Opera Carolina

For 73 years, Opera Carolina has served this region with excellence in our Grand Opera performances, in our schools and throughout the community. 90% of our company live and work locally. Artists and cultural organizations should be leaders and partners in civic engagement and social change. Our education and community engagement initiatives both inform about our art and provide access for and to diverse groups in our community, creating opportunities for relationship building and increased social capital. IMPACT OF COVID-19 - SPECIFIC NEEDS: Financial: Donations requested: With the postponement of our April production and a major fundraising event in May, our typical and expected cash flow has been interrupted while expenses are still coming in. With school closures, our Education Department has also had to cancel all programs through the end of June. These performance and program cancellations have been a blow to our organization and most especially to our artists, who are not compensated when they do not perform. Your donation will help us provide creative educational programming and compensate these artists during the ongoing health crisis. Our education programs engage communities throughout the Carolinas, cultivating and reinforcing content mastery and key cognitive strategies required for college and career readiness and providing access to new experiences and new networks of instructors, mentors, and professionals. Student Nights at the Opera bring students and families into the theater to experience the opera and interact with Principal artists. Student Nights at the Opera is the final dress rehearsals of each grand opera are open to regional K-12 students, community youth groups, and families. You can send a CMS teacher and 2 students or a family of 3 to Student Night at the Opera for $35. Donate today and help bring new experiences to students all over the Mecklenburg county. Other community engagement initiatives include: pARTnership CMS, The Academy, #STEAM Saturdays, Opera Xpress, Family Opera Series and #VoicesEngaged.