Detroit Opera is the principal opera company in Michigan , US. The company is based in Detroit , where it performs in the Detroit Opera House . Prior to February 28, 2022, the company was named Michigan Opera Theatre.
55-460: Annually, it produces a series of operas in their original language with English supertitles and presents touring dance companies. It also presents musical theatre performances. The company has an orchestra, chorus, children's chorus, and extensive dance and arts education outreach programs. In 2005 MOT won a National Endowment for the Arts , Access to Artistic Excellence grant to support its staging of
110-622: A DMA in composition in 1986. His primary composition professors at Juilliard were Vincent Persichetti and Peter Mennin . Danielpour taught at the Manhattan School of Music from 1993 to 2017. He joined the faculty of Curtis Institute of Music in 1997. He joined the faculty of the Herb Alpert School of Music of the University of California Los Angeles in 2017. In common with many other American composers of
165-553: A budget that retained NEA funding. The White House budget proposed for fiscal year 2018 again called for elimination of funding, but Congress retained the funding for another year. Nancy Hanks , the second chairman, was appointed by President Richard Nixon, continuing her service under Gerald Ford. During her eight-year tenure, the NEA's funding increased from $ 8 million to $ 114 million. According to Elaine A. King : Richard Danielpour Richard Danielpour (born January 28, 1956)
220-464: A compromise bill to save the Endowment. The Williams-Coleman substitute increased funding to states arts councils for new programs to expand access to the arts in rural and inner city areas, leave the obscenity determination to the courts, and altered the composition of the review panels to increase diversity of representation and eradicate the possibility of conflicts of interest. After fierce debate,
275-675: A permanent dance season to its repertoire with performances by the American Ballet Theatre and the Cleveland San Jose Ballet . In 2005, the company staged the world premiere of Richard Danielpour ’s Margaret Garner , based on Toni Morrison ’s novel Beloved . In 2014, founder and longtime General Director DiChiera stepped down as president and CEO and became artistic director. Wayne S. Brown became president and CEO in 2014. DiChiera retired as artistic director in 2017. During Brown’s tenure,
330-408: A successor takes office. Ten members of the council constitutes a quorum. The current council members as of September 28, 2024: President Biden has nominated the following to fill seats on the commission. They await Senate confirmation. Between 1965 and 2008, the agency has made in excess of 128,000 grants, totaling more than $ 5 billion. From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, Congress granted
385-796: Is an American composer and academic, currently affiliated with the Curtis Institute of Music and the University of California, Los Angeles . Danielpour was born in New York City of Persian Jewish descent and grew up in New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida. He studied at Oberlin College and the New England Conservatory of Music , and later at the Juilliard School of Music , where he received
440-598: Is awarded by the President of the United States and NEA for outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in the United States. Upon entering office in 1981, the incoming Ronald Reagan administration intended to push Congress to abolish the NEA completely over a three-year period. Reagan's first director of the Office of Management and Budget, David A. Stockman , thought
495-714: Is composed of 25 members, 18 appointed by the president of the United States with the consent of the United States Senate , six ex officio members, and the chairperson of the NEA, who also serves as chair of the council. The six ex officio members are members of Congress, where two are appointed by the Speaker of the House, one by the Minority Leader of the House, two by the Majority Leader of
550-676: Is facially valid, as it neither inherently interferes with First Amendment rights nor violates constitutional vagueness principles. The 1994 midterm elections cleared the way for House Speaker Newt Gingrich to lead a renewed attack on the NEA. Gingrich had called for the NEA to be eliminated along with the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting . While some in Congress attacked
605-558: Is located within the Ford Center for Learning. It hosts the company's Dance Film series and hosted the American Ballet Theatre summer intensive program. The center also hosts year-round master classes for beginning to advanced dance students and dance auditions are also held at the center. Since 1979, Detroit Opera has supported early-career opera professionals through a year-long apprenticeship program. Since 2022,
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#1732790447086660-434: Is the federal agency responsible for recognizing outstanding achievement in the arts. It does this by awarding three lifetime achievement awards. The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships are awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the art of jazz. The NEA National Heritage Fellowships are awarded for artistic excellence and accomplishments for American's folk and traditional arts. The National Medal of Arts
715-920: The American Midwest premiere of English surtitles . In 1985 the company moved to The Fisher Theatre for its autumn season and staged West Side Story which received an extended run and became one of Michigan Opera Theatres top grossing productions. Since acquiring the Detroit Opera House, the company has presented opera and dance at several other venues such as the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, and Gem Theatre . Detroit Opera's Department of Community Programs (now called Education and Community Programs)
770-903: The Special Tony Award in 2016. In 1985, the NEA won an honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its work with the American Film Institute in the identification, acquisition, restoration and preservation of historic films. In 2016 and again in 2017, the National Endowment for the Arts received Emmy nominations from the Television Academy in the Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series category. The National Endowment for
825-770: The U.S. Congress , signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 29, 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 951). It is a sub-agency of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities , along with the National Endowment for the Humanities , the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities , and the Institute of Museum and Library Services . The NEA has its offices in Washington, D.C. It was awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 1995, as well as
880-512: The " NEA Four ". Since 1996, the NEA has partially rebounded with a 2015 budget of $ 146.21 million. In FY 2010, the NEA's budget reached mid-1990s levels with a $ 167.5 million budget but fell again in FY 2011 with a budget of $ 154 million. On March 11, 2024, President Joe Biden released the President's Budget for FY 2025, with $ 210.1 million budgeted for the NEA. The NEA provides grants in
935-647: The Arts later hosted the Mapplethorpe show. The cancellation was highly criticized and in September 1989, the Director of the Corcoran gallery, Christina Orr-Cahill, issued a formal statement of apology saying, "The Corcoran Gallery of Art in attempting to defuse the NEA funding controversy by removing itself from the political spotlight, has instead found itself in the center of controversy. By withdrawing from
990-466: The Arts was created during the term of President Lyndon B. Johnson under the general auspices of the Great Society . According to historian Karen Patricia Heath, "Johnson personally was not much interested in the acquisition of knowledge, cultural or otherwise, for its own sake, nor did he have time for art appreciation or meeting with artists." The NEA is "dedicated to supporting excellence in
1045-728: The Covid-19 pandemic. In October 2020, the company produced Twilight: Gods , an adaptation of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung that was performed in Detroit Opera House Parking Center. In 2021, the company produced Anthony Davis ’ X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X , which marked its first revival since its 1986 premiere. Innovative opera productions have included La bohème in 2022 , which presented Puccini ’s four-act opera in reverse order, and The Valkyries, which staged Wagner’s Die Walküre with 3D computer graphics alongside live performance. In 2023, Brown
1100-427: The Mapplethorpe exhibition, we, the board of trustees and the director, have inadvertently offended many members of the arts community which we deeply regret. Our course in the future will be to support art, artists and freedom of expression." Democratic representative Pat Williams , chairman of the House subcommittee with jurisdiction over the NEA reauthorization, partnered with Republican Tom Coleman to formulate
1155-495: The NEA an annual funding of between $ 160 and $ 180 million. In 1996, Congress cut the NEA funding to $ 99.5 million as a result of pressure from conservative groups, including the American Family Association , who criticized the agency for using tax dollars to fund highly controversial artists such as Barbara DeGenevieve , Andres Serrano , Robert Mapplethorpe , and the performance artists known as
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#17327904470861210-534: The NEA and the National Endowment for the Humanities were "good [departments] to simply bring to a halt because they went too far, and they would be easy to defeat." Another proposal would have halved the arts endowment budget. However, these plans were abandoned when the President's special task force on the arts and humanities, which included close Reagan allies such as conservatives Charlton Heston and Joseph Coors , discovered "the needs involved and benefits of past assistance," concluding that continued federal support
1265-508: The Pirate (1977); Look to the Land (1978); Under One Roof (1981); and Nanabush (1987) which were composed by Karen V. DiChiera, and Summer Snow which was composed by Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood . The Margo V. Cohen Center for Dance was founded in 2001 by Dr. Carol Halsted as Director of Dance. The Center, which is also a component of Detroit Opera's community programming,
1320-715: The Resource Library's catalogue publicly available online through a unique partnership with Wayne State University 's School of Library and Information Science. Notable productions have included: Among the notable artists who have sung at MOT early in their careers are: Detroit-born Maria Ewing who sang in the 1970 The Barber of Seville production; Leona Mitchell , who sang Bess in the company's 1975 production of Porgy and Bess ; Kathleen Battle , whose 1975 performance as Rosina in The Barber of Seville marked her operatic debut; Catherine Malfitano , who created
1375-763: The Russian tenor who sang in Puccini 's La bohème ; and Ewa Podleś , the Polish contralto who sang in Verdi 's A Masked Ball . More recently, the acclaimed dramatic soprano Christine Goerke has performed in Fidelio (2013), Elektra (2014), Twilight: Gods (2020), Cavalleria Rusticana (2021), The Valkyries (2022), and Aida In Concert (2022) alongside soprano Angel Blue .Goerke served as Detroit Opera’s associate artistic director from 2021-2024. Detroit Opera has staged
1430-491: The Senate, and one by the Minority Leader of the Senate. These six serve two-year terms, and serve as nonvoting members of the council. The eighteen appointed by the President are selected from among private citizens of the United States who are widely recognized for their broad knowledge of, or expertise in, or for their profound interest in the arts; and have established records of distinguished service, or achieved eminence, in
1485-542: The United States. The NEA also manages the National Medal of Arts , awarded annually by the President. Artist William Powhida has noted that "in one single auction, wealthy collectors bought almost a billion dollars in contemporary art at Christie's in New York." He further commented: "If you had a 2 percent tax just on the auctions in New York you could probably double the NEA budget in two nights." The NEA
1540-699: The areas of prose and poetry. The NEA offers partnerships for state, regional, federal, international activities, and design. The state arts agencies and regional arts organizations are the NEA's primary partners in serving the American people through the arts. Forty percent of all NEA funding goes to the state arts agencies and regional arts organizations. Additionally, the NEA awards three Lifetime Honors: NEA National Heritage Fellowships to master folk and traditional artists, NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships to jazz musicians and advocates, and NEA Opera Honors to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to opera in
1595-433: The arts and shall make such appointments so as to represent equitably all geographical areas in the United States. These are appointed to serve terms of six years. The terms are staggered so three terms end September 3 each year. These members are not eligible for reappointment during the two-year period following the expiration of their term. However, they may continue to serve on the council after their term's expiration until
1650-529: The arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education". The NEA is governed by a chairman nominated by the president to a four-year term and subject to congressional confirmation. The NEA's advisory committee, the National Council on the Arts, advises the chairman on policies and programs, as well as reviewing grant applications, fundraising guidelines, and leadership initiative. The council
1705-460: The arts; so as to include practicing artists, civic cultural leaders, members of the museum profession, and others who are professionally engaged in the arts; and so as collectively to provide an appropriate distribution of membership among major art fields and interested citizens groups. In making these appointments, the President shall give due regard to equitable representation of women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities who are involved in
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1760-486: The attacks. Republican representative Dick Armey , an opponent of federal arts funding, began to attack a planned exhibition of photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe at the Corcoran Museum of Art that was to receive NEA support. On June 12, 1989, The Corcoran cancelled the Mapplethorpe exhibition, saying that it did not want to "adversely affect the NEA's congressional appropriations." The Washington Project for
1815-497: The categories of arts projects, national initiatives, and partnership agreements. Grants for arts projects support exemplary projects for artist communities, arts education, dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, local arts agencies, media arts, museums, music, musical theater, opera, presenting (including multidisciplinary art forms), theater, and visual arts. The NEA also grants individual fellowships in literature to creative writers and translators of exceptional talent in
1870-411: The center of the controversy was Piss Christ , a photo of a plastic crucifix submerged in a vial of an amber fluid described by the artist as his own urine. Republican Senators Jesse Helms and Al D'Amato began to rally against the NEA, and expanded the attack to include other artists. Prominent conservative Christian figures including Pat Robertson of the 700 Club and Pat Buchanan joined
1925-897: The company saved the Music Hall from demolition in 1971 and staged its first season there with productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Puccini 's La rondine . Besides the Music Hall, Detroit Opera has staged productions at the Detroit Masonic Temple Theatre and the Fisher Theatre . In the 1984 spring season the company moved to the Masonic Temple to accommodate larger audiences and bigger productions, such as its first production, Anna Bolena , starring Joan Sutherland. The production also featured
1980-506: The founding of MOT's Department of Community Programs by Karen VanderKloot DiChiera. The company became known for its casting which often featured a blend of established artists as well as young-up-and-coming American opera singers from a diversity of backgrounds, a tradition that continues to this day. The company was among the first to stage Gershwin 's opera Porgy and Bess in 1975 as well as Scott Joplin 's opera Treemonisha in 1983. MOT also established an international reputation for
2035-410: The funding of controversial artists, others argued the endowment was wasteful and elitist. However, despite massive budget cutbacks and the end of grants to individual artists, Gingrich ultimately failed in his push to eliminate the endowment. The budget outline submitted by then-president Donald Trump on March 16, 2017, to Congress would have eliminated all funding for the program. Congress approved
2090-665: The grant money in question, though the case would make its way to the United States Supreme Court in National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley . The case centered on subsection (d)(1) of 20 U.S.C. § 954 which provides that the NEA Chairperson shall ensure that artistic excellence and artistic merit are the criteria by which applications are judged. The court ruled in 524 U.S. 569 (1998), that Section 954(d)(1)
2145-477: The guests at the gala were opera stars Joan Sutherland , Luciano Pavarotti , Irina Mishura, Helen Donath , Marcello Giordani , Gregg Baker, Alessandra Marc , and Elizabeth Parcells , conductor Steven Mercurio , and actor Roddy McDowall . The evening also featured a Fanfare for the Detroit Opera House by American composer William Bolcom which had been especially commissioned for the Gala. In 1996 MOT also added
2200-475: The language embodied in the Williams-Coleman substitute prevailed and subsequently became law. Though this controversy inspired congressional debate about appropriations to the NEA, including proposed restrictions on the content of NEA-supported work and their grantmaking guidelines, efforts to defund the NEA failed. Conservative media continued to attack individual artists whose NEA-supported work
2255-454: The opera company focused increasingly on producing operas that reached diverse audiences residing in and around the city of Detroit, such as Robert Xavier Rodriguez ’s Frida and Mieczysław Weinberg 's The Passenger in 2015, and Daniel Sonenberg 's The Summer King in 2018. Brown oversaw the recruitment of Yuval Sharon as artistic director in 2020. Sharon’s tenure began as operas were closing their doors nationwide in response to
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2310-528: The post-war generation, Danielpour began his career in a serialist milieu, but rejected it in the late 1980s in favor of a more ecumenical and "humdrum" idiom. He cites the Beatles —along with John Adams , Christopher Rouse , and Joseph Schwantner —as influences on his more recent musical style. Danielpour's notable works include First Light (1988) for chamber orchestra, three symphonies (1985, 1986, and 1990), four piano concerti (1981, 1993, 2002 and 2009),
2365-706: The program has been known as the Detroit Opera Resident Artist Program and is supported by a tribute fund for former President and CEO Wayne S. Brown. The Detroit Opera Archive and Resource Library is the official library and archive for Detroit Opera. It specializes in research materials specific to dance, opera and the company's extensive history. The library was made created in 2007 with a gift from Robert and Maggie Allesee. The library and archive center carries books, scores, CDs, videos and hundreds of unique items such as photos and performance reviews from company productions. From 2009-2023,
2420-515: The program, then in its third year. OTO first presented opera to the public as a collection of scenes and acts. It did not produce its first full-length production until 1970, with the staging of The Barber of Seville at the Detroit Institute of Arts . OTO transformed into a professional opera company after establishing a board of trustees in 1971, and in 1973, the company officially changed its name to Michigan Opera Theatre. 1977 marked
2475-628: The role of Catherine Sloper in MOT's world premiere staging of Washington Square in 1976. Other notable artists include The Metropolitan Opera's Jerome Hines , a bass, who in 1974 sang the title role of Boris Godunov ; Nicole Cabell who sang Musetta in La bohème in 2005, a few months after winning the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition; Australian soprano Dame Joan Sutherland who sang
2530-559: The staging of rarely performed operas such as the North American premiere of Armenian composer, Armen Tigranian 's, Anoush in 1981, Stanisław Moniuszko 's The Haunted Castle in 1982, and Polish composer Karol Szymanowski 's King Roger in 1991. In 1989 the decision was made to purchase MOT's current home, the Detroit Opera House. Originally called the Capitol Theatre, the building, designed by C. Howard Crane ,
2585-674: The title role in Donizetti's Anna Bolena ; Martina Arroyo and Ghena Dimitrova who sang in MOT's 1986 production of Turandot ; Luciano Pavarotti who sang at Joe Louis Arena in 1989; Irina Mishura who played Carmen during the 1996-97 season; The Three Tenors in 1999 at the historic Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Andrea Bocelli who made his staged operatic debut in Werther and Denyce Graves who made her MOT debut in Werther ; Vyacheslav Polozov ,
2640-720: The world premiere of Margaret Garner . As of January 2024, the President and CEO of Detroit Opera is Patty Isacson Sabee. Yuval Sharon became the Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director in 2020. Detroit Opera got its start in 1961 as the educational outreach arm, Overture to Opera (OTO), of the Detroit Grand Opera Association, the organization responsible for the Metropolitan Opera 's visits to Detroit. In 1963, Michigan Opera Theatre's (MOT) Founder and General Director, David DiChiera took over
2695-567: The world premieres of the following operas: Detroit Opera staged these North American premieres: National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts ( NEA ) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government by an act of
2750-441: Was also a major contributor to the campaign, bringing the attention of the public to the project at large by promising to sing at the opening of the new opera house, donating large amounts of money to the cause, and by making various appearances around Detroit in performances designed to raise money for the project. In April 1996, MOT celebrated the opening of its new home with a gala event which received international coverage. Among
2805-535: Was deemed controversial. The "NEA Four", Karen Finley , Tim Miller , John Fleck , and Holly Hughes , were performance artists whose proposed grants from the United States government's National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) were vetoed by John Frohnmayer in June 1990. Grants were overtly vetoed on the basis of subject matter after the artists had successfully passed through a peer review process. The artists won their case in court in 1993 and were awarded amounts equal to
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#17327904470862860-588: Was founded by Karen Vanderkloot DiChiera in 1977. In 2000, the department was awarded the Success in Education Award by Opera America for its summer programming for local children. The department also performs at local schools, churches and community groups. The Detroit Opera Youth Chorus trains young local vocalists for ensemble and mainstage productions. Additionally, Detroit Opera has premiered many children's operas. They include Vigilance (1975); Pete,
2915-426: Was important. Frank Hodsoll became the chairman of the NEA in 1981, and while the department's budget decreased from $ 158.8 million in 1981 to $ 143.5 million, by 1989 it was $ 169.1 million, the highest it had ever been. In 1989, Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association held a press conference attacking what he called "anti-Christian bigotry," in an exhibition by photographer Andres Serrano . The work at
2970-476: Was in need of extensive restoration. The company eventually gained enough money to purchase the entire block encompassing the neighboring Roberts Fur building, which the company demolished in 1993 to make way for the 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m) stage house. The monumental task which became known as "The Detroit Opera House Project" took approximately 7 years to complete and was supported by local individuals, corporations, foundations and unions. Luciano Pavarotti
3025-493: Was inducted into Opera America’s Opera Hall of Fame. Since January 2024, Patty Isacson Sabee has served as Detroit Opera’s president and CEO. Yuval Sharon continues to serve as artistic director. Before Detroit Opera House opened in 1996, several Detroit performing arts venues were home to company productions. With the move to the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts in 1971, Detroit Opera helped regenerate Detroit's Entertainment District. Still operating as Overture to Opera
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