MIDDLEBURY — The Opera Company of Middlebury (OCM) recently announced that it has been approved for a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support its fall 2019 tour of Puccini’s “Tosca.”
In awarding this grant, NEA recognizes both the superb quality of OCM’s Middlebury productions over the past 15 years and its commitment to bring professional opera to venues throughout the state and region.
In October 2019, along with performances at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater, OCM will perform at the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe, Town Hall Theatre in Woodstock, and at Hubbard Hall for Arts and Education in Cambridge, N.Y.
According to Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, “Organizations such as Opera Company of Middlebury are giving people in their community the opportunity to learn, create, and be inspired.”
Other opera companies recognized by the NEA this year include The Metropolitan Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, and The Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y. Vermont organizations receiving NEA funds in this round of awards include The Flynn Center and the Weston Playhouse.
“We are thrilled to receive this critical support of our mission to expand our reach across the State of Vermont,” said OCM Artistic Director Douglas Anderson. “We are now bringing this inspiring art form to audiences that might not otherwise have access to live opera, while still maintaining our core focus on our loyal Middlebury and Addison County audience.”
Dr. James “Chip” Malcolm, Chairman of the Board of OCM added, “This NEA grant is a true credit to Doug and his team, and further validates the superb quality of the organization while supporting our efforts to grow audiences for this wonderful art form. OCM has truly arrived.”
Opera Company of Middlebury is a non-profit cultural organization, currently celebrates its 16th season of bringing live, professional opera to Addison County. Based at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater, OCM added a statewide tour in 2018 with the goal of expanding access to live opera throughout our region. It brings top-quality professional singers from around the country to perform with its Vermont-based orchestra.