CANYON, Texas—Gene Murray’s upstairs workroom is outfitted for outfitting.

Fabric hangs over tabletops. A stack of sketch paper contains Murray’s latest designs. Unclothed mannequins wait in the corner for their next fitting.

From the spare bedroom-turned-costume shop, Murray, 73, designs and builds every garment for Amarillo Opera’s productions.

“Costumes complete the character,” he said. “It feels good to know I can give the performers a peek into who they portray.”

Murray began making costumes full time for Amarillo Opera about six years ago.

A singer and actor, Murray performed in several operas before opting to dedicate his efforts primarily to making costumes.

“Gene is a joy to work with,” said Mila Gibson, founder of Amarillo Opera.

“He is always humble and kind and dependable. And, of course, all his costumes are quality—every detail is exceptional,” she said.

To date, Murray has single-handedly created attire for about a dozen operas.

His only training as a tailor was in the U.S. Army, when he altered uniforms during his service in the 1950s.

Over the years, he has taught himself the details of embroidery as well as how to design original patterns.

Elayne Shults, a longtime member of the Amarillo Opera chorus, knows the quality of Murray’s work firsthand.

“To have such stunning costumes is an integral part of each production,” Shults said. “Gene’s work is marvelous. There’s nothing he cannot do.”

Outfitting an opera is no simple undertaking.

The process takes many months. As soon as one production closes, Murray begins studying the score of the next opera.

Scrutinizing the opera scene by scene, Murray lists all the characters and their actions from start to finish. He determines how many costumes each character requires.

“Some characters will go the whole opera in one outfit, but some will require eight different ones,” he said.

After compiling the character list, Murray researches clothing fashions for the time period when the opera is set.

He then draws his own patterns based on the historical data.

Once the opera’s roles are filled and cast member measurements are submitted, Murray sets to work on creating the garments.

For this April’s production of “Cold Sassy Tree,” Murray will design 22 dresses, plus several pieces for men. The dresses alone will require more than 100 yards of fabric.

Murray’s familiarity with each opera’s story allows him to design costumes that truly fit each character.

For instance, Murray always tries to match the colors of the costumes with the personality of the character.

Bright and cheery characters are garbed in yellow, perhaps. Passionate characters receive red or orange costumes. Greedy characters wear green.

“Colors can help relay a character’s personality,” he said. “Also, by keeping a character in the same colors throughout the opera, audiences can easily identify who people are.”

Murray was introduced to opera as a child growing up on a farm in Childress.

As Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida” played through the family’s battery-powered radio one night, Murray was charmed by the sounds.

“I remember crying and thinking that the music was so beautiful,” he said. “It just grabbed me, and from that moment on, I haven’t gotten enough of it.”

A longtime lover of the art form, Murray taught music and drama in area schools for 45 years, and he has written many of his own operas.

“Gene is the quintessential Renaissance man,” Gibson said. “I’ve always thought that he can do anything.”