Dallas Opera house

Rick Rainey is unique. He’s a heldentenor, a voice not often known about because of its rarity. He also lives opera, up until recently working for both the Fort Worth and Dallas opera houses.

He’s also a native Odessan who is singing as part of the "Otello" production at the new Dallas opera house. The performing arts complex is the biggest in the world, and Otello just opened its season last week. Rainey said he has been singing since he went to Hood Junior High and graduated from Odessa High. It was in high school that he got an interest in opera.

"That’s where I really came to love opera," Rainey said.

He moved to Fort Worth for college and started working with the Fort Worth opera house in 1983. Since that time, he has played roles such as Samson in "Samson and Delilah" and Don Jose in "Carmen." For the past 10 seasons, he has performed with both the Fort Worth and Dallas companies, but this year he dropped Fort Worth because of a schedule conflict.

"I hope to be able to do Fort Worth again next season," Rainey said.

He said he’s excited to take part in the new Dallas opera building.

"This is not your typical opera house. It’s very sleek and modern, and the acoustics are amazing," he said.

IF YOU GO

>> Native Odessan Rick Rainey joins the cast of"Otello" at the new Dallas opera house. Performances include 7:30 showings Saturday and Thursday, as well as a performance at 2 p.m. Nov. 8. The Winspear Opera House is at 2106 Boll St. in Dallas.