Feb. 23—Pittsburgh Opera's 2023-24 season includes a recent work that "needs to be performed here in our city," according to Chris Cox, the company's director of marketing and communications.

The opera is "The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson," the last of six productions slated for the opera's 85th season.

"It tells the story of one of Pittsburgh's most impactful and courageous citizens of the 20th century," Cox said.

Dawson launched her National Negro Opera Company in Pittsburgh in 1941 with a performance at the Syria Mosque.

Her mission was to bring opera to African American audiences. She organized opera guilds in other American cities and trained hundreds of African American youth to sing opera.

"The Passion" is set in Washington, D.C., in 1943, as the NNOC is set to perform on a floating barge to avoid segregated venues. When bad weather threatens, Dawson searches for a new space that is open to everyone.

"We like to showcase the full range of the opera repertoire in every season," Cox said. "We're living in a time of tremendous operatic output, with new works being created and produced. We want to make sure we capture that and bring some of those new stories to our audience, along with the tried-and-true classics."

The season's six productions will be staged in four venues — the Byham Theater, Benedum Center, Pittsburgh CAPA School Theater and Bitz Opera Factory, the company's headquarters. The variety of venues reflects the range of works being produced, along with the opera's commitment to making opera accessible to wider audiences throughout the city.

Returning classics include Richard Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman," last performed by Pittsburgh Opera in 2003.

"Wagner is a titan of a composer and you would be remiss if you never did any Wagner operas," Cox said. "His operas tend to be quite large and elaborate and expensive to produce, so you can't necessarily afford to do one every single year. But we found a very intriguing production that we're able to make work within our budget, and we decided it was time to bring it back."

Gioachino Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" and Guiseppe Verdi's "La Traviata" were performed in 2016.

"We're doing new productions of them that our audiences have not seen here before. Even if you saw our 'Barber of Seville' seven years ago, this is a different interpretation,"Cox said. "It's a different setting, a different environment, a different cast. You get to experience it new, even though you already know it."

There's a reason for mixing the old with the new.

"For most opera-goers, their first opera is one of those brand-name, quote-unquote, tried-and-true operas — like the 'Barber' and 'La Traviata,'" Cox said. "The thinking people generally have is, 'I want to see an opera. This one has been around for 200 years it's still popular, so therefore it must be pretty good.'

"That is part of why we bring back these favorites every few years or so."

The complete schedule includes:

—The Barber of Seville (1816), Oct. 14-22 at the Benedum Center. The cunning barber Figaro helps Count Almaviva save the charming Rosina from the clutches of the dastardly Doctor Bartolo, who has designs on her and her fortune.

Music by Rossini with libretto by Cesare Sterbini, sung in Italian with English supertitles.

—The Flying Dutchman (1840), Nov. 11-19 at the Benedum Center. The captain of a ghost ship is destined to roam the seven seas, unless the pure heart of a faithful bride can save him from his lonely fate.

Music and libretto by Wagner, sung in German with English supertitles.

—Iphigénie en Tauride (1779), Jan. 20-28, 2024, at Pittsburgh CAPA. Following the Trojan War, the priestess Iphigénie must kill any stranger who land on Scythia's shore. Her brother Oreste is the first to be shipwrecked and doomed for the sacrificial altar. Will the estranged siblings recognize each other before it's too late?

Music by Christoph Willibald Gluck with libretto by Nicolas-François Guillard, sung in French with English supertitles.

—Proving Up (2016), Feb 17-25, 2024, at Bitz Opera Factory. Nebraska homesteaders in the 1870s struggle with the elements of "proving up" required by the Homestead Act to obtain the deed to the land they've settled on.

Music by Missy Mazzoli with libretto by Royce Vavrek, from a short story by Karen Russell. Sung in English.

—La Traviata (1853), March 16-24 at the Benedum Center. The ailing courtesan Violetta Valery is resigned to spending her remaining days pursuing sensual pleasures, rather than in the arms of the doting Alfredo, whose respectable family disapproves of the scandalous liaison.

Music by Giuseppe Verdi with libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

—The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson (2021), April 27-May 5, 2024, at the Byham Theater.

Play by Sandra Seaton and original music by Carlos Simon, with additional music from Georges Bizet's "Carmen." Sung in English.

These special events also are planned at Bitz Opera Factory:

—68th Annual Diamond Horseshoe Celebration, Oct. 7 — Season-opening soiree with resident artist performances, silent auction, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

—Fashion Show, April 8, 2024 — A combination of runway modeling and resident artist performances.

—Maecenas XXXIX, May 18, 2024 — Signature black-tie fundraiser with dinner, dancing and awards presentation.

Season tickets subscriptions are available. Subscriptions for the four main-stage productions range from $60 to $610. Sales for single tickets, starting at $15, will begin in August.

For information, visit pittsburghopera.org.

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .