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MICHIGAN OPERA THEATRE
RECEIVES $298,800 GRANT FROM
MICHIGAN COUNCIL FOR ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS
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Funds Support “Bridges to Diversity” Initiatives
DETROIT, Michigan, February 13, 2008…Michigan Opera Theatre is pleased to announce that the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs has awarded the company a $298,800 grant for their Bridges to Diversity program.
The Bridges to Diversity program has the goal of cultivating the next generation of opera and dance lovers by offering programs that feature diverse artists and that reach diverse audiences. Bridges to Diversity is a three-year initiative that began in fall 2006 that works to expand the accessibility of the company’s programs to all interested individuals regardless of their income level, age, ability or background. As a result, over 200,000 children, students and adults throughout the region will experience Michigan Opera Theatre’s main stage productions and education and community outreach programs this year.
Michigan Opera Theatre has grown from a small regional opera company into one of the nations 11 largest. Throughout its history, the company has acted with a steadfast commitment to promoting diversity in its productions, staging operas of cultural significance (the Armenian national opera, Anoush, the Polish national opera The Haunted Castle, the world premiere of Margaret Garner), practicing “color-blind casting,” and presenting dance companies ranging from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to the Bolshoi Ballet and Ballet Folklórico de Mexico. MCACA’s funding of the Bridges to Diversity program only furthers the company’s mandate that its programming be relevant and accessible to the diverse population which it serves.
With the opening of the new Ford Center for Arts and Learning at the Detroit Opera House, Michigan Opera Theatre is taking bold steps to reach new audiences. The new spaces allow for new programs in opera and dance to serve the diverse community surrounding the Detroit Opera House.
The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs has been appropriated $7.7 million to award to arts and cultural organizations across Michigan for fiscal year 2008. Michigan Opera Theatre competed in the Anchor Organization program.
The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs’ peer review process allows for each grant application to be competitively considered by a panel of, in-state and out-of-state, arts and culture professionals. This ensures taxpayers who support this project, through legislative appropriations, and all other visitors or residents in Michigan will have access to the highest quality arts and cultural experiences.
Organizations receiving a Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs grant award are required to match those funds with other public and private dollars. Michigan Opera Theatre raises over $20 in contributed revenue from private sources for every $1 in public support. Major benefactors of Michigan Opera Theatre include Ford Motor Company as the fall opera season sponsor, General Motors as the spring opera season sponsor, the Chrysler Foundation as the dance season sponsor and JP Morgan Chase as the fall dance season sponsor. Compuware provided significant support as the Cyrano Title Sponsor. Other major corporate donors to Michigan Opera Theatre include MASCO, Comerica Bank, GMAC Financial Services, LaSalle Bank, DTE Energy, National City Bank, Arvin Meritor and AAA Michigan. Major foundation supporters of Michigan Opera Theatre include the McGregor Fund, the DeRoy Testamentary Foundation, the Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation, the Matilda R. Wilson Fund, Hudson-Webber Foundation and the The Kresge Foundation.
A complete list of the state of Michigan’s grant awards is available by contacting The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs at (517) 241-4011, or by visiting the council’s website at www.michigan.gov/arts.
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