My name is ra byn (robin) taylor.

operasound.org was established to assist composers, librettists, producers, directors, production managers, technical directors, stage managers and venue audio staff who are tasked with performing audio duties related to live opera productions but may not know what they need to know or do. The goal of the site is to share simple to understand information.

My professional audio career started after I graduated from Professional Youth Conservatory in 1990, a performing arts high school located on the Texas Wesleyan University campus located in Fort Worth Texas. Out of school I was hired to mix sound at Casa Manana Theater in Fort Worth, an experience that while short paved the way for my eventual return to theater sound. After Casa Manana, I toured with SHOWCO, the largest sound company in the world at the time, and then toured as a freelance monitor engineer and stage manager for Art Porter Junior and then a Branford Marsalis project called Buckshot LeFonque. I eventually found myself back in Fort Worth working as a house audio and lighting tech at Caravan Of Dreams, an internationally renown jazz club. When Caravan Of Dreams was converted into a restaurant, I moved on to working at Bass Performance Hall and in the process, became the resident sound designer for both the Fort Worth Opera and Texas Ballet Theater. I also routinely work with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra on their pops and special events. I’ve worked on a number of productions with The Dallas Opera including Everest, Great Scott and Tosca. I worked with Lyric Opera of Kansas City on a remount of Everest. The most recent opera sound gig was Fort Worth Opera’s 2019 festival which featured Porgy & Bess and Pasado. Over the last 20 years, I’ve recorded a number of Fort Worth Opera premiers produced by John Ostendorf and released by Albany Records. The list includes, Frau Margot, Before Night Falls, Glory Denied, With Blood With Ink as well as Monologues by Thomas Pasatieri. I’m also an entertainment rigger and have worked on large and small projects for schools, colleges, theme parks and theatrical productions. If you’re interested, visit my sister website, http://entertainmentrigging.com/