Mila Gibson to Be Honored at Annual WT Opera Gala

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University Opera will honor one of the most important figures in the region’s arts culture at its annual gala.

Mila Gibson, founder and former artistic and general director of Amarillo Opera, will be honored at the “Divas and Disguises” gala at 6 p.m. Jan. 24 in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on the Canyon campus. Cocktails will be served at 5:30 p.m.

Individual tickets are $100 or four for $500. Tables of eight are $1,000, $2,500 and $5,000, with various levels of benefits.

Reservations are requested by Jan. 21 at 806-651-2840, wtamu.schoolauction.net/operagala25, or opera@wtamu.edu.

Gibson, who earned a bachelor’s of music in 1966 and a master’s in 1969, was honored in 2016 as a Distinguished Alumna of WT.

She was a voice instructor for many years at WT, then began teaching in 1982 at Amarillo College, where she founded Amarillo Opera with an inaugural production of Giacomo Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” in 1988. The professional company continues to stage and host opera performances for Panhandle-area audiences.

“The fact that our community has a professional opera company of its size and success is profound, and it says a lot about the incredible culture of our community and the incredible vision of Mila Gibson. She saw a need for something, and she made it happen,” said Sarah Beckham-Turner, WT Opera director and assistant professor of voice. “Mila also was one of the visionaries who saw the need for what became the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts.

“Personally, I am so thankful for what Mila has done to educate our community on opera,” Beckham-Turner continued. “It is an honor to continue the work she began.”

Gibson was named Amarillo Globe-News Woman of the Year in 1997, is a Golden Nail Award winner from the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce and was inducted into WT’s Branding Iron Hall of Fame. She now lives in Sweetwater, where she founded the Applause Music Series; she was named Outstanding Female Citizen of Sweetwater in 2017. She served for 10 years as a commissioner for the Texas Commission for the Arts.

“I was blessed to have attended WT and am especially indebted to Miss Elsa Porter, my voice teacher, and Royal Brantley, my opera workshop director. I also was fortunate to study with the legendary Dr. Gary Garner, theater directors William and Margaret Moore, and dance instructor/choreographer Neil Hess,” Gibson said. “It makes me happy to think that with the help of so many wonderful people, I was able to share some of what I received. I am surprised but grateful to be remembered this long after leaving the Panhandle.”

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—