蜜柚直播

The company in late August established an endowment fund seeded by a $1 million donation from by a longtime board member and loyal patron.

The company also pulled in more than $163,000 from 蜜柚直播 donors interested in seeing the opera continue its tradition in the city of its birth.

All of this as 蜜柚直播 Opera, which was born in 1971 as the 蜜柚直播 Opera Company and started producing operas five years later in Phoenix as well, prepares to recast itself this season.

蜜柚直播 Opera will open the 2018-19 season in Phoenix with 鈥淢aria de Buenos Aires,鈥� the first performance of its inaugural McDougall 蜜柚直播 Opera RED Series of smaller chamber operas. 鈥淢aria鈥� will be staged at Phoenix鈥檚 Herberger Theater next weekend and 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Temple of Music and Art Oct. 6 and 7.

蜜柚直播 Opera returns to its bigger venues at 蜜柚直播 Music Hall and Phoenix Symphony Center in the winter for a trio of more traditional operas including 鈥淟a Traviata鈥� in February.

鈥淪o far it looks like, from ticket sales, we did the right thing,鈥� said Sharon Landis, vice chairwoman of the 蜜柚直播 Opera Board of Directors. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not been any falloff and that鈥檚 what you鈥檙e fearful of. We think we鈥檝e made the right choice.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e excited. It鈥檚 going to be a new and different season,鈥� said former board chairman Robert S. Tancer, who now chairs the board鈥檚 development committee. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a big audience for contemporary opera and we haven鈥檛 satisfied it in the past.鈥�

蜜柚直播 Opera opened its fiscal year in July by extending General Director Joseph Specter鈥檚 contract through 2022, a move that the board鈥檚 Chairman John Johnson applauded in a written release.

鈥淛oe has brought enormous energy and vision to the company,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淗e has worked tirelessly with board and staff in reshaping the artistic path of the company since his arrival in 2016.鈥�

The extension came on the heals of the opera receiving the final installment to launch its $1 million endowment, established by 蜜柚直播 Opera board member Roma Wittcoff. The money eventually will provide a consistent income for the company, board officials said.

Wittcoff has served on the board since 2009 and is a founding board member of Opera Theatre St. Louis.

Tancer said Wittcoff鈥檚 gift is confirmation that the opera, which has been debt-free since 2014, was ready to take the next big financial step.

鈥淪he felt that we were ready for an endowment and we felt we were ready for an endowment. The endowment means that we have established a maturity of financial stability,鈥� said Tancer. The endowment 鈥減rotects our future and the opera鈥檚 future and it was large enough that it will provide a significant income.鈥�

Meanwhile the family of the late 蜜柚直播 physician Esther Alcorn helped raise more than $163,000 for the company from more than 136 蜜柚直播 donors 鈥� 43 of whom were first-time opera donors 鈥� after launching a $75,000 dollar-for-dollar challenge. The family鈥檚 gift was in addition to the money their mother, who died last November, had bequeathed to the opera.

Alcorn鈥檚 family wants the money to be used to help 蜜柚直播 Opera 鈥渂uild new and increased support in its original home city,鈥� according to a written release.

鈥淥ur family wanted to give back to the community in a way that would have pleased our mom and helped to support this art form she loved so much,鈥� Alcorn鈥檚 son, Joe Alcorn, said in a written statement. 鈥淏ut her fondest hope I鈥檓 sure would have been to see the community of 蜜柚直播, her friends and neighbors of 63 years, keep the ball rolling.鈥�