New Israeli Opera was founded in 1985 with a production of Dido and Aeneas, accompanied by the Israel Chamber Orchestra. Its forebears can be traced back to January 1922, when the Hebrew Opera in Eretz performed pieces by Anton Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky, accompanied by piano. Gounod's Faust was fully staged shortly after, though still only accompanied by piano.

On 28 July 1923 the famous conductor Mordechai Golinkin conducted the new Palestine Opera in Verdi's La Traviata. With no opera houses available, the performances were given in Tel Aviv's Eden Cinema, Jerusalem's Zion Hall and Haifa's Coliseum Cinema and, unfortunately, the economic constraints of the times were such that the company did not last long. Later the Palestine Folk Opera produced some 17 operas in the 1940s and then, eventually, in 1948, the Israeli National Opera was formed.

Accompanied by the symphony orchestra of the Tel Aviv Workers Council, the first production was of Massenet's Thaïs on 15 April. Notable for its introduction of overseas artists - including, for nigh on three years between 1962 and 1965, Placido Domingo - the company unfortunately had to close in 1982.

The main highlight since the New Israeli Opera company was formed was the move to its permanent home in the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Centre in 1994. The New Israel Opera website has all the information needed to plan a visit.