FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION May 25, 2007 Lisa Price: (918)688-2166 or (918)582-4035 CAROL I. CRAWFORD TO LEAVE AT CONCLUSION OF 2008-2009 SEASON Carol I. Crawford announced today that she will leave her position as General Director of Tulsa Opera, Inc. at the conclusion of the 2008-2009 Season, bringing to a close a 16-year tenure as the administrative and artistic head of the nationally acclaimed opera company. The timing will allow the Board of Directors to partner with Ms. Crawford on Tulsa Opera’s 60th Anniversary celebrations in 2007-2008 and a leadership transition season in 2008-2009. Ms. Crawford joined Tulsa Opera as Artistic Director in 1993 and was appointed General Director in 1997. A nationwide search for her successor will begin in the fall, with an appointment hoped within the next 18 months. Ms. Crawford and her successor will work together to consolidate the institutional and artistic momentum of the organization, in line with the Board’s long-term strategic plans. “All good things must come to an end, and while we are deeply saddened by Carol’s decision, we certainly understand it,” said Henry G. Will, president of the Tulsa Opera Board of Directors. “We are grateful that Carol has graciously agreed to remain with us for another two seasons while the Board implements an orderly national search and timely leadership transition. Her extraordinary artistry and leadership commitment to Tulsa Opera have elevated this art form within our community and placed this company squarely on the national stage. She has been an enormous cultural ambassador for the city of Tulsa, and she will be sorely missed.” “I am so proud of all we have achieved together,” said Ms. Crawford. “Tulsa Opera has grown in its artistic quality, its musical prominence, its national stature, and its position within our community and region, thanks to the hard work of the Board, the staff, our artists, our musicians, our patrons, our supporters and Tulsa’s philanthropic and business communities. This company is a civic jewel, and I am honored to have been part of its notable history.” “Now, it is time to focus my energies on active partnerships with living composers, conducting, and my international collaborations—artistic pursuits that have all taken a back seat during my lengthy administrative tenure here at Tulsa Opera. I am very excited about the future, and look forward to working with my successor and the Board to preserve the company’s proud heritage.” CAROL I. CRAWFORD TO LEAVE TULSA OPERA AT END OF 2008-2009 SEASON (Page 2 of 5) Prior to her tenure at Tulsa Opera, Ms. Crawford was Music Director of San Francisco Opera’s Western Opera Theatre, Music Director of Houston Grand Opera’s Texas Opera Theatre, Associate Music Director of the Virginia Opera, and Associate Conductor of the Memphis Symphony. She has guest conducted throughout the United States and internationally with such organizations as Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Portland Opera, Minnesota Opera, the New World Symphony, Opera Omaha, Long Wharf Theater, Landestheater Magdeburg, and the Staatstheater, Kassel, Germany. She holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting from Yale University School of Music, and completed undergraduate studies at the Juilliard School, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and Manhattanville College. She studied with Leonard Bernstein, Sir Georg Solti, Otto-Werner Mueller, and Boris Goldovsky, and was invited by Bernstein to assist in the 1984 La Scala premiere of his opera A Quiet Place/Trouble In Tahiti. She is a sought-after national performing arts jurist, and has served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, OPERA America, and the American Symphony Orchestra League. She has also been a member of the Tulsa Public Schools Arts Task Force, the Mayor’s Task Force for the Arts, and a Board member of the Oklahoma Israel Exchange (OKIE). CAROL I. CRAWFORD’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT TULSA OPERA 1. EXPANDED THE REPERTOIRE OF 20TH CENTURY AND AMERICAN WORKS: Carol I. Crawford has greatly expanded Tulsa Opera’s performance repertoire, presenting the following company premieres: o Bellini: I Capuletti e Montecchi (2003) o Bernstein: Trouble in Tahiti (1995) (20th Century Work, American Composer) o Bizet: The Pearl Fishers (1997) o Carlson: Dreamkeepers (1998) (20th Century Work, American Composer) o Janáček: The Cunning Little Vixen (2002) (20th Century Work) o Portman: The Little Prince (2006) (21st Century Work) o Poulenc: Dialogues of the Carmelites (1999) (20th Century Work) o Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Sound of Music (2004) o Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (2005) o Wagner: Tannhäuser (2001) o Ward: The Crucible (1995) (20th Century Work, American Composer) o International Collaborations: Tulsa Opera’s collaborations with Finland’s Savonlinna Opera Festival and Russia’s Maryinsky Theatre (Kirov Opera) garnered national and international attention for the company. o Artistic Acclaim: Tulsa Opera was recognized by Opera News as one of that publication’s “Top 10 Favorite American Opera Companies.” o Artist Development: Ms. Crawford has a national reputation for talent identification and offered early-career opportunities to such now-acclaimed singers as Andrea Gruber (soprano), Pamela Armstrong (soprano), Stephanie Blythe (mezzo), Nancy Herrera (mezzo), Frank Porretta (tenor), Scott Piper (tenor), Alfred Walker (bass-baritone), and Brian Matthews (bass), among others. CAROL I. CRAWFORD TO LEAVE TULSA OPERA AT END OF 2008-2009 SEASON (3 of 5) 2. IMPROVED THE MUSICAL QUALITY OF TULSA OPERA AND ITS ARTISTIC COLLABORATORS, AND CREATED AN EXTENSIVE OPERA LIBRARY: Like most experienced international conductors, Carol I. Crawford believes that the artistic foundation of any opera company is its orchestra and chorus. In response to the Board’s mandate that she “restore high quality musical standards to Tulsa Opera,” Ms. Crawford set out—over a period of years—to systematically improve the quality of the company’s chorus and orchestra, and to build an opera orchestra library: o Chorus: Ms. Crawford worked with Chorus Master Emeritus Laven Sowell to recognize and mentor the talents of local artists with the God-given and learned skills required to sing professional opera. Together, they professionalized the Tulsa Opera Chorus, transforming it from a volunteer chorus to a paid, semi- professional ensemble of nationally noted skill and ability. o Orchestra: Ms. Crawford’s work with the Tulsa Philharmonic in 1997 was recognized by Dallas Morning News and Opera News critic Scott Cantrell as “the best opera orchestra… outside New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Houston.” In the wake of the Tulsa Philharmonic’s closure in 2002, Ms. Crawford acted quickly to protect the Philharmonic’s extensive orchestra library and to reserve future orchestral performance dates in the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, so that dates would remain available for a replacement ensemble in the future. Her cultural stewardship of years ago and the then-Board’s support for the necessary financial investment made possible the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra’s use of the Performing Arts Center this season for its inaugural concert series. After the Philharmonic ceased operations in 2002, Ms. Crawford recruited the TPO musicians within the community and recruited musicians within the United States to form the Tulsa Opera Orchestra, and these efforts were subsequently recognized in the national press: “Tulsa has been without a resident orchestra since the Tulsa Philharmonic folded in 2002, but Tulsa Opera General Director Carol I. Crawford has put together a remarkably good group.” o Opera Orchestra Library: Over the course of her tenure, Ms. Crawford worked diligently to create an extensive reference and educational library of opera recordings, musical scores, photographs, and videos—these resources have been used by each new group of visiting singers, students, and music educators. 3. CREATED NEW MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO BENEFIT ALL YOUTH: o Tulsa Youth Opera: Ms. Crawford inaugurated the year-round Tulsa Youth Opera program in the spring of 1997; the program has trained more than 2,500 children and will celebrate its 10th Anniversary in the 2007-2008 Season. o Heartstrings Ticket Subsidy Program: Ms. Crawford created this unique program, which provides free underwritten performance tickets for diverse and underserved children and their families. More than 10,000 tickets have been distributed since the program’s creation. o Hispanic Community Dress Rehearsals: Ms. Crawford spearheaded the creation of Hispanic Community Dress Rehearsals, featuring specially- commissioned Spanish language surtitles and underwritten tickets for local Hispanic churches, community centers, grassroots organizations and families. CAROL I. CRAWFORD TO LEAVE TULSA OPERA AT END OF 2008-2009 SEASON (4 of 5) o Literacy Through Opera: These new programs develop the link between music education and child literacy. Examples include last season’s effort to distribute 8,000 underwritten Spanish and English language copies of Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince to Tulsa County schoolchildren with donations from the Tulsa Library Trust and Peggy and Walt Helmerich, among others. o Student Matinees: In 1998, Ms. Crawford revived and expanded the tradition of Student Matinees, which introduce school students to the excitement of live grand opera at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Last season, nearly 5,000 students attended performances of The Little Prince and Carmen. o Statewide Touring: Ms. Crawford revived and expanded statewide touring, taking promising young singers and live “Tulsa Opera on Tour” performances to more than 50 underserved rural communities each season. o Future Plans: Ms. Crawford has already laid the groundwork for further expansions in the education realm in future seasons, including the creation of a new Junior Boys’ Chorus for underprivileged youth. 4. BUSINESS RESULTS In addition to her artistic leadership, Ms. Crawford led the administrative and business functions of the organization, where her achievements included: o Operating Budget: grew the annual operating budget by 144%, from $1.5m in 1994 to $3.6m in 2007.