. Under his direction, the program has staged works ranging from Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors to Dean Burry’s The Hobbit. He also oversees Tulsa Opera’s Raise Your Voice Tour, which continues to bring opera into schools and underserved communities across Oklahoma.

Beck earned his Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music (with additional studies at the Eastman School of Music) and a Master of Music in Opera Coaching from Florida State University. As a pianist and music director, he has performed nationally and is sought after as a vocal coach for opera and musical theatre singers. He lives in northeast Oklahoma with his wife and two children.