Seattle Opera announced yesterday the receipt of a $500,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to provide financial support for next season’s world premiere production of Amelia, a newly commissioned opera with music by American composer Daron Aric Hagen, libretto by poet Gardner McFall, and story by Stephen Wadsworth, who will also direct. In addition to subsidizing some of the costs of presenting Amelia in Seattle, the grant makes it possible for two other companies in the United States to stage the work by underwriting such performance expenses as rental fees and royalties.
I agree completely with Seattle Opera’s General Director, Speight Jenkins, when he says that “new operas deserve the chance to be heard and seen by more than one public,” and the Mellon Foundation grant goes a long way toward making that a reality.
I’ll have lots more to say about Amelia in the weeks and months to come, so stay tuned…
1 Comment
June 28, 2009 at 9:24 am
Great news!
I love seeing foundational support for new operatic works, especially when they deal with a subject matter that is essentially American. Especially in economic times likes these, it is encouraging to see support from foundations for works. Thank you Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for your support of this new opera.