Opera: FY 2006 Grants

Some details of the projects listed below are subject to change, contingent upon prior Endowment approval.

Access to Artistic Excellence | Panelists

Access to Artistic Excellence

(March 14, 2005 deadline - opera solicits applications for just one annual deadline for this category)

Austin Lyric Opera
Austin, TX
$15,000
To support a new production of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Dmitri Shostakovich. Additional activities will include pre-curtain lectures, a symposium on the opera's themes, a tour of the opera's scene shop, and community outreach.

Boston Academy of Music, Inc. (Opera Boston) (Consortium)
Boston, MA
$10,000
To support a consortium festival project titled Opera Unlimited. In collaboration with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the second biannual festival will present contemporary chamber operas with an emphasis on new American works and recent works that are rarely performed. Additional activities will include composition workshops, staged readings of works in progress, seminars for adult audience members, and an outreach program designed for charter high school students in an underserved Boston neighborhood.

Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre
Cedar Rapids, IA
$10,000
To support a production of Carlisle Floyd's Susannah. Outreach activities will include a free performance for youth and adults served by Big Brothers Big Sisters, Osada, and the McAuley Center for Women.

Center for Contemporary Opera (CCO)
New York, NY
$10,000
To support a production of Bonhoeffer by composer Ann Gebuhr and librettist Robert Hatten as well as the readings of at least two new operas. The Center aims to contribute to the American operatic repertory by introducing new and evolving works to the public, and by providing composers opportunities to perfect their craft through readings, workshops, and professional productions of their work.

Central City Opera House Association
Denver, CO
$15,000
To support a production of The Ballad of Baby Doe by Douglas Moore, originally commissioned by the opera in 1946. Educational and outreach activities will include Opera 101, a series of lectures and symposia, in collaboration with Colorado Public Radio and the Denver Public Library, designed to introduce new audiences to opera.

Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago, IL
$10,000
To support the Chicago premiere of Nixon In China by John Adams and related outreach activities. Events will include a symposium with the composer; a forum led by Northwestern University professor Dr. Lee Heubner who served as special assistant to President Nixon; and a discussion with a Chicago Symphony Orchestra violinist about his coming-of-age experience in Shanghai during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
$10,000
To support the commissioning and presentation of an opera by composer Gang Situ. Based on Mozart's Don Giovanni, the work will fuse musical elements of traditional Cantonese opera with those of western composition.

Cincinnati Opera Association
Cincinnati, OH
$25,000
To support a production of Emmanuel Chabrier's 1877 opera L'Etoile (The Star). Educational activities include Opera Raps, a series of educational lectures at community venues, and Opera Insights, pre-performance lectures incorporating musical excerpts performed by young artists.

Dallas Opera
Dallas, TX
$25,000
To support a new production of Verdi's Nabucco. The operatic drama surrounding tensions between diverse ethnicities will serve as the basis for outreach and educational programs at the Holocaust Museum of Dallas and other community venues.

Florida Grand Opera, Inc.
Miami, FL
$15,000
To support a production of Bizet's Carmen. Related educational and outreach activities will include a film festival, lectures, musical activities, and programs in local elementary schools.

Fort Worth Opera Association, Inc.
Fort Worth, TX
$15,000
To support the Opera Studio. Performers in the young artist program will participate in artistic, professional, and business development training, including comprimario and principal roles in mainstage productions and outreach performances of the Children's Opera Theatre.

Glimmerglass Opera, Inc.
Cooperstown, NY
$22,500
To support a new production of Jenufa by Leos Janácek . Related activities will include illustrated lecture presentations, visual exhibitions, pre-concert Meet the Artists presentations, Young American Artist recitals, and Behind the Scenes production and rehearsal previews on the opera's Web site.

Glimmerglass Opera, Inc. (Consortium)
Cooperstown, NY
$22,500
A consortium project to support a series of access programs. In partnership with New York City Opera, the series will include the Summer Seminar Weekend, featuring co-productions of Jenufa by Leos Janácek and Così fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; the Young Artist Spring Tour; and workshops for high school students.

Houston Grand Opera Association, Inc. (Houston Grand Opera)
Houston, TX
$25,000
To support the Discover Opera: Community Connections Initiative. In its fourth year the program aims to educate and nurture new audiences through educational outreach in schools and community centers, including a program of portable operas for elementary school students, Opera Camps, and a year-long training program for high school voice students.

Lake George Opera Festival Association, Inc. (Lake George Opera at Saratoga)
Saratoga Springs, NY
$10,000
To support the production of Our Town, a new opera by composer Ned Rorem and librettist Sandy McClatchy based on the novel by Thornton Wilder. Related activities will include a screening of the film version of Our Town and panel discussions with project principals.

Long Beach Opera
Long Beach, CA
$15,000
To support a condensed production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring). Educational and outreach activities, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut and the Wagner Society, will include a series of film screenings, recitals and pre-performance lectures.

Los Angeles Opera Company
Los Angeles, CA
$60,000
To support a new production of Hänsel und Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck. Outreach activities will include six free matinee performances for underserved families.

Lyric Opera Center for American Artists
Chicago, IL
$20,000
To support faculty costs for a comprehensive singer training and professional development program. Faculty will provide a multidisciplinary curriculum, including artist residencies, vocal instruction, and master classes, to prepare young artists for professional operatic careers.

Lyric Opera of Chicago
Chicago, IL
$100,000
To support a new production of Iphigénie en Tauride by Christoph Willibald Gluck, a significant work in the development of opera. Educational and outreach programs will include preview discussions, community lectures, and study guides.

Merola Opera Program
San Francisco, CA
$10,000
To support a professional training program for singers, apprentice coaches, and an apprentice stage director. Training will revolve around language study, ensemble work, vocal technique, and stagecraft and also will include private coaching.

Metropolitan Opera Association, Inc. (The Met)
New York, NY
$100,000
To support a new production of Mazeppa by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The production will be conducted by Valery Gergiev and produced by Yuri Alexandrov, with sets by George Tsypin and costumes by Tatiana Noginova.

Michigan Opera Theatre
Detroit, MI
$30,000
To support a new production of Verdi's Aida.The production will feature a diverse cast, including African American singers Indra Thomas, Lisa Daltirus, and Gregg Baker; Chinese bass Hao Jiang Tian; Russian American mezzo-soprano Irina Mishura; and Italian singers Salvatore Licitra, Antonello Palombi, and Giuliano Carella.

Minnesota Opera Company
Minneapolis, MN
$20,000
To support the American premiere of a new production of Saverio Mercadante's 1846 opera Orazi e Curiazi. The rarely performed bel canto opera dramatizes the struggle between family and duty during a war between the Romans and the neighboring Albans.

New Cleveland Opera Company (Cleveland Opera)
Cleveland, OH
$10,000
To support Opera for Everyone. An expansion of Cleveland Opera on Tour, the three-part project is designed to increase the number of community participants by 25 percent and add outdoor Opera in the Park presentations.

New York City Opera, Inc. (City Opera)
New York, NY
$60,000
To support the East Coast premiere of Lysistrata, or The Nude Goddess, by Mark Adamo. Educational and outreach activities will include programs for middle and high school students, pre-curtain lectures, family workshops, and production talks.

Opera America, Inc.
Washington, DC
$95,000
To support the continued provision of publication and online services to opera companies and artists. The national service organization for opera will provide essential support to member artists and companies in realizing artistic excellence and service to their local communities.

Opera Company of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
$20,000
To support a production of Margaret Garner by composer Richard Danielpour and librettist Toni Morrison. The title role will be sung by mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, who will be joined by soprano Angela Brown, baritone Gregg Baker, and bass-baritone Rodney Gilfry.

Opera for the Young, Inc.
Madison, WI
$10,000
To support a multi-state tour of Orpheus Returns, The Case of the Underworld Zoo, a compilation of the works of Gluck, Monteverdi, and Offenbach. The 45-minute opera was developed for children by composer William Lutes and Artistic Director and librettist Diane Garton Edie. The in-school presentations will benefit children in kindergarten through sixth grade in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa.

Opera North
Lebanon, NH
$10,000
To support the Young Artist Program for singers. The professional development project will provide opportunities for singers to perform in supporting operatic roles, primary roles in family matinee productions, and community outreach activities.

Opera Omaha, Inc.
Omaha, NE
$20,000
To support the world premiere of Dream Horses by composer Anthony Davis and librettist Yusef Komunyakaa. The new opera is inspired by historical events that occurred in Nebraska between 1877 and 1879; with themes of loss and mourning that resonate locally and nationally.

Opera San Jose, Inc.
San Jose, CA
$10,000
To support a new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni. A student matinee and a family evening at the opera will be offered free of charge, and preview lectures at the San Jose Museum of Art and the Sainte Claire Hotel will feature musical excerpts from the work.

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
St. Louis, MO
$50,000
To support the production of Anna Karenina by composer David Carlson and librettist Colin Graham. Based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy, the two act opera will be performed at Webster University's Loretto-Hilton Center, a 987-seat performance hall.

OperaDelaware, Inc.
Wilmington, DE
$10,000
To support a production of The Phantom Tollbooth by composer Arnold Black and librettists Sheldon Harnick and Norton Juster. The work is based on a book chosen from required reading list of the Delaware Department of Education. A study guide linked to state educational standards will be developed and distributed to participating teacehers prior to performances for students.

Orlando Opera Company, Inc.
Orlando, FL
$15,000
To support the expansion of the touring program. The company will tour throughout Florida with several productions of varying scale, including a full production of Mozart's L'Elisir d'Amore, a production of Rossini's La Cenerentola with chamber orchestra, and Opera Extravaganza, a smaller scale program of opera's greatest hits.

Pine Mountain Music Festival, Inc.
Hancock, MI
$10,000
To support performances of Mozart's Die Zauberfl&oauml;te (The Magic Flute) and a tour by the Resident Opera Artist Program. The touring program will serve opera audiences in the remote region of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Pittsburgh Opera, Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA
$35,000
To support productions of Puccini's Tosca and Mozart's Così fan tutte. The two works will employ contrasting approaches to display the richness and variety of opera: Tosca will use traditional staging and dramatic sets while Cosi will offer a light, flexible alternatively staged interpretation.

Portland Opera Association Inc.
Portland, OR
$10,000
To support the production of Nixon in China by John Adams. Educational and outreach activities will include a study guide and admission to the final dress rehearsal for students, public previews at widely accessible venues, pre-curtain lectures, and post-performance question-and-answer sessions led by the opera's general director.

San Diego Opera Association
San Diego, CA
$23,000
To support a production of Handel's Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar). Educational and outreach activities will include a student dress rehearsal for youth from schools in San Diego County and Tijuana, Mexico; pre-performance lectures; and the Artists' Roundtable, an opportunity for the public to meet the singers, conductor, and director.

San Francisco Opera Association
San Francisco, CA
$80,000
To support a new production of Iphigénie en Tauride by Christoph Willibald Gluck. The 1774 work embodies significant reforms to opera, which had a lasting impact on the development of the form.

Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe, NM
$50,000
To support the American premiere of The Tempest by Thomas Adès. Community outreach efforts will include complimentary tickets to organizations serving underserved children, transportation and one-dollar tickets for children at local Native American pueblos and reservations, and pre-performance interactive presentations by musicians and educators.

Sarasota Opera Association, Inc.
Sarasota, FL
$10,000
To support the Apprentice and Studio Artists Program. Improvements designed to provide training and performance opportunities in the development of young singers will include vocal coaching, language coaching, master classes, and seminars on auditions.

Seattle Opera
Seattle, WA
$50,000
To support a new production of Verdi's Macbeth. Performances of this rarely produced opera will be accompanied by preview talks, lectures, and radio broadcasts. Through Experience Opera, the company will work with teachers to incorporate opera into foreign language, philosophy, literature, and arts curricula and also provide multmedia lectures and presentations at ten schools.

Tulsa Opera, Inc.
Tulsa, OK
$22,500
To support a production of Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss. Various community outreach activities will be scheduled to coincide with the presentation, including community previews in bookstores and churches, pre-curtain lectures, and school programs.

Washington National Opera
Washington, DC
$27,500
To support a new production of Wagner's Das Rheingold. For Generation O, the opera's young adult (18-35 year old) audience, the company will offer reduced ticket prices, educational materials, and special events designed to increase interest in the art form among students and young professionals.

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
Vienna, VA
$10,000
To support a series of performances by the Wolf Trap Opera Company. Comprised entirely of young professional artists, the singers will perform solo and supporting roles in fully staged operas at the 7,000-seat Filene Center and 382-seat Barns at Wolf Trap.

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