National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman
Rocco Landesman has announced that Palm Beach Opera is one
of 788 not-for-profit national, regional, state, and local
organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant.
Palm Beach Opera is recommended for a $17,500 grant to
support the Palm Beach Opera Young Artist Program. The 788
Art Works grants total $24.81 million and support the
creation of art that meets the highest standards of
excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent
art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of
communities through the arts.
The Palm Beach Opera Young Artist Program targets skills
necessary to develop a successful career as an opera
performer and helps further the young career of emerging
singers who are at the precipice of beginning a
fully-professional career. Palm Beach Opera’s Young Artists
also act as the company’s community ambassadors performing
at a variety of concerts and events throughout the area
including educational programming for kindergarten through
high school students, free community events such as the One
Opera in One Hour series, and children’s programming
including Family Opera.
Beginning in the 2013 season, Palm Beach Opera will further
increase the career-building aspects of the Young Artist
Program by increasing the number of performance
opportunities of each Young Artist in mainstage productions
and also through a new collaboration with the Lynn
Conservatory of Music at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL
where we will present a fully staged production of Britten’s
The Turn of the Screw.
Chairman Landesman said, “The arts should be a part of
everyday life. Whether it’s seeing a performance, visiting a
gallery, participating in an art class, or simply taking a
walk around a neighborhood enhanced by public art, these
grants are ensuring that across the nation, the public is
able to experience how art works.”
The NEA received 1,624 eligible applications under the Art
Works category for this round of funding, requesting more
than $78 million in funding. For a
complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works
grant support, please visit the NEA website at
arts.gov.
Palm Beach Opera is dedicated to producing live opera at an
international standard of excellence and to enriching the
life of the communities it serves with a diverse offering of
educational programs. Founded in 1961, the fully
professional Palm Beach Opera presents main stage
performances at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in
West Palm Beach and is a proud member of the Cultural
Council of Palm Beach County.