It may seem surprising, but a pioneering opera company played an important role in the history of Capitol Broadcasting Company.

CBC founder A.J. Fletcher had a life-long love of opera that led him to start the Grass Roots Opera Company in 1948. Fletcher wanted to present opera in English to people who might not otherwise get a chance to experience it.

Beginning in 1950 the Grass Roots Company toured North Carolina and surrounding states to stage performances at schools, civic centers and auditoriums. Much of the focus was on rural schools, and during the company’s first half century more than 1.7 million school children heard opera—many for the first time.

The Grass Roots Company eventually evolved into the National Opera Company, but its overall mission never changed. The company gave aspiring singers a chance to practice their craft in front of audiences. Hundreds benefitted from the professional experience with the company and many more took advantage of the opera company’s educational outreach. In addition to programs in public schools, the company held master classes at local colleges and granted scholarships to talented music majors.

The National Opera Company was based in Raleigh with headquarters in a stately house on Hillsborough Street. A.J. Fletcher even built an auditorium for performances adjacent to WRAL-TV’s studio building on Western Boulevard. It was a state-of-the-art performance hall that was later converted into the WRAL –TV newsroom.

In 2001 the National Opera Company merged with the North Carolina School of the Arts graduate opera program to form the Fletcher Opera Institute. The institute carries on the mission that A.J. Fletcher started more than 60 years ago.