2010 Grant Awards

SANTA FE OPERA GUILD

AWARD: $2,000

PROJECT:  Volunteer Training To Support Student Produced Opera At Santa Fe Indian School

The Santa Fe Opera has brought its Student Produced Opera to schools throughout northern New Mexico for a number of years.  With this project, initiated by The Santa Fe Opera Guild and supported by The Santa Fe Opera, Student Produced Opera will be offered to a group of middle school and high school students at The Indian School and incorporated into the school’s music curriculum.

It will be the Opera’s and the Guild’s first opportunity to work with Santa Fe’s 120 year old Indian School and, most important to us at The Santa Fe Opera Guild, our first opportunity to work as hands on volunteers in any school program. As such, the Guild’s first priority for the project will be to recruit and properly train volunteers for all the activities we’ve outlined.

A theatre artist and composer work with students to write a story, and then compose music to go along with the narrative.  Students build sets, gather props and assemble costumes. Then their opera is performed in a professional theatre in front of proud classmates, family, friends and community members.

CHATTANOOGA SYMPHONY AND OPERA GUILD

AWARD:  $2,000

PROJECT:  The Night Visitors and Amahl  for the Homeless

The Chattanooga branch of the Interfaith Homeless Network (IHN) provides housing and counsel for homeless  families in the Chattanooga area.  Local churches assist by providing housing, food, and personal assistance for these families for one week at a time. The families are moved from church to church on Sunday afternoons. During the week, church members provide breakfasts, dinners, evening hosts to help with homework, entertainment and overnight hosts.  During the day, the families are transported to a central location where the adults are counseled in job seeking and in other issues facing them.  The children attend school.

These families are wrestling with many problems, and arts experiences are not a part of their day to day struggle.  Providing education about and the experience of attending a performance is a way to connect these families with an event out of their reach. The storyline will provide their case worker with an opportunity to make an opera relate to their daily lives.  It will certainly bring an awareness to them to know, in a very personal way, that opera is for everyone.

The CSO Guild proposes, with the grant monies, to provide a DVD of Amahl and the Night Visitors to each of the two churches that will host families in order for them to see a production to familiarize them with the story. In addition, docents will visit each of the churches on one evening of the week to discuss the story line as well as to help the visitors understand what opera is and how everyone can enjoy it. Docent materials will be developed by staff and guild members.

On the evening of the performance, the visitors will be greeted by Guild members.  Case workers and guests will be invited to join the family members.  They will also be treated to a back stage tour. Case workers will be provided with follow up materials to be used the following day when they meet with families. Each person attending will be asked to write a letter and describe how attending the event as well as how the story line affected family members.

Opera productions had to be suspended due to finances during the past year and The Night Visitors and Amahl production is 2010′s only opera for the year.

OGDEN OPERA GUILD

AWARD: $800

PROJECT: Increase Youth And Other Volunteer Participation In Ogden Opera Guild Symposia

The purpose of this project is to extend the knowledge of and the appreciation of the art form of opera by extending the unparalleled opportunity to meet and hear performers in the field. The Symposia is organized and sponsored by OOG and is the only opportunity to see a brief live performance in Ogden. With this grant from OVI, we will extend a special invitation to targeted groups. We would like to encourage the attendees to participate in various volunteer aspects of the evening so they feel a part of the proceedings and experience the satisfaction of giving back. We would like to train those attending a symposium to greet audience attendees, usher, assist in preparation of the venue,setup, clean up,etc.

We wish to concentrate on a very special inner city group known as Youth Impact. These young people are from 36 different schools in the Ogden area and are the victims of poverty, crime and gang violence.  These children have been carefully screened regarding school attendance and motivation.

In addition to the performers, many of whom are principals in the upcoming performance in Salt Lake City, there is an informative talk by the artistic director and a commentary with piano accompaniment concerning the history and a synopsis of the featured opera. The singers are invited to give a brief introduction of their background and the process by which they became involved with opera.

ELGIN OPERA GUILD

AWARD:  $2,000

PROJECT:  Elgin Lecture Corps

Elgin Opera Guild will to develop a Lecture Corps to instill the love of opera in under-served groups, specifically the elderly and school children. The educational tools/services will be in the form of lecture performances (at public and private locations accessible to the elderly) and school presentations with accompanying educational packets.  Twenty volunteers will be involved.

We will market and promote this new program to draw in both existing Guild members and to attract new ones.  We will use professionals to develop packets and programs targeted towards audiences of different ages. We need to train new presenters in lecture and presentation skills for these new audiences.

Our reach has been limited by lack of funds and personnel to develop and implement such outreach programs. With the growth of Elgin Opera Guild, we are now poised to develop the personnel and programs for under served  communities on a regular basis.