Board of Directors Spring Meeting Wednesday, April 25, 2007 The Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel and Marina Miami, Florida

SCHEDULE Wednesday, April 25 (all meeting rooms are located on the third floor of the hotel) • 8:30am to 9:30am – Meeting of the Finance Committee (Salon A) • 9:30am to 10:30am - Meeting of the Membership Committee (Salon A) • 10:30am to 12 noon - Meeting of the Information/Online Services Committee (Salon A) • 12 noon to 4:30 p.m. – OPERA America Board Meeting and Lunch (Hibiscus Island Room) • 6:30pm to 8:00pm – Host Company Reception at Smith & Wollensky (bus service will be provided from the Marriott to the Reception starting at 6:00pm) • 8:00pm to 10:00pm – Board of Directors’ Dinner at the home of Morton & Jane Robinson (bus service will be provided from the Host Company Reception to the Dinner, and back to the hotel at the end of the evening)

Thursday, April 26 • 6:00pm to 7:30pm – Reception in honor of Dana Gioia and Wayne Brown of the National Endowment for the Arts, hosted by George Lindemann at BC Property Investments, 4500 Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 105. (Bus service will be provided from the Marriott to the Reception and back to the hotel, and will also be available for those who wish to return earlier and attend the Anna Karenina preview performance that evening.)

Friday, April 27 • 6:30pm to 7:30pm – Annual Fund Reception in the Hibiscus Island Room at The Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel and Marina

Performance Tickets If you ordered opera tickets, you can pick them up at the Carnival Center box office the evening of the performance.

Attire Meetings of the Board of Directors are business casual. The Board of Director’s Dinner is business attire.

Fall Board Meeting The Fall Board meeting will be held in Los Angeles Friday, September 28 – Sunday, September 30, 2007.

OPERA AMERICA BOARD COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS (as of April 2007)

NAME Artistic Info/Online Governance Finance Membership Services Services David Baile X X Patricia Beggs X X Susan Danis (Secretary) X CHAIR Brian Dickie X Anne Ewers CHAIR X Catherine French X Anthony Freud CHAIR X Peter Gelb (Vice Chairman) X David Gockley X Dennis Hanthorn X X Speight Jenkins (Vice Chairman) X X Libby Larsen X Barbara Leirvik X Frayda Lindemann X X David McIntosh (Treasurer) X CHAIR Charles MacKay EX EX EX EX EX (Chairman) OFFICIO OFFICIO OFFICIO OFFICIO OFFICIO Christopher Mattaliano X Janice Mayer X X Erie Mills X X Allen Moyer X Peter Russell X X Marc Scorca EX EX EX EX EX (President/CEO) OFFICIO OFFICIO OFFICIO OFFICIO OFFICIO Karen Stone X X Diane Wondisford (Vice Chairman) CHAIR

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS April 25, 2007 The Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel and Marina Miami, Florida

AGENDA I. Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of January 27, 2007. Tab 1

II. Report of the Chairman Tab 2 Report of the President Discussion Topics: OPERA America Research, Electronic Media Forum, Capacity Building Grants

III. Finance Report Tab 3

IV. Membership Report Tab 4 OPERA America Membership Opera.ca Opera Europa Opera Latin America

V. Committee Reports Tab 5 Artistic Services Governance Information/Online Services

VI. Other Reports Tab 6 Education External Affairs Government Affairs Information Technologies Marketing/Public Affairs

VII. Other Business

VIII. Next Meetings Tab 7

Adjournment

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS of JANUARY 27, 2007 The Helmsley Park Lane Hotel New York, New York

Board Members Present: Charles MacKay, Chairman, David Baile, Patricia Beggs, Anne Ewers, Catherine French, Peter Gelb, Dennis Hanthorn, Barbara Leirvik, Frayda Lindemann, David McIntosh, Janice Mayer, Erie Mills, Peter Russell, Robert Swedberg, Diane Wondisford.

Board Members Absent: Susan Danis, Brian Dickie, Anthony Freud, David Gockley, Speight Jenkins, Libby Larsen, Christopher Mattaliano, Allen Moyer, Karen Stone.

Staff Members Present: Marc A. Scorca, President/CEO, Alexa Antopol, Brian Chapman, Kate Ehle, Haley Gordon, Bill Higgins, Kelley Rourke, Peter McDowell, Traci Schanke, Amy Smitherman, Kevin Sobczyk, Megan Young.

Charles MacKay called the meeting to order at 11:35am. He welcomed everyone to New York and thanked them for taking time to participate in this important meeting.

Charles welcomed Peter Russell and congratulated him for his courage through the period of his multiple surgeries. He expressed regret over the retirement of Trish Compton from Opera North and the recent resignation of Bill Powers from Berkshire Opera.

Charles welcomed Peter Gelb who is attending his first Board meeting. Charles continued by congratulating Peter on the great success he has had already at The Met and in raising the standard of creativity for all opera companies.

I. Approval of the Minutes of meeting of October 1, 2006. The minutes were approved unanimously without any changes or additions.

II. Report of the Chairman Charles commented on the apparent increase in the level of unpredictability we are called on to manage – world series games, weather patterns, and a flood in the OPERA America office. He commended the staff on navigating around the challenges in the office to produce a Board book that was particularly interesting and reflective of an incredible year of new services, new technologies, and new office.

B. Report of the President Marc began his report with congratulations to four staff members who acted quickly in response to the discovery of the office flood. Megan Young, Amy Smitherman, Kevin Sobczky and Alexa Antopol gave up their Holiday weekend and succeeded by their action in protecting the server, phone system and library. We did loose the xerox machine, but we could have lost a great deal more without their quick and intelligent response. Walls are

Board Minutes/Page 1

being removed and replaced and furniture, as needed. OPERA America carries appropriate insurance and is in constant communication with the insurance company.

Marc introduced staff members attending their first board meeting. Haley Gordon, is OPERA America’s Government Affairs Manager located in Washington DC, where she works from the office of Dance/USA. Bill Higgins, began as Director of External Affairs on January 17.

Discussion Topic Due to a problem with the LCD projector, the meeting continued with the Discussion Topic. Charles MacKay turned to Peter Gelb, who has introduced new technologies into the world of opera. He noted the superb level of quality of the new HD broadcasts to movie theaters and wondered whether these will increase opera attendance. In St. Louis, the events were sold out to an audience that included familiar opera goers and a new public that has not attended live performances and certainly is not able to go backstage, as they can during the intermission features broadcast to the movie theaters.

Peter Gelb provided a summary of the background, strategies, and results of the new Met HD initiative, noting that it is based on a new agreement with the 16 labor unions at the opera house. The HD transmissions are just part of a comprehensive use of the media, including public radio and television stations. Other elements of the overall strategy include audio on demand, video on demand, and a new relationship with Sirius Radio, among others. The sponsorship and advertising opportunities are, at this point, unexplored. In the near future, the public should be able to bring on-demand product to home computers/televisions.

The entire range of activities has been very well received, starting with the first 3 movie theater broadcasts. Although it is very important that these broadcasts are live, ticket sales have been brisk even when the broadcasts are repeated. (The format, including the behind- the-scenes intermission features, are based on a sports model.) Peter expects the initiative to expand in terms of the number of broadcasts and the number of theaters that are able to carry them. A “kit” will be made available to adapt theaters that do not have permanent installations of HD technology.

Marc explained that OPERA America has conducted a survey to ascertain how member companies are participating in the movie theater events. Some are sending staff members to distribute local ticket brochures and capture addresses. A few company general directors greeted movie theater patrons prior to the beginning of the broadcast. Some people have wondered whether, with the convenience of parking, inexpensive tickets, and relaxed atmosphere, the movie theater broadcasts will draw people away from their subscriptions. Peter noted the positive impact on the sports industry when televised games were introduced – live attendance increased. A constant media presence will drive live attendance. Peter went on to stress that the media projects must be based on excellent art. The movie theaters are very excited about the initiative, that resonates with their long term strategy of developing more community services than just movies. It is too soon to assess the long-term revenue implications of the project. Peter explained that all the new Met initiatives have resulted in high box office sales at The Metropolitan Opera House itself. Revenue is running approximately 13% ahead of last year at this point in the season.

Board Minutes/Page 2

After the lunch break, the meeting resumed with the continuation of the Report of the President.

Staff members reported about various OPERA America services, organized by program, and illustrated the geographic distribution of member companies participating in these services. Highlights included a report by Peter McDowell on the latest of Opera Fund grants, the most recent Technical/Production Meeting, a Singer Workshop taking place in San Francisco, and the Making Connections seminar series in the New York office. Marc reported on regional meetings, opera company consultations, and services to trustees. In the priority area of enjoyment, Peter described current online learning courses. Marc spoke about the new effort to strengthen Young Professionals programs at opera companies.

David Baile asked if Canadian companies take part in OPERA America services since the map does not include the Canadian provinces. Marc explained that the Canadian opera companies participate actively and that a similar report could be created for Canada. That said, there are some questions that should be resolved about which services are and are not extended to Canada.

In addition to the Annual Conference registration database, the establishment of new electronic bulletins has been a major recent undertaking along with the official launch of Opera Source. Kevin Sobczyk expanded on his presentation in Chicago by demonstrating many of the features of Opera Source. He emphasized that Member Companies have the primary responsibility for keeping their records current. He also noted that the version being demonstrated is Version 1 and that future iterations of Opera Source will refine functions. In response to a question from Charles MacKay, Kevin explained that non-member organizations, especially universities and competitions, are included as a service to the field.

The new electronic bulletins, called Links, draw information from and point readers to Opera Source. The monthly Links are for artists, educators, and trustees. Timely company information is contained in a bi-weekly NewsLink and important news items from the media are included in a bi-weekly MediaLink. The colors of the Links are coded to the colors on the Website that differentiate OPERA America services to artists, companies, and audiences. The open rates on these bulletins is very high. In response to a question from David McIntosh, Kevin explained the back-up procedures to protect OPERA America data.

Marc noted that this increased online capacity paved the way for OPERA America to transform Newsline into a new monthly magazine, a primary discussion topic of the Information/Online Services Committee.

III. Finance Report David McIntosh presented the Finance Report. He began by commending Amy on the new format of the reports which is much shorter and simpler. The new charts, in particular, are very helpful in understanding trends over several fiscal year. David pointed out additional opportunities to create reports that give more information in less space. Marc noted that this economical approach to reporting places a burden on staff to

Board Minutes/Page 3

bring forward detail related to areas of concern that might not be immediately obvious from abbreviated summary reports.

In terms of Fiscal Year 2007, a small surplus is anticipated. David asked Marc if there were any significant variances. Marc noted that staff salaries are lower in light of transitions and open positions, but that other expenses are generally consistent with expectations.

The Finance Committee will set to work immediately after the Board meeting to search for a new auditor. Staff has had steady problems in getting responses to questions and were particularly disappointed with the firm’s support of the new Audit Committee, after the auditors had insisted that OPERA America establish one. Selecting a new auditor would normally be a responsibility of the Audit Committee, but since that committee has only met once, the selection of the audit firm will be led by the Finance Committee.

In response to a question, Amy explained that the audit currently costs approximately $22,000 per year. There was a question about whether the audit will cost will increase significantly in New York. Since the most recent audit expense included the costs of transportation from Washington, DC to New York and hotel accommodations for two accountants, we are hopeful that the overall cost will be equal.

Charles asked for a motion to empower the Finance Committee to search for a new auditor and to bring a recommendation forward at the next Board meeting. The motion was made, seconded and passed unanimously.

David made an informal recommendation that the OPERA America Finance Committee devote a more significant amount of time once each year to examining long-term issues to balance the excellent short-term reporting that takes place. Charles agreed that we need to begin creating financial models for the Opera Center – not only the fundraising for the endowment, but an operating analysis that will help to protect the long-term stability of the organization.

In response to a question, Marc explained the pattern of Conference attendance that reached an all time high in Pittsburgh. We experienced a large drop in Detroit and modest increase over that in Seattle. We are hoping that Miami will be still better. Amy explained that this year’s hotel rate is lower than in Seattle. Marc acknowledged that moving the Conference back to June, which will begin in 2008, should help raise registration levels. In response to a question about the wisdom of moving to a bi-annual conference, Marc explained that the American Symphony Orchestra League has considered this, but opted to remain with an annual event. Theatre Communications Group has just gone from a biannual meeting to an annual one.

IV. Committee Reports A. The Governance Report was presented by Anne Ewers who asked everyone to turn to Tab 4. As reported in the Board book, there are a number of openings among general directors and members-at-large due to rotations and retirements. The Committee discussed a number of suitable candidates for these positions.

Board Minutes/Page 4

In terms of the various Councils that are being formed and are functioning, it was agreed that appropriate representatives of these Councils would be invited to attend Board meetings only on an informal basis in order to create a more robust connection between their discussion and the Board itself.

A proposal to establish a new National Opera Trustee Recognition program was discussed favorably in light of the opportunity it presents to recognize exceptional service and create models for the entire field. Charles invited Frayda to speak further about this project, and thanked her for her willingness to guide this project. Frayda emphasized the importance of making such recognition special, and recommended limiting the awards to one trustee for each budget level. This would also allow for the recognition of trustees who serve smaller companies, where the work of Board members is very different than that at larger companies. She also recommended that the presentation of awards take place at a dinner like that at the Lotos Club in 2006 and not in a gala setting. It was decided that it would be appropriate to move the yearly meeting of the National Trustee Council to coincide with the presentation of these awards. A motion to move forward with this initiative was approved unanimously.

There was extended discussion around the possibility of altering the by-laws to allow representation from Professional Company Members, beyond that of the General Director. It was noted that the presence of voices from different professional specialties could enhance the Boards discussion of marketing and fundraising issues, to cite just two examples. It was agreed that more research was needed before we could propose such a change. Peter Russell voiced his support for the idea.

B. The Membership Report was presented by Marc in place of Susan Danis was supervising her Opening Night in Sarasota. Membership levels are stable with last year, although we are ahead of budget in the collection of Professional Company Member dues.

Solicitation of individual members was largely put on hold pending the completion of Opera Source. Two staff members are in San Francisco this very weekend leading a Singer workshop that will be attended by nearly 100 people. Seminars for artists in New York are underway. OPERA America staff are discussing a collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera National Council to conduct singer workshops in conjunction with district and regional auditions. All such workshops yield new memberships.

Marc emphasized the need for OPERA America to become more effective in activating the vast membership network to recruit new members – affiliate members and especially individual members. Every opera company, training program and conservatory comes in contact with hundreds of artists every year. We need to become persistent in recruiting our members to help us recruit more members.

There is one application for Professional Company membership from Opera Providence. This would be our first company in Rhode Island. The company has not offered two productions in recent years, so the approval of their application should include the waiving of this membership requirement. The application was approved unanimously.

Board Minutes/Page 5

David Baile presented the Opera.ca report in place of Micheline McKay who was not able to be in New York. The most important issue for Opera.ca has been advocacy around Canada Council which has resulted in an infusion of $50 million into the Council budget, divided over the next two years. The Annual Meeting of Opera.ca takes place in Toronto in early February, hosted by the Canadian Opera Company in the new Four Seasons Performing Arts Center. Opera.ca has hired fundraising counsel to assist in the effort to build the Canadian Opera Fund. There is a new member, Opera New Brunswick. Charles thanked David for his report.

Marc reminded Board members that Opera Europa’s European Opera Days conference will take place the week after Opera.ca’s Annual Meeting, in Paris. Unique to this meeting is the active participation of audience members, especially young audience members.

C. The Artistic Services Report was presented by Diane Wondisford. She began by thanking Peter McDowell for working with the Committee for the first time.

In terms of the Opera Fund, the Audience Development panel awarded grants in November. The Committee reviewed some of the suggestions from the panel for improving the application process. There was a question about OPERA America’s policy of awarding only significant grants to the best applications, rather than awarding small grants to many applicant companies. The Committee reviewed this issue and determined that the current policy should be preserved. We should fund only the best applications in order to provide a significant level support and to showcase only the best projects as models for the rest of the field.

Regarding the National Singer Training Council, it was decided to change the working title from Council to Forum in order to reflect more accurately that this body cannot impose any policies on the field. Erie Mills will attend the next meeting of the Forum.

The final issue discussed was the feasibility of a competition for aspiring opera designers. Diane noted a model promulgated by Opera Europa. The Committee felt there would be great value for the field in gaining exposure to young designers. Charles added that it would be optimal if it would be possible to award the winner with a full production of the winning design. Still, even without a cash prize or a full production, gaining exposure to the field would be very important.

D. The Information/Online Services report was delivered by Patty Beggs, in place of Anthony Freud. Patty directed Board members to section 4 of the Board book. She noted that after discussion of Opera Source, the most important topic covered was the proposed new magazine, to be called Opera America. The committee reviewed numerous staff proposals about the intended audience, content, design, editorial control, and participation of an advisory group. There was general agreement that the magazine will be created for opera “stakeholders” and would not compete with current consumer magazines. It will be important for the magazine to have a “voice,” although there was complete agreement that the magazine would not contain reviews.

Board Minutes/Page 6

A more complete proposal will be reviewed by members of the committee in the months before the next board meeting. At the same time, committee members will review design concepts so a final proposal can be brought before the full Board in Miami.

V. Other Reports Marc guided Board members through the Education Report. Bill Higgins reviewed the potential for fundraising among New York foundations. He noted that the Annual Fund will be advanced this year, again with the help of Barbara Leirvik who graciously signs many letters of solicitation and handwrites thank you notes to all donors.

Haley Gordon provided a summary of legislative priorities and explained her collaborative work with Dance/USA, the American Arts Alliance, and the larger Cultural Advocacy Group. She invited all Board members to participate in our effort to appoint government affairs liaisons at every Professional Company Member. Members are invited to appoint three liaisons, one each from the board, staff and volunteer support group, if possible.

VI. Other Business Charles MacKay expressed his anticipation of this evening’s Board Reception and thanked Frayda Lindemann for hosting the event in her New York apartment.

VII. Next Meeting The next meeting of the Board of Directors will take place in Miami on April 25, in association with Opera Conference 2007.

VIII. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 4:00pm

Board Minutes/Page 7 ATLANTA OPERA

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

MARCH 2007 COULD THE CITY OF ATLANTA SUPPORT A LARGER OPERA COMPANY? OPERA America compared Atlanta to cities of similar size that supported opera companies with budgets @ $10 million and above. Note that the five data sets below define the metropolitan area slightly differently; it is not accurate to make comparisons across data sets.

BASIC CITY INFORMATION Median Household Bachelor's Fortune 500 St. Capitol? Population Income degree or higher companies Atlanta Y 4,929,880 39,752 42.40% 14 Dallas N 5,784,645 36,403 28.30% 11 Miami N 5,288,796 25,211 20.20% <5 Houston N 5,176,061 36,894 27.80% 23 San Diego N 2,930,886 55,637 40.40% <5 Seattle N 3,732,959 49,297 52.70% 5

MAJOR LOCAL INSTITUTIONS Orchestra University (# of students) Art Museum (works in perm. collection) Atlanta 220+ - AA - aa Georgia State (27,000); Emory (11,300) High (11,000) Dallas 225 - AA - a UT Dallas (14,000); SMU (11,000) Dallas Museum of Art (23,000) Miami 65 - A - a University of Miami (15,600) Bass Museum (?) Houston 170 - AA - a U. of Houston (35,180 students); Rice (3,000) Museum of Fine Arts (53,000) San Diego 95 - AA - a UCSD (26,876); U. of San Diego (7,000) San Diego Museum of Art (?) Seattle 145/67 - AA - aa U. Washington (42,974); Seattle U. (7,200) Seattle Art Museum (?)

CULTURAL VITALITY RANKINGS (1 = highest ranking U.S. metropolitan area) Nonprofit celebrations, fairs, Arts Arts festivals, Nonprofit arts Nonprofit arts establishments nonprofits parades expenses contributions Atlanta 20 51 (low) 54 46 (low) 48 (low) Dallas 45 41 47 38 30 Miami 23 46 30 34 35 Houston 58 (low) 48 20 (high) 17 28 San Diego 31 23 24 41 41 Seattle 5 (high) 5 (high) 58 (low) 7 (high) 5 (high) rate of population growth 1990- rate of population growth 2000 national rank Atlanta 38.9% (high) 4 Miami-Ft. Lauderdale 21.4% 11 West Palm Beach-Boca Raton 31.0% 26 Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton 19.7% 13 Minneapolis-St. Paul 16.9% 15 Pittsburgh -1.5% (low) 280

median median home median age income value Atlanta City 34.7 39,752 218,500 Miami-Dade County 37.4 37,148 246,500 Palm Beach County 41.9 48,099 269,800 Seattle City 36.8 49,297 384,900 Minneapolis City 32.1 41,829 226,900 Pittsburgh City 38.4 30,278 74,000

SOURCES AND ABBREVIATIONS Population = Consolidated Metropolitan/Micropolitan Areas, 2003

Primary orchestra stats = # of concerts - annual operating budget income class - annual guest artist and guest conductor fees budget class AA - $10,000,000 and above aa - $1,000,000 and above A - 3,600,000 - 10,000,000 a - $300,000 - $1,000,000 Source: Musical America

University enrollment statistics: from individual university Web sites Income and education statistics : 2005 estimates by US Census Bureau for individual cities (NOT greater metro areas) Cultural vitality rankings: "Cultural Vitality in Communities: Interpretation and Indicators," The Urban Institute Rate and ranking of population growth: U.S. Census Metropolitan Area Data City/County Demographics : U.S. Census Bureau American FactFinder

Opera Conference 2007 GENERAL DIRECTOR SPECIALTY SESSIONS

Session Times $ Thursday, April 26, 4:00pm to 5:30pm $ Friday, April 27, 2:00pm to 3:30pm

Session Leaders $ Companies with budgets of more than $3 million Anthony Freud, Houston Grand Opera $ Companies with budgets of between $1 million and $3 million Alan Naplan, Madison Opera $ Companies with budgets of less than $1 million Steven Sharpe, Opera Santa Barbara

Discussion Topics

Companies with budgets of more than $3 million Artistic $ How do we handle artist fees in light of the weak dollar/strong Euro? European singers want to be paid in Euro or the equivalent in US dollars.

Audience Development $ How can opera attract younger audiences, especially younger audiences who are accustomed to spending considerable sums on tickets to rock concerts?

$ What are current patterns of subscription and single ticket sales? Are the numbers themselves up or down and in which categories? What are the changes in the behavioral patterns of purchasing? Last minute? Weekends instead of week nights?

Companies with budgets of budgets of between $1 million and $3 million Audience Development/Marketing $ How strong have ticket sales been during the past year in comparison to the previous? Have you raised ticket prices and by how much?

$ How are we adapting with the changing purchasing patterns of consumers and the impact that has on opera companies= ability to plan?

General Director Specialty Sessions Page 2 $ How are companies using the Met broadcasts to movie theaters to their advantage? $ How does a company research non-attenders to learn their attitudes about opera

Artistic $ Can the opera world find a way to do true co-productions where everything is shared, including cast, orchestra, chorus B so that costs can actually be reduced?

Development $ In relation to sponsors, we always sent materials with logos to sponsors for approval of placement, etc., but recently we had a sponsor come back objecting about partial nudity (not a rarity for us). Has this been an issue for others? What=s the line between artistic integrity and financial need?

$ Where are companies placing their fundraising emphasis, individuals, corporations, or foundations? Other? Are there any innovative ideas in this area?

Governance $ Any new models for Boards of Trustees that are working? $ Tactics for increasing the level of engagement and accountability. $ How do we engineer the shift from Board meetings filled with committee reports to board meetings with meaningful discussion in order to make best use of the time of members?

Staffing/Staff Management $ At the risk of sounding old, I am more and more often finding a really different approach to work from my younger staff. Is this a management issue for other people? How are you dealing with it?

$ What has been the most difficult administrative, production or artistic staff position to fill?

$ What staff positions are needed year-round and what functions can be seasonal or shared with other organizations?

$ What employee incentive plans or reward programs exist among companies to compensate in situations when you cannot just throw more money at a value employee?

Technology/New Media $ How are we going to move the use of new media forward for all companies? We are do burdened by union/labor challenges that on some levels, I don=t know where to begin. Is this something we can act on as a community or are we out there on our own?

$ Does anyone have a way to get good quality, balanced sound on a video without hanging mics that interfere with the audience=s view of the stage?

$ Does anyone else have trouble getting permission from musicians to make work samples? General Director Specialty Sessions Page 3 Companies with Budget of Less Than $1 million Artistic $ What is the process by which repertoire is selected? $ Artistic Committees B help or hindrance? $ What is the casting process?

Audience Development/Marketing $ Does anyone read the paper any more? With limited marketing dollars, where and how do I market my product?

$ What are the trends around the country about attendance? We do not have trouble selling our higher priced tickets, but when it comes to the next level, we have trouble.

$ How do you fill the house when so many competing events happen in your city? $ How are companies using the Met movie theater broadcasts? $ How to reach new audience members with a limited budget.

Development $ What are creative ways to manage donor relations with limited or no development staff?

Governance $ Growth Phases: Many smaller companies make the slow shift from working boards to fundraising boards. When is it appropriate to migrate to the next level? What needs to be done internally to make move the Board to the next level?

$ Building boards with people who have the credentials needed to govern. This seems to be a universal problem.

$ What is the Board=s role in repertoire selection?

$ How do you motivate board members to raise money?

$ How do I get them to focus?

Leadership $ How to be the best we can at asking for what we need. What are our personal obstacles which keep us for asking people to give to our organizations?

Staffing $ Staff communications, i.e. staff meetings, interoffice memos, email.

$ Mail management. Who receives it, opens it, distributes it, reacts to it? General Director Specialty Sessions Page 4

$ One of the things that is difficult for a small company is the subject of succession. Often, there isn=t the money to bring on a successor because the infrastructure just won=t support an overlap of salaries. Yet the successor really needs time with the person s/he is replacing.

Volunteers $ When they are useful versus when they are too much trouble, and how to know the difference. $ My guild is on life support. I don=t mind pulling the plug, but how (and when) do I start a new one?

I n t e r n a l A g e n c y W o r k I n g D o c u m e n t

National Endowment for the Arts Building Creative Communities: Investing in Organizational Capacity D R A F T

The key roles for the NEA regarding organizational capacity issues were presented as:

• To provide arts organizations with a strategic combination of services and grant funds. In the role of federal leadership, this investment seeks to avoid the duplication of standard, basic programs that may be offered by entities such as service organizations, state arts agencies, and other arts funders. • To convene periodically all participating parties for field dialogue. • To highlight best practices by compiling and disseminating documentation with participants and the field.

The NEA was encouraged to foster innovation, risk-taking, and entrepreneurship in arts organizations. A new category would complement the NEA's existing grant categories and would be an opportunity for an additional application beyond the limitations in the Grants for Arts Projects guidelines.

Organizations could apply in one of the following four areas:

Fast-Track Grants

Fast-track, small-scale needs assessment and planning grants for $10,000 matched 1 to 1. Projects would include:

1) Organizational evaluation or financial assessment/business plans.

2) Design charettes for cultural facilities and spaces.

Comprehensive Grants

Grants to ensure that arts organizations thrive as stable, sustainable, and vital community resources. Projects should involve new concepts, fundamental change, or substantial departures from established patterns to benefit the arts over time. This would include:

3) Strategic Innovation: The investment in leadership and managerial development, organizational improvement, broadened community participation, civic design, and the planning and design of facilities.

4) Artistic Innovation: The implementation of new major artistic initiatives to move an organization forward in achieving excellence in the arts or bringing the arts to all Americans.

Comprehensive Grants would generally range from $50,000 to $500,000, be multi-year, as appropriate to the project, and require a match of at least 2 to 1. Evaluation components would be required and would be allowable as project costs.

03/15/2007 DRAFT Investing in Organizational Capacity 1

OPERA AMERICA

ELECTRONIC MEDIA CONSULTING PROPOSAL APRIL 15, 2007

11-29 Fashion Street 285 West Broadway London E1 6PX New York 10013 T 44 (0) 20 7377 6559 T 1 212 226 5820 F 44 (0) 20 7377 5992 F 1 212 226 5821 OPERA America Electronic Media Consulting Proposal

Background

Context for Proposal This proposal is in response to a request from OPERA America (“OA”) – the national service organization for opera – for qualified consultants to offer advice and assistance to OA in the creation and delivery of services to support opera companies in their electronic media activities.1 This request arises out of a recognition on the part of OA’s leadership that providing its members with access to information and resources about the rapid changes in the application of technology to the arts will help OA achieve its mission to “lead and serve the entire opera community, supporting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera.”

The role of technology and electronic media activities as a means of distributing the performances of opera companies has traditionally been secondary to what most companies consider their primary mission of presenting those performances at the highest possible standards of artistic excellence in opera houses in their local communities. The current environment of technological change is creating some unique opportunities for opera companies to make electronic media activities a higher institutional priority as a strategy for achieving their missions.

The costs of digitizing arts content are declining rapidly. For opera, ballet and theater groups looking to create audio-visual content, the miniaturization of digital cameras enables the permanent installation of cameras in performing arts facilities, with a capital investment that can be amortized by the costs of renting traditional television production equipment a handful of times. With multiple robotic cameras operated by a few people, the production personnel costs can also be reduced substantially. And, new revenue sharing compensation systems with performers have dramatically reduced the upfront cost of making high quality audio and audio- visual recordings.

The outlets for distributing arts content electronically are also increasing, simultaneously with a reduction in some traditional barriers for reaching them. The Internet enables content to be distributed by its creators without unnecessary middlemen. Currently, even when offered free to PBS, an opera production cannot be guaranteed national broadcast coverage on locally controlled public television stations, many of whom claim their audiences prefer “Doo-Wop” reunion reruns. With the advent of digital broadcasting, which enables public radio and television stations to deliver up to five channels of programming in the bandwidth currently occupied by their analog signals, there is no excuse for them not providing performing arts institutions with access to their niche audiences. There is still substantial investment and subsidy required to deliver audio-visual content electronically. Yet, when the television audience for a local broadcast can exceed the total number of people reached by an arts group’s live performances in an entire year, why would any arts leaders think twice about putting at least one broadcast in the budget?

1 Throughout this proposal, the use of the term “electronic media activities” is intended to include the recording of audio or audio-visual musical content, distributed locally, nationally or internationally via existing and new technologies, including, but not limited to, terrestrial and satellite radio broadcasts; Internet streaming, podcasting, and downloading; standard, cable and satellite television broadcasts; audio recordings (CDs, DVDs) and audio-visual recordings (Videocassettes, DVDs).

AEA Consulting 2

OPERA America Electronic Media Consulting Proposal

Complementary Consulting Relationships AEA Consulting is responding to OA’s request in part because it believes its proposed consultants for this project – Joseph H. Kluger and Michael Bronson, each of whom has over 25 years of experience as an internationally recognized expert in the classical music industry on recordings, broadcasts, the Internet and other electronic media activities – are ideally suited to provide the requested services (see “The Team” section below). There are also some efficiencies and synergies that would be of benefit to OA, as a result of complementary consulting relationships that AEA Consulting has recently begun with the American Symphony Orchestra League and the Symphony, Opera and Ballet Orchestra Managers’ Media Committee.

The scope of work of the consulting relationship that AEA has with the American Symphony Orchestra League parallels in a number of respects the proposed OA scope of work below, especially in the areas of information collection and dissemination. AEA will endeavor to coordinate its work with both service organizations, so that each of them – within the parameters of their respective confidentiality policies – can benefit from AEA’s relationship with the sister service organization.

The scope of work in connection with the Managers’ Media Committee consulting agreement primarily includes providing assistance to the Committee and the institutions it represents, as requested, in any interactions with the AFM, AGMA, AFTRA and IATSE and/or their Locals, in connection with the interpretation and implementation of local and national electronic media collective bargaining agreements. AEA understands that only some members of OA are represented by the Managers’ Media Committee. For those OA member opera companies, who are not represented by the Managers’ Media Committee, the scope of work provided by AEA to OA will include assisting them with the rights clearance issues that those institutions face with conductors, soloists, musicians, choristers, dancers, stagehands and composers/publishers in the planning and implementation of electronic media activities.

Scope of Work

To assist OPERA America in meeting the electronic media related objectives in its strategic plan, AEA Consulting proposes to provide the following consulting services to OPERA America and its members:

Information

ƒ Keeping OPERA America and its members informed of relevant changes, trends and developments that may affect electronic media activities, including those relating to: o technology (e.g. recording, production, distribution) o legislation and law (e.g. copyright, intellectual property) and o business (e.g. innovative strategies, financial models, consumer behavior)

ƒ Tracking and reporting on electronic media activities by the institutions, in order to keep OPERA America and its members informed of the latest developments and best practices. In order to ensure the greatest possible response from members, and to reduce the amount of time required from AEA consultants, OPERA America will delegate a staff contact for the purpose of collecting information about media activities. This same person will be the coordinator of the Electronic Media Forum as well as the point person for distribution of reports and information to OPERA America member companies.

AEA Consulting 3 OPERA America Electronic Media Consulting Proposal

ƒ Data will be solicited2 from all OPERA America companies, in order to: o monitor the quantity of electronic media activity o measure the impact of the activity (direct and indirect benefits), relative to the organization’s objectives (e.g. audiences served, net financial results) and o identify innovative and model recording, production and distribution strategies Advocacy

ƒ Assist OPERA America in representing the opera company industry’s interests, as requested

ƒ Assist OPERA America’s department of Government Affairs, in any policy making forums (e.g. Future of Music Coalition, U.S. Congress, FCC, U.S. Copyright Office, SoundExchange) that may have an impact on the ability of opera companies to use technology and electronic media activities to achieve their missions.

Expertise

ƒ Helping OPERA America and its members to think strategically about electronic media activities (to help them understand how they can be of direct or indirect benefit to each opera company, to analyze what activities are most appropriate for each opera company and to make sure there is internal consensus about the goals and strategies).

ƒ Advising OPERA America and its members on production issues (to determine what equipment and personnel are needed for recording and distribution, and to analyze when it is in the opera company’s interest to assume responsibility for those functions on its own and when it makes more sense to outsource the function to others).

ƒ Providing advice to OPERA America and its members on business issues (to analyze the pros and cons of self-production vs. licensing to others, to provide advice in negotiating contracts with a media company or outlet interested in licensing an opera company’s productions, to analyze the pros and cons of the opera company assuming responsibility on its own for marketing and distribution, and to help develop financial pro formas).

ƒ Providing advice and counsel to OPERA America and its members relating to the rights clearance issues they will encounter with conductors, soloists, musicians, choristers, dancers, stagehands, stage directors, choreographers, designers and composers/publishers in the planning and implementation of electronic media activities. In this regard, the consultants will identify those matters for which expert legal advice may be required and assist the OPERA America and its members as requested in its engagement of and interaction with appropriate legal counsel.

ƒ Interacting with the AFM, AGMA, AFTRA and IATSE and/or their Locals, as requested by OPERA America and/or an institution, in connection with the interpretation and implementation of local and national electronic media collective bargaining agreements

2 All data will be collected on a confidential basis and will remain the property of the OPERA America. The data will be shared with others only for educational purposes and only on an aggregate basis or as may be otherwise permitted by OPERA America and the institution(s) providing the data. AEA Consulting will use its best efforts to insure that any data collected or disseminated is done in strict compliance with OPERA America’s confidentiality and antitrust policies.

AEA Consulting 4 OPERA America Electronic Media Consulting Proposal

ƒ Providing advice to OPERA America and its members, as requested, in preparation for the negotiation of any collective bargaining agreements with the AFM, AGMA, AFTRA and IATSE. (The scope of work will not include the consultants’ participation in the negotiations, except to present any reports they have prepared that document electronic media activity and/or industry trends.)

ƒ Transferring the consultants’ knowledge and experience in electronic media related topics to members of the OPERA America staff and/or interested opera company managers, so that OPERA America and its members can develop a succession plan in this important area. Deliverables

AEA Consulting deliverables will include:

ƒ Telephone and e-mail interaction with the OPERA America staff in the areas described above. Member companies will have contact with AEA consultants through a designated OPERA America staff person regarding all requests for information; and AEA consultants will coordinate all responses with such designated staff person.

ƒ AEA will be present at two sessions of OPERA America’s Electronic Media Forum, membership in which would be open to all opera company representatives who have an interest in discussion and presentation of issues related to electronic media – from podcasts on Web sites to radio/television broadcasts. One such session would be planned to take place each fall in New York City for a period of two days. The other session to take place in the spring in conjunction with the OPERA America Annual Meeting for a period not to exceed ½ day.

ƒ Representation of OPERA America, if needed and requested, on any panels, forums, and/or at any industry conferences on related topics.

ƒ Public spokesperson, if needed and requested, on behalf of OPERA America in connection with any news media issues in this area.

ƒ Assistance to OPERA America in raising financial support for OPERA America’s electronic media services.

ƒ Meetings, if needed and requested, with groups of institution leaders at OPERA America’s annual meeting or periodic Board meetings to discuss electronic media issues arising out of this scope of work.

ƒ A quarterly electronic news bulletin to the field, in order to keep OPERA America and its members informed of relevant changes, trends and developments that may affect electronic media activities.

ƒ Serving as an editorial resource for OPERA America’s Newsletter, either as a source or author for articles on matters relating to electronic media.

ƒ An annual report, documenting electronic media projects by the institutions, analyzing key trends and developing any relevant conclusions.

ƒ An annual report, documenting the consultants’ interaction with the field.

AEA Consulting 5 OPERA America Electronic Media Consulting Proposal

AEA’s consultants will report to Marc Scorca, President and CEO of OPERA America who will be responsible for supervising AEA in providing the above services. Excluded Services

This consulting agreement does not include the following services:

ƒ Meetings or ongoing relationships with individual institutions, regarding the development or implementation of electronic media strategies or projects

ƒ Legal advice

ƒ Participation in any collective bargaining negotiations, except to present any reports prepared by the consultants that document electronic media activity and/or industry trends The Team

AEA Consulting will assign the execution of consulting services to be provided by this agreement to Joseph H. Kluger and Michael Bronson, who will be responsible for determining the division of work between them. In the event that either consultant is no longer available to provide the consulting services, the League will have the option of deciding whether to request a replacement, amend this agreement or cancel this agreement. Biographies of Mssrs. Kluger and Bronson are:

Joseph H. Kluger has extensive experience in strategic planning, organizational design, facilities development, conflict resolution, contract negotiation, media relations, fund raising, leadership development and innovative problem solving. Since joining AEA in 2005, his projects have included:

ƒ Developing a business plan for the merger of two opera companies in Cleveland

ƒ Creating a facility locations options analysis for the Center for Puppetry Arts (Atlanta)

ƒ Facilitating strategic planning processes for Jazz at Lincoln Center (New York), SFJAZZ (San Francisco) and the Please Touch Museum (Philadelphia)

ƒ Developing a capital project plan for a new performing arts center in Nicosia, Cyprus

ƒ Providing strategic counsel to Orange County’s Pacific Symphony Orchestra in lease negotiations for its new concert hall and

ƒ Advising several orchestras on the development of electronic media activity strategies

He joined AEA in 2005 after spending 27 years in symphony orchestra management, most recently as President of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association (1989-2005), where he helped develop the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, raised over $130 million for endowment, and instituted innovative strategic collaborations, including an electronic media joint-venture with the musicians of the Orchestra, shared ticketing services with Kimmel Center, Inc., and consolidated administrative operations with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops. He is also an internationally recognized expert in the classical music industry on recordings, broadcasts, the Internet and other electronic media activities and served for over ten years as the Chairman of the U.S. Orchestra and Opera Managers’ Media Committee.

AEA Consulting 6 OPERA America Electronic Media Consulting Proposal

Joe currently serves on the Board of Overseers of the Curtis Institute of Music, the Marian Anderson Award, and the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College. He began his professional career at the New York Philharmonic, following receipt of a M.A. in Arts Administration from N.Y.U. and his B.A. in Music from Trinity College in Hartford. He has also participated in the Senior Executive Leadership Program of NTL Institute, the Executive Coaching Workshop at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Fellows Master Class on Merger, Acquisition & Renewal. He has studied piano and voice, the latter including a summer at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He is also a frequent guest lecturer on leadership and arts administration at the graduate and undergraduate level at Wharton, Penn, NYU and Drexel.

Michael Bronson has been a member of the symphony/opera/ballet management negotiating committee for national American Federation of Musician contracts for audio/visual, internet, sound recording and radio activity for over 25 years. He is currently vice-chair of the committee.

As a television producer and consultant for Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera and Washington National Opera for more than two decades, he has negotiated union agreements for their media projects with the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (AFTRA), and IATSE locals for television productions (including home video and international distribution), internet, sound recording and radio broadcasts.

Michael has over 40 years of experience as an arts administrator, producer of television and radio programs, and arts management consulting in labor relations and media projects. He served as technical and business administrator of the Metropolitan Opera, which included responsibility for negotiation of all Metropolitan Opera labor agreements, as well as the first director of its Media Department. An Emmy and Peabody Award winning television producer, he produced the first 10 years of the Metropolitan Opera’s Live from the Met television series; negotiated the Metropolitan Opera’s first long term international television distribution and home video distribution agreements; and produced television specials including “Leonard Bernstein at 70” and “Pavarotti and the Italian Tenor, opera productions for Houston Grand Opera (“Nixon in China” and “Little Women”) and The Washington National Opera, and theater productions for PBS’ award winning American Playhouse series(“Tru” “Grapes of Wrath”). He served from 1993 through 2006 as the producer of intermission features for the Saturday afternoon Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts.

As an arts management consultant his clients have included Carnegie Hall, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Cleveland Orchestra, WNET/Thirteen, Opera America, Canadian Opera, UNITEL( Munich, Germany), Atlanta Symphony, Van Cliburn Piano Competition, St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra, and Orpheus Camber Orchestra. He has served as a panelist and company evaluator in the Opera/Music Theater program of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Currently Michael is serving as a consultant to the San Francisco Symphony primarily in areas of media labor agreements and producing the live concert programs in their new television series – Keeping Score: MTT on Music; and as a consultant for Houston Grand Opera and San Francisco Opera on labor relations and media activity

AEA Consulting 7 OPERA America Electronic Media Consulting Proposal

Term

The initial term of this agreement will begin on August 1, 2007 and extend through July 31, 2010. No later than six months prior to the expiration of the agreement, the parties will meet for the purpose of discussing the terms and conditions of any extension agreement beyond July 31, 2010. In the absence of mutual agreement on the terms of any extension, the agreement will expire on July 31, 2010. Either party may terminate this agreement, by giving three months written notice.

Fees

In consideration of the services provided by the AEA Consulting consultants as described above, OPERA America will pay AEA Consulting a monthly retainer of $2,500, payable at the beginning of each month, upon receipt of an invoice.

Travel, accommodation, subsistence and other expenses necessarily incurred in connection with the assignment will be recharged to the Client. No travel expenses will be incurred without the Client’s prior approval. In addition to our fee, we will be reimbursed at 1.1 times cost for messenger services, overnight mail, conference calls, long distance communications, special photocopying, printing and other costs directly related to this project. We will provide a breakdown and explanation of any such expenses.

AEA reserves the right to charge interest at 2% per month on amounts outstanding 30 days from date of invoice.

Standard Conditions Confidentiality To protect the interest of our clients, all AEA staff are employed under a service contract which reinforces their professional obligation not to disclose information confidential to the Client. Non-Compete Provisions It is a condition of the assignment that the Client will not employ or engage the services of any AEA employee or associate concerned with the assignment either during the assignment or for 12 months after completion of the assignment. Our consultants and associates are also under agreement not to seek or accept employment or engagement with our Clients. Notwithstanding these non-compete provisions, the parties acknowledge that both Joseph H. Kluger and Michael Bronson have and will continue to have consulting agreements with several individual symphony, opera and ballet institutions, as well as the Managers’ Media Committee, which the parties acknowledge are complementary to and not competitive with this agreement. Assignment Scope and Duration The assignment is confined to work specified in the proposal. The time to complete our work and the measure of its success depend, to a degree, on factors outside our control. We are limited, therefore, to giving an estimate of the time required and the results obtainable based on the information made available by the Client. Any such estimates, and any confirmation or variation of them in subsequent correspondence or reports, although given in good faith, shall not be deemed to be undertakings, warranties or contractual conditions. The Client shall make available to AEA staff all information which they may reasonably require for the effective execution of their work, in a timely manner.

AEA Consulting 8 OPERA America Electronic Media Consulting Proposal

Content Warranty All conclusions, forecasts and recommendations in any proposal, report, other documents or presentations are made in good faith and on the basis of information before us at the time and are not to be deemed in any circumstances a representation undertaking, warranty or contractual condition. In no circumstances shall AEA be liable for loss of profit or any other consequential damages. Intellectual Property Intellectual property rights and copyright of work undertaken by AEA for the Client shall remain vested in AEA. The Client shall have a free and irrevocable license to make use of them for the Client’s own purposes, subject to our invoices having been paid in full. Indemnification When an employee or associate of AEA is required to act in the capacity of a temporary executive reporting to the Client’s management, AEA’s employee or associate is acting as the Client’s agent and the Client hereby agrees to indemnify AEA and the named individual against all claims and costs for which the Company or its employee or associate may become liable by reason of the acts or omissions of the employee or associate during this period.

To signify your acceptance of the terms of this proposal, please countersign a copy of this contract, and return that copy to us. Kindly keep the original as your signed copy.

Respectfully, Accepted and Agreed: AEA Consulting LLC OPERA America

______By: Adrian Ellis By:

AEA Consulting 9 Board of Director's Meeting

April 25, 2007

Finance and Operations Report

Finance Documents Balance Sheet Revenue/Expense Projection FY07 Revenue Budget Projections FY07 Expense Budget Projections FY07 Budget Revisions Notes FY08 Revenue Budget Projections FY08 Expense Budget Projections

Graphs Professional Company Member Dues Other Membership Categories Conference Income/Expense Conference Income

Investment Report State Street Global Advisors March Statement

Finance and Operations Report April 2007

Operations

Water Damage All the repairs are complete. We have not received the final payment from the Travelers insurance adjuster, but there should be no problem with our claim.

Information Resources and Systems All server related hardware is performing normally. New hard drives and tape back up are functioning as expected.

Phone The current phone system, while outdated, is functioning as expected.

Finance

Investment Advisory Committee This summer the Investment Advisory Committee will meet again to review the investment strategy for the Opera Fund and the NY Opera Center.

Audit The process to select a new audit started quickly after the January Board meeting. The Finance Department drafted an RFP and circulated it to Marc and David. The proposal was sent to five firms we selected based on their knowledge and experience with non- profits and with art-service organizations. On April 5, Marc Scorca, Susan Schultz, David McIntosh, and Amy M. Smitherman met with the two final auditing candidates. We are recommending Eisner Accountants and Advisors.

The firm was selected based on the recommendations from the New York City Opera and American Symphony Orchestra League. They were interested in a partnership with OPERA America, not just auditing the books. From the interview process they were very interested in helping to build the audit committee and to be a resource for member companies.

FY07 Budget Changes

Income Affiliate/Business/Individual Membership revenue is down .65%. Based on the current renewal trends it was decided to reduce projected revenue by $10,000.

Foundation revenue for OPERA America is up 2.86% from the board-approved budget. We have been conservative in accounting for any additional foundation revenue. The American Express grant has not been renewed this year. Submissions were put on hold while American Express reviewed and revisited their guidelines. We have received several new grants that have helped to offset of the loss of the America Express grant.

After looking at several prior years’ conference registration revenue, the projected revenue for FY07 was reduced. Publication revenue is also reduced; with many of OPERA America’s former print publications going on-line, there has been a reduction in sales.

With the above changes, income is projected to be down 1.32% from the approved FY07 budget.

Expenses Overall expenses are down by 2.10%. If we continue at this level, we should have a modest surplus by the end of the year. Lower expenses have occurred mainly due to staff transitions this year and are not a trend for the years to come.

Increased expenses associated with the delayed transition of Newsline have been offset by lower printing costs for all other publications that OPERA America produces.

FY08 Budget

Income The budget for Professional Company dues is conservative. Over the last 15 years, Company dues income could be projected to rise approximately 3% annual. In the past two years many company budgets have remained relatively stable, maintaining the same income level for dues payments. We raised the Affiliate/Business/Individual Membership too slightly above the FY 07 March projection. We anticipate generating new memberships among New York=s artistic community.

Since several publications and periodicals were transferred to the Web, we are projecting growth income in this area also to be modest. The increase revenue is from advertising in the “OPERA America” magazine.

We have decreased the amount of money drawn for the Pamela Holies gift. The plan is to transfer more of this income into the NY Opera Center Endowment.

Since the Ambassador group is traveling to Santa Fe this year and not Austria, we have reduced the income and the expense. The income and expense lines are determined by the location and are directly linked to the type of trip the Ambassador group takes each year.

The two largest revenue increases in the budget are in (1) Government, (2) Foundations and Corporations. OPERA America has been invited to apply for a two-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon foundation. In addition, OPERA America also has secured additional funding to establish our regional workshops to Fort Worth. Moreover, we have budgeted further support for the Opera Center from the Fidelity Foundation and Mellon Foundation this year. Finally, we are allocating all remaining funds from the Performing Arts Research Coalition for a project for the Coalition in FY08. This has added equal expenses.

Expenses We realigned the following project expense: (1) Membership expense was increased to include the regional workshops that had formerly been listed as an Artistic expense. (2) Internet technology is a new program line for OPERA America. With the growth of OPERA America’s presence on the web and with the increased projects that are planned for the web, we felt this was a logical step. The expense was removed that from Finance and Operations.

The Artistic Initiatives budget has increased. With the move to New York, OPERA America want to increase contact with the artist community so we launched a series of lectures called “Making Connections.” We are adding more workshops in FY08.

Opera America Balance Sheet - Detailed YTD As of 3/31/2007

Beginning Year Prior Year as of Current Year % Change from Prior Balance as of 7/1/06 3/31/06 as of 3/31/07 Year

Assets Current Assets Cash & Cash Equivalents Cash 20,042 356,803 173,943 Certificates of Deposit 397,000 397,000 199,000 Money Market Account 261,913 259,718 252,980 PEW Research Initiative Checking 160,303 157,771 114,519 NMLC 34,515 35,515 32,515 National Performing Arts Convention 27,290 44,624 5,523 Total Cash & Cash Equivalents 901,063 1,251,431 778,481 -37.8%

Accounts Receivable Member Dues Receivable 122,637 29 59,315 Accounts Receivable 212,349 252,511 178,282 Grants Receivable 183,437 143,578 62,022 A/R Hoiles - NYC Relocation 625,000 250,000 125,000 Total Acccounts Receivable 1,143,423 646,118 424,620 -34.3%

Investments NY Opera Center 246,737 - 336,349 Opera Fund 5,578,015 5,689,526 6,269,940 Total Investments 5,824,752 5,689,526 6,606,289 16.1%

Inventory 35,541 37,411 34,813 -6.9%

Prepaid expenses 54,214 76,500 31,418 -58.9%

Total Current Assets 7,958,993 7,700,986 7,875,620 2.3%

Furniture equipment and leasehold 66,522 47,956 44,473 -7.3% improvements

Other Assets Security Deposits 65,835 72,641 65,835 A/R Long Term 1,171,300 1,611,669 1,292,463 Total Other Assets 1,237,135 1,684,310 1,358,298 -19.4%

Total Assets 9,262,650 9,433,252 9,233,243 -2.1%

Liabilities Accounts Payable 155,334 103,375 6,611 Vacation 23,466 25,181 18,093 Deferred Income 50,544 1,000 50,544 Grants Payable 168,492 234,413 225,642 Fiscal Agent Accounts 222,108 238,545 152,581 Total Liabilities 619,943 602,513 453,471 -24.7%

Net Assets Beginning Net Assets 8,848,258 8,848,270 8,692,706 Change In Net Assets (205,552) (17,531) 87,066 Total Net Assets 8,642,706 8,830,739 8,779,772 -0.6%

Total Liabilities and Net Assets 9,262,650 9,433,252 9,233,243 -2.1% Opera America FY07 Revenue/Expense Projections As of 3/31/2007

REVENUE EXPENSES

Membership 770,000 Membership 288,798 General Operating 546,320 MRK/PR/GVT. Affairs 140,764 Corporation 124,664 Information Service 55,462 Foundation 251,662 Conferences/Meetings 384,546 Government 103,000 Publications 165,447 Opera Fund Income 259,742 Resource Development/Truste 268,904 Earned Income 378,593 Artistic Programs 495,568 Education 102,512 General/Finance 457,296 New York Relocation 73,329

2,433,981 2,432,627

SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) 1,354 Opera America Revenue Budget Projections as of 3/31/07

Change FY 07 Approved FY 07 March vs FY 06 Actual Budget Projection Projection note

Membership Professional Companies 643,191 635,000 640,000 3 International Companies 4,085 4,000 4,000 Affiliate/Business/Individual 113,225 136,000 126,000 8 760,501 775,000 770,000 -0.65%

General Operating Annual Fund 119,470 150,000 125,000 9 Getty Foundation 6,500 6,500 6,500 Pamela Hoiles 426,000 449,820 414,820 18 551,970 606,320 546,320 -9.90%

Corporate Conference Sponsorships 57,490 60,000 59,664 TARGET - Opera World 15,000 35,000 55,000 1 Regional Workshop Sponsor (Kansas City) 15,000 10,000 10,000 87,490 105,000 124,664 18.73%

Foundations HEARST - M!W!O! Assessment Grant 7,207 14,996 14,996 HEWLETT - Bay Area Initiative 35,000 35,000 35,000 MELLON - Technology Program 115,000 115,000 115,000 AMEX 35,215 25,000 0 10 PEW - Research Initiative 16,666 16,666 16,666 NY Artistic Programming Support 0 15,000 50,000 4 NY Special Events Support 0 20,000 10,000 11 Lissner Foundation/Career Guide Grant/Opera Sou 0 3,000 10,000 5 209,088 244,662 251,662 2.86%

Government NEA - Organizational Capacity 100,000 95,000 95,000 NEA - Army Base Project 107,913 0 8,000 2 NEA - Cornerstones 11,125 219,038 95,000 103,000 8.42%

Earned Income Opera Fund Draw 218,634 259,742 259,742 Conference 155,604 205,670 173,000 14 Workshops 0 0 7,650 7 M!W!O! - Workshop Fees 9,976 20,000 20,000 Publication Sales, Advertising 22,641 28,000 15,000 12 National Performing Arts Convention Admin 25,000 25,000 25,000 National Performing Arts Convention Reimburseme 0 0 48,943 Consultations Fees 7,979 7,500 7,500 Interest Income 16,557 15,000 15,000 Ambassador Travel 20,355 100,000 66,000 13 Misc Income 36,152 0 500 6 512,898 660,912 638,335 -3.42%

TOTAL REVENUES 2,340,985 2,486,894 2,433,981 -2.13% Opera America Expense Budget Projections as of 3/31/07

FY 07 Approved FY 07 March YTD % of Budget Projection Change note

Membership Membership 288,052 288,798 0.26%

Public Relations/Marketing Public Relations/Marketing 137,945 140,764 2.04%

Development Resource Development 276,873 249,923 15 Trustee/Volunteer Resource Center 14,991 18,981 291,864 268,904 -7.87%

Information Services Information Service 55,462 55,462 Publications 171,721 165,447 16 227,183 220,909 -2.76%

Education Education 53,817 34,874 15 Opera Learning Center 62,681 35,000 20 M!W!O! 29,604 32,638 19 146,102 102,512 -29.84%

Artistic Programs Opera Source 92,443 109,077 22 Artistic Initiatives 387,915 371,110 17 Technical Production 25,093 15,381 505,451 495,568 -1.96%

Conferences Conferences and Workshops 290,809 289,122 Convention Advance 95,424 21 290,809 384,546 -0.58%

General Operating NY Relocation 154,109 73,329 18 Finance 161,195 173,195 23,24 General 282,101 284,101 597,405 530,625 -11.18%

Total Expenses 2,484,811 2,432,627 -2.10% Opera America Budget Revisions As of 3/31/2007

ADDED REVENUE Change 1 Increased Target to include $20,000 carried over from FY06. 20,000 2 The NEA Great American Voices program will end in FY07; increased expenses offset this increase 8,000 in revenues. 3 Increased Company Member dues. Currently see a 1% increase in company member dues 5,000 payments for the same companies over last year. 4 Opera America received a larger grant for NY Artistic Programming Support from the New York State 35,000 Music Fund. 5 The Lissner Foundation grant for the support of Opera Source was larger than expected. 10,000 6 National Performing Arts Convention reimbursed OPERA America for direct expenses that we have 48,943 incurred. Interest is charged. 7 The Making Connections Workshops are a new program and were not included in the original FY07 7,650 budget. TOTAL ADDED REVENUES 134,593

REDUCED REVENUES Change 8 With the current revenue models, we do not anticipate that we will make the budget goal. 10,000 9 Contributions are ahead of FY06 levels, however, the annual fund matching grant from the Rigler 25,000 Foundation has not been renewed for FY07 10 Removed the AMEX grant, due to AMEX program changes 25,000 11 Reduce NY Special Events funding. We received $10,000 from the Department of Cultural Affairs 10,000 Special Events, we will not secure additional funding in FY07. 12 Reduced the publications sales since Career Guide for Singers is now Opera Source. Career Guide 13,000 for Singers was Opera America's largest publication sale. 13 There were several cancellations in the Ambassador Trip to Austria. 35,000 14 After reviewing the past several years of conference registration, it was decided to reduce the 32,000 projection. TOTAL REDUCED REVENUES 150,000

REDUCED EXPENSES Change 15 Reduction of salaries, due to staff transitions 24,886 16 The expense was reduced because of a savings in the printing and shipping costs. 6,200 17 Professional Development Seminars were reduced. 12,000 18 The NY Opera Center Budget was reduced by 35,000. We had budgeted contract fees for Denham 35,000 Wolf. We have retained them for FY08 but not for FY07

19 M!W!O! required fewer contractors this year. 10,000 20 When originally budgeted we planned to use more contactors to complete the work on the Opera 27,681 Learning Center, however we were able to complete the project using staff. TOTAL EXPENSE REDUCTIONS 115,767

ADDED EXPENSES Change 21 Convention - All of these expenses will be reimbursed to Opera America, however the entire 95,424 reimbursement may not occur until FY08. We are charging interest. 22 The increase in Opera Source is because of staff time incurred creating it. 16,634 23 Expense is increased due to Audit fees and related travel costs. 6,000 24 Expense is up because of the increased allocation of staff time. TOTAL INCREASE EXPENSES 118,058

Revenue -15,407 Expenses -2,291 Total Budget implications -17,698

Opera America Revenue/Expense Projections FY08

REVENUE EXPENSES

Membership 775,200 Membership 346,517 General Operating 506,500 MRK/PR/GVT. Affairs 159,014 Foundation and Corporation 590,666 Information Service 176,242 Government 135,000 Conferences/Meetings 182,587 Opera Fund Income 280,000 Publications 165,158 Earned Income 314,359 Resource Development/Truste 250,790 Artistic Programs 475,845 Education 113,899 General/Finance 409,336 New York Relocation 99,738 Internet Technology 219,763

2,601,725 2,598,889

SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) 2,836 Opera America FY 08 Revenue Budget

Budget vs. FY 07 Approved FY 07 March Projection % Budget Projection FY 08 Budget of Change Note Membership Professional Companies 635,000 640,000 640,000 International Companies 4,000 4,000 6,000 1 Affiliate/Business/Individual 136,000 126,000 129,200 775,000 770,000 775,200 0.68%

General Operating Annual Fund 150,000 125,000 150,000 2 Getty Foundation 6,500 6,500 6,500 Pamela Hoiles 449,820 414,820 350,000 9 606,320 546,320 506,500 -7.29%

Foundations and Corporation HEARST - M!W!O! Assessment Grant 14,996 14,996 0 HEWLETT - Bay Area Initiative 35,000 35,000 35,000 MELLON - Technology Program 115,000 115,000 200,000 3 American Express 25,000 0 0 PEW - Research Initiative 16,666 16,666 116,666 4 Various Sources - NY Artistic Programming Support 15,000 50,000 see govt. NY Special Events Support 20,000 10,000 see govt. Lissner Foundation/ Career Guide Grant/Opera Source 3,000 10,000 10,000 Target Corporation 35,000 55,000 35,000 MELLON - Opera Center 0 0 100,000 Fidelity - Opera Center 0 0 50,000 Various Corporate Conference Sponsorship 60,000 59,664 15,000 10 Fort Worth Regional Meeting Matching Grant 15,000 7 Opera for Youth 0 0 4,000 5 Kansas City Regional Workshops 10,000 10,000 10,000 349,662 376,326 590,666 56.96%

Government NYC Department of Cultural Affairs - NY Artistic 8 Programming Support 10,000 NYSCA - NY Special Events Support 10,000 8 NEA-GAV 0 8,000 NEA - Organizational Capacity 95,000 95,000 100,000 NEA - Fort Worth Regional Workshops 0 0 15,000 7 95,000 103,000 135,000 31.07%

Earned Income Opera Fund Draw 259,742 259,742 280,000 7 Conference 205,670 173,000 168,359 10 Workshops 0 7,650 16,000 8 M!W!O! - Workshop Fees 20,000 20,000 20,000 Publication Sales, Advertising 28,000 15,000 22,000 National Performing Arts Convention Admin 25,000 25,000 25,000 National Performing Arts Convention Reimbursement 0 48,943 0 Consultations Fees 7,500 7,500 7,500 Interest Income 15,000 15,000 15,000 Ambassador Travel 100,000 66,000 40,000 11 Misc Income 0 500 500 660,912 638,335 594,359 -6.89%

TOTAL REVENUES 2,486,894 2,433,981 2,601,725 6.89% Opera America FY08 Expense Budget

Budget vs. FY 07 Approved FY 07 March Projection % Budget Projection FY 08 Budget of Change note

Membership Membership 288,052 288,798 346,517 19.99% 13,14

Public Relations/Marketing Public Relations/Marketing 137,945 140,764 159,014 12.97% 15

Development Resource Development 276,873 249,923 224,358 16 Trustee/Volunteer Resource Center 14,991 18,981 26,432 17 291,864 268,904 250,790 -6.74%

Information Services Information Service 55,462 55,462 176,242 20 Publications 171,721 165,447 165,158 227,183 220,909 341,400 54.54%

Education Education 53,817 34,874 40,196 Opera Learning Center 62,681 35,000 25,829 M!W!O! 29,604 32,638 47,874 146,102 102,512 113,899 11.11%

Artistic Programs Artistic Initiatives 387,915 371,110 444,162 18,19 Technical Production 25,093 15,381 31,683 413,008 386,491 475,845 23.12%

Conferences Conferences and Workshops 290,809 289,122 182,587 10 Convention Advance 95,424 0 290,809 384,546 182,587 -52.52%

Internet Technology Opera Source 92,443 109,077 130,603 21 Other Internet Projects 89,160 92,443 109,077 219,763 101.47%

General Operating NY Relocation 154,109 73,329 99,738 22, 23 Finance 161,195 173,195 149,692 12 General 282,101 284,101 259,644 12 597,405 530,625 509,074 -4.06%

Total Expenses 2,392,368 2,432,627 2,598,889 6.83% Opera America FY08 Variance Explanation

ADDED REVENUE Change 1 Increased International Members by $2000, raised the Affiliate/Business/Individual Membership to the above 5,200 the FY 07 March projection

2 The growth of the Annual Fund will be driven by the solicitation of new prospective donors and expansion of 25,000 the National Trustee Council. 3 OPERA America has been invited to apply for an additional two-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon 85,000 foundation at this level. 4 The Performing Arts Research Coalition is planning another research project for NPAC. 100,000 5 Opera America will work with Opera for Youth to put their bibliography of opera works for children online 4,000 along with our own collection of these resources. The money will be used to hire a temp to organize the records and to convert the materials into a usable online format 6 Revenues from the Opera Fund are determined by actual expenses up to a maximum determined by 20,000 OPERA America’s spending policy. (5% calculated on a twelve (12) quarter rolling average of the Endowment assets) The current 12 quarter rolling average balance is allowing a draw of up to $289,733

7 OPERA America also has secured additional funding to increase our regional workshops to Fort Worth. 15,000 8 Making Connections Workshops are increasing the number in FY08; also, we are adding a Composer 28,350 Librettist Workshop in FY08. The two combined account for the increase in revenue.

TOTAL ADDED REVENUES 282,550

REDUCED REVENUES Change 9 We have decreased the amount of money drawn for the Pamela Holies gift. The plan is to invest more of this 84,820 income into the NY Opera Center Endowment. 10 The new model for NPAC diminishes revenue and expense. 55,000 11 Actual expenses determine revenues from the Ambassador travel. Ambassador travel will decrease 26,000 significantly in FY08, in relation to the trip to Santa Fe.

TOTAL REDUCED REVENUES 165,820

REDUCED EXPENSES Change 12 The decrease in the Finance and General Operating expense comes from creating a separate Internet 47,500 Technology program.

TOTAL EXPENSE REDUCTIONS 249,459

ADDED EXPENSES Change 13 Added expense for the additional regional workshop in Fort Worth 28,433 14 Moving Regional member programs from Artistic into Member to better track member benefits 29,286 15 Increase in Government Affairs Manager Salary 15,000 16 In FY07 Opera America planned to hold a Recognition Event, we did not hold this event and it is not planned 17,500 for FY08 unless funded. 17 Increased use of a contractor to help grow the National Trustee Council 7,451 18 With the success of Making Connections we have planned to increase these workshops in FY08 23,052 19 Composer Librettist Workshops in Syracuse and New York 50,000 20 The Performing Arts Research Coalition is planning another research project for NPAC. 75,000 21 My Career and other additional features of Opera Source to be developed 21,526 22 Denham Wolf has been retained to start the beginning phases of the development of NY Opera Center 5,000 23 Increase Staff time for the beginning phases of the development of NY Opera Center 15,000

TOTAL INCREASE EXPENSES 287,248

Revenue 116,730 Expenses -37,789 Total Budget implications 78,941

Opera Fund Endowment Quarterly Report 31-Mar-07

Ending Total Balance 31-Mar-07 $6,522,848 31-Jan-07 $6,496,515 31-Dec-06 $6,420,101 30-Sep-06 $6,050,410 30-Jun-06 $5,839,928 31-Mar-06 $5,952,198 31-Dec-05 $5,780,220 30-Sep-05 $5,805,608 30-Jun-05 $5,648,766 31-Mar-05 $5,512,563 31-Dec-04 $5,556,839 30-Sep-04 $5,372,734 30-Jun-04 $5,116,109 $69,535,809

12 Quarter Average $5,794,651

5% of Average (maxiumum draw) $290,963 Budgeted Draw $280,000

SPENDING RATE:

The spending rule adopted by the Board of Directors of OPERA America uses a long-term spending of up to 5% calculated on a twelve (12) quarter rolling average of the Endowment assets, before management fees and investment expenses. Exact amounts, to be drawn from the Endowment will be established in conjunction with approval of the annual budget during the spring Board of Directors meeting. Spending is subject to conditions stated below. Professional Company Member Dues

$700,000

$600,000

$500,000

$400,000

$300,000

$200,000

$100,000

$0 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Projected 2007 Other Membership Categories Dues

$70,000

$60,000

$50,000

$40,000

$30,000

$20,000

$10,000

$0 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Projected 2007 Individual Members Dues

$70,000 1200

$60,000 1000

$50,000 800

$40,000 600 $30,000 Revenues 400 $20,000

200 Number of Members $10,000

$0 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Page 14 Conference Income

$200,000

$175,000

$150,000

Registration $125,000

$100,000

$75,000

Sponsors $50,000

$25,000 Exhibitors $0 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Projected 2007 Conference Income/Expense

350,000

300,000

250,000

200,000 Income Expense

150,000

100,000

50,000

0 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Projected 2007

MEMBERSHIP REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 2007 (FISCAL YEAR 2007)

Professional Company Membership

PCM Dues Report We have collected $450,374.30 in dues to date with an additional $68,884.55 (14% of total Company Member dues of $519,258.85) outstanding. We have neither collected dues nor established receivables for 34 companies for FY07. We will follow up with these companies individually following the Board meeting.

Applications for Membership Gotham Chamber Opera has submitted an application for Professional Company Membership.

According to our bylaws, a Professional Company must: 1. Be a nonprofit corporation whose repertory consists primarily of opera, or whose driving commitment to music is demonstrated by its repertory and through its relationships to local, state, and national funding agencies and to local, state, and national service organizations. 2. Produce and perform, before a paying audience, at least two performances each of two fully staged productions during the current season and each of the immediately preceding three seasons. 3. Employ at least one full-time general/artistic/music director plus a professional manager on a full-time or seasonal basis. 4. To the extent of composer intent, employ an orchestra for its productions. 5. Utilize paid, professional artists for at least some part of its productions. 6. Have an annual operating budget of at least $100,000. Annual audited financial statements or reviews are required for Professional Company Membership.

Please note that the Board may choose to waive one unmet criterion.

Gotham Chamber Opera Incorporated in 2000 as Henry Street Chamber Opera, the company changed its name to Gotham Chamber Opera in 2003. Located in New York City, Gotham Chamber Opera is dedicated to producing high quality chamber operas in its primary venue, the intimate, 325-seat Abrons Arts Center Playhouse on the Lower East Side.

In the seven years since its inception, Gotham Chamber Opera has produced six U.S. premieres of 18th and 20th century operas. The 2006-2007 season included five performances of Rossini’s Il Signor Bruschino. Next season, the company plans to present Astor Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires, and Ariadne Unhinged, a newly conceived production staged by director/ choreographer Karole Armitage, with intertwined works by Monteverdi, Haydn, and Schoenberg. In the prior two seasons, Gotham Chamber Opera presented multiple performances of two fully staged operas each year. While Gotham Chamber Opera meets the Company

Membership/Page 1

Member requirements of two performances of two productions for the prior two seasons, this season the company produced only one opera. The Board may choose to waive this unmet criterion. See page two of Gotham Chamber Opera’s application for a list of productions.

Gotham Chamber Opera is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and has submitted documentation to verify this, as well as financial statements from 2004-2006. Gotham Chamber Opera’s Form 990 is available on GuideStar. Annual operating income for FY06 was $555,806 and expenses were $636,833 making Gotham Chamber Opera a Level IV company, should it be accepted into membership. The projected operating expenses for FY07 are $604,717 and in FY08 it is projected that the budget will be over $1 million. Gotham Chamber Opera remunerates orchestral musicians as well as artists in both leading and supporting roles.

Gotham Chamber Opera is led by two full time staff; David Bennett, managing director, and Neal Goren, artistic director, and they expect to hire a full time associate director in the coming months. It is also supported by three part-time staff.

The company’s community involvement includes, among other projects, a public school artist residency program. In 2002 Gotham Chamber Opera began holding preview performances for students and teachers. This has developed into an in-class residency program in which singers collaborate with teachers to develop curricula that complement coursework.

Timothy O’Leary, administrative director at New York City Opera, has provided a letter of support. An OPERA America Affiliate Member since 2003, Gotham Chamber Opera has grown to a size where it can now fully benefit from OPERA America’s services that are offered to Professional Company Members. The company fills a special niche in the opera community in New York by providing patrons with an intimate chamber opera experience. OPERA America’s member network will also be strengthened by having more New York companies represented in Professional Company Membership. The one Company Membership requirement that needs to be waived for the Board to approve Gotham Chamber Opera’s application is that the company only produced one opera in the 2006-2007 season. The full application will be available for review at the Membership Committee meeting.

Membership Overview

As of March 31, 2007 OPERA America’s membership included the following: 140 Company Members, of which • 116 are U.S. Company Members • 20 are Opera.ca Company Members • 4 are International Company Members (2 Australia, 1 Japan, 1 Chile)

1,587 Individual Members, of whom • 846 are Basic Members (609 of these are Professional Members with Opera Source) *25% of the Basic Members are Annual Fund donors. • 475 have the Opera Source subscription without Basic Membership • 266 are Trustee Designees

Membership/Page 2

100 Affiliate Members, of which • 91 are U.S. Affiliate Members (69 Producing/Presenting Organizations, 7 Educational Institutions, 15 Foundations/Guilds). • 7 are Opera.ca Affiliate Members (4 Producing/Presenting, 1 Educational Institutions, 2 Foundation). • 2 are International Affiliate Members.

25 Educational Producing Affiliate Members

52 Library Members/Career Services Subscribers, of which • 50 are U.S. • 1 is Opera.ca • 1 is International

70 Business Members, of which • 60 are U.S. Business Members (20 Artist Managers, 10 Publishers, 8 Production Service Providers, 8 Consultants, 8 Administrative Service Providers, 5 Artistic Service Providers, 1 Tour Provider). • 8 are Opera.ca Business Members. • 2 are International Business Members.

Comparative Report Membership Category April 2007 January 2007 (last meeting) April 2006 Company Members 140 138 138 Business Members 70 65 63 Affiliate Members 100 103 143 +Educational Producing 25 19 0 Affiliates Library Members/Career 52 59 47 Service Center Subscription Basic/Premium Members 846 865 843 *includes Annual Fund Opera Source Subscribers 475 439 467 (stand alone) Trustee Designees 266 272 167

Total 1,974 1,960 1,868

+The number of Affiliate Members reported in April 2006 included educational institutions and libraries, which are now split between Affiliate Members, Educational Producing Affiliates, and Career Service Center Subscriptions in the January and April 2007 columns.

Former Singer, Tech/Prod, Composer/Librettist, and Education Subscribers have now been consolidated into “Opera Source Subscribers”. Below are the Membership department’s plans for improving the number of Individual Members and Opera Source Subscribers.

Membership/Page 3

Educational Producing Affiliate Membership The Educational Producing Affiliate Member (EPA) category has grown steadily since its creation last summer. The Artistic Services department has created a popular Singer Training Forum that meets twice annually, in which EPAs are invited to take part. Educational Producing Affiliates are also invited to submit work for the New Works Sampler at the Opera Conference. Boston University will be featured at this year’s conference.

A mailing promoting Educational Producing Affiliate Membership was sent in early March to 1,100 opera program directors from the College Music Society list. As of this report, that mailing has resulted in four new EPA Members.

Membership has communicated via e-mail and phone calls to all new Educational Producing Affiliate Members to ensure that they are aware of the benefits of Opera Source for their students. This spring, membership is speaking with each contact at the Educational Producing Affiliate companies to request that he/she distribute Opera Source information to their graduating students.

Individual Membership Former Singer, Technical/Production, Composer/Librettist, and Education Subscribers of OPERA America have been converted to Opera Source Subscribers. The Artistic Services, Membership, and Information Technology departments are working together to improve Opera Source content, searches, and access. A small handful of members have questioned the transition from print to all electronic materials, but more members have expressed appreciation of Opera Source and the constantly updated material.

Membership Events and Recruitment Events/Workshops • Singer Workshop: Anne Choe, artistic services manager, organized a San Francisco Singer Workshop last January. Of the 85 singers that attended, 32 were current members and 53 joined OPERA America with Professional Membership or the Opera Source subscription when signing up for the workshop. While in San Francisco, Anne and Rebecca Ackerman, membership manager, sold over $1,000 of the Perspectives Series for Singers. Additionally, the April issue of Classical Singer featured a two-page article on the workshop.

• USITT: In March, Rebecca Ackerman and Megan Young attended the United States Institute of Theater Technology (USITT) conference in Phoenix, AZ. Before the conference, we mailed information on Business Membership to 120 technical theater- related businesses that were also attending the USITT conference. As of this report, three new technical theater businesses have joined, and we expect two more to join shortly.

• New York reception: On March 20 we hosted a reception in our office to introduce OPERA America to New York area prospective Affiliate Members. Approximately twenty representatives from ten companies attended the reception, at which a number of OPERA America staff were present to explain our services and learn about these small producers. Two new companies joined. Based on discussion among reception guests, OPERA America will schedule a summer fundraising seminar.

Membership/Page 4

Advertising and Promotions • In January, Rebecca e-mailed 3,000 past Career Guide purchasers and lapsed OPERA America singer members promoting the Opera Source subscription. • The March, April, and May issues of Classical Singer magazine include a half-page Opera Source ad. • A membership ad will run in the May issue of Opera News.

Upcoming Member Promotion • Membership is preparing a promotional mailing in April. To garner Opera Source subscribers, we will mail to the Classical Singer Convention mailing list and to OPERA America’s lapsed member/Career Guide purchaser list, as well as audition lists that we have compiled from Young Artist Programs (6,000 total). This mailing will include our Individual Membership brochures and a letter highlighting Opera Source.

• Anne Choe and Rebecca Ackerman will attend the May Classical Singer Convention (there is also an ad in the Convention program). Last year, the Convention resulted in over $3,000 of publication sales and new and renewing memberships.

• Rebecca Ackerman is calling opera directors at universities (Educational Producing Affiliate Members) to request that they share information on the Opera Source subscription with their graduating students.

• To increase organizational membership, we are mailing to the non-member organizations that have updated their own Opera Source record.

• We are working with the West Coast Opera auditions (held at the end of May) to distribute membership information to the companies, artist managers, and singers that will be present.

Submitted by Rebecca Ackerman, Membership Manager

Membership/Page 5

Opera.ca An update to the OPERA America Board of Directors 18 April 2007

Highlights: 9 Annual meeting of Opera.ca members February 7-9, 2007 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts 9 Participation at Opera Europa, February 16-18, 2007 9 Canada Council for the Arts, 50th Anniversary, 28 March 2007 9 Canadian Opera Fund fundraising initiative underway 9 Installation and upgrade of administrative database

Opera.ca activities (according to our strategic directions) Advocacy Opera.ca, together with other arts organizations and artists, participated in events to recognize and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Canada Council for the Arts, and the immense role it has played in the development of the country’s arts infrastructure. Activities included a reception hosted by the Speakers of the Senate and House of Commons at Parliament Hill, and a dinner at Rideau Hall, home of the Governor General. Attached please find comments of John Murrell delivered at the dinner. Mr. Murrell is a noted librettist (Frobisher, Filumena) and Executive Artistic Director, Performing Arts at The Banff Centre, an Opera.ca member.

Opera.ca continues to be an active member of the Canadian Arts Coalition. With the announcement of supplementary operating funding of $50 million from the Canada Council for the Arts, our focus has been on ensuring that pressure is sustained to demonstrate that this one-time funding is appreciated, but insufficient. We were all disappointed that the March federal budget did not make permanent the funding that made the supplementary operating possible.

Opera.ca has joined other national performing arts service organizations in commencing an exploration about the feasibility and desirability of establishing an advocacy consortium for the performing arts. Led by Orchestras Canada, Opera.ca has indicated its interest in contributing to this dialogue in a meaningful way.

Programs Annual meeting Opera.ca’s 2007 annual meeting was held last February in Toronto. Sixty people participated in the meeting, hosted by the Canadian Opera Company. Built around the theme, Celebrating the past, looking towards the future, the gathering provided an opportunity to both salute the 50th anniversary of the Canada Council for the Arts and see the country’s first purpose-built opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 210, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2T7, Tel. (416) 591-7222 Fax. (416) 536-3463 www.opera.ca

Charitable no./No. d’organisme bienfaisance 86151 4321 RR0002

Banff Opera Colloquium Planning is now underway for Banff Opera Colloquium II, to be held August 10-12, 2007. A unique professional development initiative for the Canadian opera community, this Colloquium promises a rare opportunity for artistic and general directors, board members, staff, educators, volunteers and those committed to the vibrancy and future of the field, to share information, challenges and opportunities, and to develop a richer understanding of the field. As important, the Colloquium supports the building of networks of like minds, which contributes to strengthened collaboration and vital partnerships.

This year's theme, People Make Opera, will examine the different roles of artists, administrators, and board members, and the responsibility of organizations to ensuring the future vibrancy of the field through its commitment to and investment in human resources. Key themes for discussion include: How does your opera company acquire, inspire, and meld the governing, administrative, and artistic teams which ensure vital operatic programming? What is a company's, and the field's, responsibility to the development and nurturing of both our creative and performing artists? The Banff Opera Colloquium will present a provocative gathering of keynote speakers and facilitators to guide the explorations and discoveries.

Confirmed keynote speakers include Colleen Blake and Aaron M. Milrad. As Executive Director of the Shaw Festival, Mrs Blake is the senior administrative officer and works closely with Artistic Director. She is noted for her commitment to developing the human resources in the arts sector. Aaron M. Milrad, a lawyer, is Chair of The George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Secretary of the Board of Museum Trustees Association of Washington DC and former President of the Harbourfront Art Gallery. Broadcaster Bill Richardson has agreed to be our rapporteur.

Canadian Opera Creation Fund Discussions with the Canada Council for the Arts around their investment in the Canadian Opera Fund, are expected to resume soon. They’ve been dormant for the past 6 months, as the Council addressed matters around the Supplementary Operating Funds. Work continues around fundraising.

Bob McPhee participated in a panel discussion at Opera Europa on opera creation and the commissioning of new opera. His address spoke about the impact new works have on engaging both the audience and the community.

Membership As noted in previous reports, Opera.ca needs to grow its membership in the area of affiliates and individuals. A couple of things are underway to address this: 9 The installation of a new database 9 Redevelopment of a membership prospecting package 9 Establishment of a membership committee

Governance and operations At the February AGM, Opera.ca welcomed three new board members, Sandra Gavinchuk, COC, Wendy Nielsen and James Wright, Vancouver Opera.

March saw Opera.ca complete an operating grant application to the Ontario Arts Council.

As already noted, we also installed a new database program designed to support efforts in various streams of activity from membership fulfillment to advocacy and fundraising.

Micheline McKay 18 April 2007

215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 210, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2T7, Tel. (416) 591-7222 Fax. (416) 536-3463 www.opera.ca

Charitable no./No. d’organisme bienfaisance 86151 4321 RR0002

Remarks by John Murrell on the occasion of the Canada Council for the Arts 50th anniversary Rideau Hall, Ottawa

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Leaders, Dreamers, Colleagues and Friends:

All great art leaves us different than it found us. Which is to say, it doesn’t leave us at all; it goes on changing us. This is the most significant job of art: to evoke, invoke, provoke change.

The artist delineates her or his experience of having been physically, emotionally, spiritually changed – and the viewer, the listener feels the full scope and shape of that change, translated into the most immediate and intimate terms. This is the sublimely subversive magic of art. It modifies our internal structure without having to resort to the scalpel.

We take in a movie, alone or with friends – we visit a classic or contemporary gallery – we read ten stirring pages before drifting off to sleep, as those pages take us over: we have been changed forever, in ways both subtle and profound – sometimes disturbing, absolutely essential to ongoing life.

I have been fortunate, in my ongoing life, to attend three great schools of change – to receive the collective mentoring of three remarkable institutions, about which I’d like to share some brief thoughts.

The Banff Centre, where I currently work and change, has been, for nearly seventy-five years, a multidisciplinary catalyst for transformation – an alchemist’s research lab. The whole idea of the Centre is to bring together as many great idiosyncratic chefs, with as many different recipes for beauty and meaning as possible; to gather them in one big kitchen of intense creativity – and see what gets cooked. My mother was wrong. Too many cooks do not spoil the broth. Rather, they enrich and distill it into something mouth-watering in its potential for provoking change in the ways we human beings think, feel, and act.

Another institution of higher changing which I must salute is the star of today’s 50th birthday party: the Canada Council for the Arts. The Council has instructed and reconstructed, nudged and nursed me for most of my creative life, like thousands, tens of thousands, of other artists. But it was when I worked within the Council, in the late eighties and early nineties, that I received its total tuition. Anyone who has ever served on a Council jury or committee can testify to the electrifying enlightenment which is provided by even a quick glimpse into the panoramic treasure chamber of Canadian art and artists. But to work within the Council, day after day, to be surrounded and consumed by creativity which it is one’s duty and honour to facilitate – I swear to you, this is the most exalting and humbling education it is possible to receive. To peer into the nation’s heart through the lens of art – to observe how our collective heart insists and doubts, struggles, rests and strives again – what a phenomenal privilege! Thank you, Canada Council, for helping us to change others and ourselves – which is to say, to go on living. And please, never stop allowing us, occasionally, to change you.

My ultimate Alma Mater, however, is this country – Canada – where I enrolled at a very tender age – and which has been changing me – and letting me participate in changing it – from the beginning. Only Canada could have given birth to an arts council like the one we have – or to The Banff Centre – or to our numerous other vital crucibles of life and art.

215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 210, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2T7, Tel. (416) 591-7222 Fax. (416) 536-3463 www.opera.ca

Charitable no./No. d’organisme bienfaisance 86151 4321 RR0002

I visit other countries and acknowledge their might, their determination, their mix of accomplishment and mistake. But I would still choose – I do choose – Canada: the world capital of possibility – of potential – of change, which we invest in here, rather than attempting to anaesthetize; which we embrace here, rather than resist.

In Canada, at our best, we thrill to change. I hope and believe that we always will.

John Murrell is one of Canada’s most distinguished playwrights and currently Head of Performing Arts at The Banff Centre. He was one of 50 Canadian artists who participated in the Canada Council’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Ottawa on March 28.

215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 210, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2T7, Tel. (416) 591-7222 Fax. (416) 536-3463 www.opera.ca

Charitable no./No. d’organisme bienfaisance 86151 4321 RR0002

Opera.ca disappointed federal budget did not address professional arts funding: pledges to continue working with the Government to secure sustained stable increase to the Canada Council for the Arts

(20 March 2007, Toronto) Opera.ca is disappointed that the federal budget did not adequately address funding for the professional artists and arts organizations in Canada. It is encouraged though that the Government did articulate the importance of strengthening the cultural experiences of Canadians.

Together with other arts organizations across the country, Opera.ca is calling on the government to make permanent the $30 million increase to the Canada Council for the Arts Over time, Opera.ca is seeking an investment in stable, long term funding that would increase the Canada Council’s budget by an additional $100 million annually.

“It is unfortunate that the government did not seize the opportunity to make the $30 million permanent” said W.R. (Bob) McPhee, Chair of Opera.ca. This would have been consistent with a recommendation advanced by Opera.ca and the Canadian Arts Coalition and supported by the Standing Committee on Finance which consists of MPs of all parties,” continued McPhee.

“Increased and sustainable funding of the arts through the Canada Council is central to building on Canada’s vibrant arts sector and supporting vital communities across Canada” said McPhee. “Opera.ca will continue to work with government and all parliamentarians to ensure that support of the arts is a prominent issue for Canadians. It is essential that the contribution made by the arts to our communities is fully understood and recognized.”

Opera.ca is the national association for opera companies and professionals in Canada. It seeks to create and sustain an environment that makes opera central to Canadian life. It works with members across the country to advance the interests of Canada’s opera community and create greater opportunity for opera audiences and professionals alike.

For more information contact:

Micheline McKay Executive Director, Opera.ca Tel. 416 591 7222 [email protected]

215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 210, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2T7, Tel. (416) 591-7222 Fax. (416) 536-3463 www.opera.ca

Charitable no./No. d’organisme bienfaisance 86151 4321 RR0002

Canadian Arts Coalition on Canada Council Grants Vibrant Arts Community Remains Underfunded

(April 16, 2007 Ottawa) ― The Canadian Arts Coalition (www.canadianartscoalition.ca ) is pleased that, working with special one-time funding, the Canada Council for the Arts has been able to support artists and arts organizations across the country. This funding allotment was $20 million in the fiscal year 2006- 07 and raised to $30 million in the fiscal year 2007-08.

Eight hundred and fifty eight arts organizations submitted applications, with only 561 receiving supplementary grants. Application requests totalled $95.6 million – nearly three times the amount available for supplementary funding. Not all applications were successful, and most that were did not receive the full amount requested. Moreover, only those arts organizations already receiving Canada Council funding were able to access the supplementary funds, excluding other eligible professional organizations which are still blocked from accessing grants due to the overall shortfall in the government’s investment in the arts.

“The Coalition is concerned that the public’s demonstrated desire for access to new and inventive creative works cannot be satisfied by the limited funds to which the Canada Council currently has access. The funding available to the Canada Council is neither sustained nor adequate,” commented Micheline McKay, Co-Chair of the Coalition and Executive Director of Opera.ca. “Last month, the federal government tabled a budget that did not extend support of the arts by making this one-time allotment of funds to the Canada Council permanent. Permanent additional support was a recommendation advanced by the Coalition and supported by the Standing Committee on Finance which consists of MPs of all parties.”

The Coalition has called on the federal government to make this $30 million increase to the Canada Council budget permanent and, over time, to invest in stable, long-term funding that increases the Canada Council’s budget by an additional $100 million annually.

“The pressure on the current dollars available confirms the need for both increased and sustained funding of the arts,” noted Anne-Marie Jean, Co-Chair of the Canadian Arts Coalition and Executive Director of Culture Montréal. “The vitality of the arts is a critical component in the richness of our individual communities, our national economy and our international profile. The Coalition is dedicated to ensuring that support of the arts is a prominent issue in the next federal election campaign.”

The Canadian Arts Coalition is the largest group of artists, arts executives and business leaders ever assembled from across the country who are united in the view that greater public investment in the arts through the Canada Council for the Arts is essential to Canada’s future. Arts and cultural organizations include operas, orchestras, visual arts, theatres, magazines, museums, writers and dance companies, among others.

- 30 – Maureen O’Donnell www.canadianartscoalition.ca 416 929-1106 [email protected] 215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 210, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2T7, Tel. (416) 591-7222 Fax. (416) 536-3463 www.opera.ca

Charitable no./No. d’organisme bienfaisance 86151 4321 RR0002

Creating new works speaks to the spirit of your audience and community McPhee tells Opera Europa delegates (Paris, 20 February 2007) As part of European Opera Days, a conference drawing over 400 delegates from across Europe, Opera.ca Chair and Calgary Opera General Director and CEO, W.R. (Bob) McPhee addressed delegates about the growing interest in the development and production of new Canadian opera. Having successfully realized the premiere of Frobisher, Calgary Opera’s second mainstage new Canadian work, co-produced with The Banff Centre, McPhee was able to directly relate his stories and experiences to European colleagues.

“European opera companies are in the midst of a transformation. Seen as the heart of the opera tradition, European opera companies are increasingly interested in hearing about ways others are revitalizing the art form,” said McPhee. “In Canada, we see opera companies and organizations from coast to coast engaged in new commissions and projects. These works revitalize our companies and make our work exciting and relevant to our audiences.”

“Canada is well-known for its outstanding opera performers”, McPhee told delegates. “Our country also enjoys some of the world’s finest opera composers, librettists, designers, and directors. Through works as diverse as The Midnight Court (Sokolovich/ Bentley produced by Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company) to Naomi’s Road (Luengen/Hodges produced by Vancouver Opera) we are seeing first hand the power of opera to transform individuals and the lives they lead.”

Canada’s 20 opera companies range in size and scope and each makes a unique contribution to their own community and the world of Canadian opera. Although geographically disparate, companies and the creative artists they work with build on the connections and experience of each other. “Initiatives like Tapestry New Opera Works Composer-Librettist laboratory contribute to the creative work of all of us,” noted McPhee.

McPhee led a delegation of Canadian opera companies at Opera Europa’s meeting which was held in Paris as part of European Opera Days. Others from Canada attending included David Baile, General Manager, Opera Atelier (Toronto), Micheline McKay, Executive Director, Opera.ca, Dairine Ni Mheadra, Co-Artistic Director, The Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company (Toronto) and Pauline Vaillancourt, Artistic Director, Chants Libres (Montreal).

Opera.ca is the voice of opera in Canada. It advances the interests of the country’s opera and music theatre companies, with a clear priority to foster and support Canadian creation; its members include professional producing opera companies and a wide spectrum of businesses, affiliates and individuals.

-30- For more information, contact:

Micheline McKay, Opera.ca or Helen Moore-Parkhouse, Calgary Opera [email protected] [email protected]

215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 210, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2T7, Tel. (416) 591-7222 Fax. (416) 536-3463 www.opera.ca

Charitable no./No. d’organisme bienfaisance 86151 4321 RR0002

Report on Opera Europa

1. Membership

Opera Europa numbered 89 members in 2006. During 2007, the membership is expected to reach 95.

An affiliate membership category has been created for theatres and institutions whose primary aim is not the production of opera, but who are linked to the opera business.

2. European Opera Days

Over 100 opera houses opened their doors to wider audiences during the week-end of 16 to 18 February 2007. It is estimated that more than 300,000 people, many of them new to opera, visited theatres, took part in activities and attended performances during that weekend.

At the same time, the Paris Opera hosted Opera Europa’s largest conference so far: over 600 delegates, of whom 300 were opera professionals, up to 100 friends of the opera and 200 young delegates, and 70 representatives of the media, gathered for three days to discuss diverse topics.

The European Opera Days were a joint collaboration between Opera Europa, Fedora (European federation of Friends associations), RESEO (European network of Education Departments in Opera houses) and Opéra national de Paris.

Because these first European Opera Days were such a success, another open-doors weekend will be programmed for spring 2008. The next major public conference will take place in spring 2009.

3. Opera Europa conferences

Opera Europa’s most recent conferences, still bi-annual, gathered an average of 150 opera professionals in Dresden (The Art of Patronage – October 2006), Cardiff (Opera in the Community - March 2006), Monte-Carlo (Business and Culture – November 2005).

Opera Europa’s next conference will be hosted by Prague National Theatre from 23 to 25 November 2007. The leading theme will be collaboration within the new Europe.

Following conferences are planned for Oslo, Lyon and Barcelona (dates still to be confirmed).

4. Opera Europa specialist forums

Opera Europa is in the process of developing specialist forums in order to cater for the needs of opera companies to explore issues in depth and down the hierarchy line.

ƒ Technical & Production The Technical & Production forum was launched in Copenhagen in January 2004. Its first project was the development of a theatre database, with technical specifications and pdf downloads of theatre structures. The Technical & Production forum meets at least twice a year, next month in Bologna, to discuss common points of interest, sometimes calling in outside specialists on specific topics.

ƒ Marketing & Communications The Marketing & Communications forum was launched in Valencia in March 2005. Among the members, nine opera companies embarked on an ambitious project: a European Audience Mapping exercise. A consultant was hired to coordinate the survey and analyse the results, which were presented at the Paris conference, and are available on the Opera Europa website. The Marketing & Communications forum meets once or twice a year, next month in Madrid.

ƒ Business & Finance The Business & Finance forum was launched in Monte-Carlo in November 2005. It is currently working on the development of an up-to-date financial database, which will be used by Philippe Agid and Jean-Claude Tarondeau as basis for their new study and book on Great Opera Houses of the World. The Business & Finance forum meets once or twice a year, next month in Madrid.

ƒ Fundraising academy The Fundraising academy project was presented to members in Dresden in October 2006. Over twenty companies signed up to a pilot project to develop their fundraising and development skills. This consultancy will be tailor-made according to the company’s answers to a questionnaire.

ƒ Costumes The Costumes forum was launched in Dresden in October 2006. It is meeting again this spring in Copenhagen.

5. Opera Europa website

Opera Europa’s website is divided into a public and a private area. The public area offers information on the structure of the organisation, a list of members, an archive of OEuvres, Opera Europa’s newsletter, special features on projects involving Opera Europa, press announcements, job opportunities with our member companies, and useful links. Opera Europa seeks to offer its members useful information in the Members only area of its website. ƒ Databases: key staff lists, company profiles, financial profiles, productions for rent, future plans. Each company is responsible for keeping its own information up to date. ƒ Specialist forums each have a section in the Members only area. Some choose to publish detailed reports of their discussions, documents to be shared, photos of their last gatherings… ƒ Minutes of the General Assemblies ƒ OPERA America newsletters ƒ Fedora newsletters

6. Projects

ƒ Study of Great Opera Houses of the World Philippe Agid and Jean-Claude Tarondeau are the authors of L’Opéra de Paris – Gouverner une grande institution culturelle. They are currently working on a second and more ambitious book, in collaboration with Opera Europa and OPERA America.

ƒ Development of further specialist groups Opera Europa is considering the launch of further specialist groups (e.g. Human Resources forum, Dramaturg forum) following some requests by members.

ƒ Future European Opera Days Following the requests of its members, Opera Europa is considering making the European Opera Days a recurrent event. The format would be to coordinate a great European-wide thematic event biennially, and to gather professionals and members of the audience in a major operatic conference every alternate year.

Audrey Jungers, Brussels, 12 April 2007

ARTISTIC SERVICES REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 2007

CURRENT PRIORITY AREAS a. Opera Fund b. New York State Composer-Librettist Workshops c. Singer Training Forum d. MET regional singer workshops e. Direction/Design Competition f. OPERA America visibility campaign

MEMBER SERVICES a. Visa Database b. New York Venue Directory c. Opera Source d. Classical Singer Convention

RECENT ACTIVITIES a. San Francisco Workshop b. Making Connections c. Kansas City Regional Meeting d. USITT meeting

CURRENT PRIORITY AREAS Opera Fund Opera Fund Repertoire Development guidelines will be available in July on our website. Repertoire Development Awards provide assistance to companies’ endeavors in assessing and refining a work in progress or revising a work after its recent premiere. This award offers financial support during the incubation period of a developing work.

Repertoire Development Awards will not be available again until 2009. (The availability of Opera Fund awards rotates annually between Audience Development and Repertoire Development Awards as OPERA America builds the endowment.) The panel will consider projects beginning anywhere between January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009.

The deadline for the Intent to Apply is September 7. The final application is due October 1. Opera Fund applications will be adjudicated in November, announced in December, and funds will be available in January 2008. The Artistic Services Committee will look at minor revisions in the Opera Fund guidelines as well as updating the panelist pool.

New York State Composer/Librettist Workshop “Mapping Your Future: Pathways to a Premiere,” a proposal funded by the New York State Music Fund, is a series of workshops that began this year and will continue in Fall 2007 in New York City and Syracuse that will provide New York State composers and librettists with skills to help move their opera and music theatre works from score to stage. Sessions will provide insights into the collaborative process (between composers and librettists and with conductors,

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directors, and others), what kinds of works interest opera companies, and commissioning vs. self-producing. An online resource guide will be created for public access. Attendees will continue the learning and access to information beyond the workshop through a resource guide and a year’s membership in OPERA America.

Singer Training Forum The National Singer Training Forum met on March 31 and April 1 in New York to move forward on the action items identified during the fall meetings. A list of attendees is below. Because the voice teacher was a major focus during the fall meeting, an agenda was created for this meeting around connecting the voice teacher to the field of opera. It was especially helpful to have representatives from NATS, NOA, and NASM to discuss ways that OPERA America can work with these organizations to provide professional development opportunities for voice teachers in a variety of settings. OPERA America is especially grateful to Erie Mills for attending the March meetings and thus creating a strong connection to the board with this project. • Connecting voice teachers to the young artist programs across the country. • Creating a networking and professional development program in New York, NY for voice teachers from around the country. • Planning the two sessions for the NASM convention in November 2007

Specifics about the meeting and future plans will be provided in a broader report under separate cover.

Attendees included:

Karen Ashley, Los Angeles Opera Richard Bado, The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University Laura Brooks Rice, Westminster Choir College at Rider University Michael Egel, Des Moines Metro Opera Mikael Eliasen, Curtis Institute of Music Douglas Fisher, Florida State University Ruth Golden, Academy of Vocal Arts Carleen Graham, The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam Christopher Hahn, Pittsburgh Opera Robert Hansen, National Opera Association Pamela Hoiles Kamal Khan, Mannes College of Music Don Marrazzo, Glimmerglass Opera Brent McMunn, University of Southern California Erie Mills, San Jose State University Gordon Ostrowski, Manhattan School of Music Jon Piersol, National Association of Schools of Music Martha Randall, National Association of Teachers of Singing Lenore Rosenberg, Metropolitan Opera Cecelia Schieve, Florida Grand Opera Kandie Kearley Smith, National Association of Teachers of Singing Robert Swedberg, Orlando Opera Nova Thomas, Westminster Choir College at Rider University

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Brad Woolbright, Santa Fe Opera Doris Yarick-Cross, Yale University Brian Zeger. The Juilliard School Diane Zola, Houston Grand Opera

Looking ahead to the Fall 2007 meeting, we are planning to include a larger audience of auditors (singers, voice teachers) to absorb, learn, and help diffuse the concepts and vocabulary from these meetings into the field.

OPERA America’s staff will be working on a new publication in our Perspectives series to address issues brought up in the forum. This volume, entitled Career Transitions for Singers will highlight career choices not only towards becoming a professional opera singer, but also the transition into administration, education, or backstage.

Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Workshops OPERA America and the Met National Council Auditions (MONC) will collaborate to offer singer workshops at three regional and/or district audition locations during the 07-08 season, thus greatly expanding our geographical area in terms of reaching singers with our workshops.

Each workshop is envisioned to be a one day event, happening the day after the auditions, and would include one OPERA America staff member and four speakers.

OPERA America Director/Designer Competition On April 3, 2007, Peter McDowell, Allen Moyer, Peter Russell (via telephone), Marc Scorca and Diane Wondisford met in New York to discuss a potential OPERA America Director/Designer Competition. John Conklin and Robin Guarino were unavailable to attend the meeting due to scheduling conflicts.

In examining the need for this type of competition, the subcommittee felt there was no better way to expose companies to new directors and designers; that this type of competition could offer opportunities to young directors/designers who often ask the question “how do I break into the opera world?” and a way to help companies (who often want “dependable” artists and have no time to manage risk) identify promising talent.

After discussion, the subcommittee drafted a sample plan and timeline for implementation of the competition, beginning with an announcement of the competition in Spring 2008.

• September 2008: Open call of preliminary submissions from Director-Design teams involving set, costume, projection and light design. • January 2009: A narrowing down to three or so promising submissions would be made at the January OA board meeting, judged primarily by peers (other directors and designers). Each team could then be given $1000 towards research and supplies towards the production of initial renderings, models etc. • Spring 2009: Up to two representatives of each finalist team would then be flown to the annual conference and would present their proposals to general and artistic directors. The winners would receive no cash awards but would be free to “meet and mingle” with companies at a cocktail party to be held immediately after the presentation.

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The competition would most likely take place every other year, would cost about $25,000 to run and administrate and could become the first itieration of the Artist Development aspect of the Opera Fund in 08-09.

OPERA America Visibility Effort As part of a general effort to reach out to “opera stakeholders,” to “ride the wave” of opera’s current popularity, to increase our membership numbers, and to increase awareness of our new services such as Opera Source, we are planning to have staff present as several upcoming New York events. These events include: • Vox 2007: Showcasing American Composers May 12-13 • Wall-to-wall Opera at Symphony Space May 19 • Metropolitan Opera Season Opening September 24

NEW SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS Visa Support Services During the last quarter, OPERA America has written an average of 10 visa peer support letters per week for Professional Company and Affiliate members to accompany their I-129 petitions for foreign artists. Additionally, the VisaSupport-L listserve has been more active than ever in recent months. This activity is due, in part, to OPERA America’s more active role in attempting to standardize the visa application process throughout the field, as well as the need to circulate multiple changes in USCIS Service Center protocol and jurisdiction.

The initial design phase of the Online Visa Database is complete, and Megan has begun to populate the database with visa petition information from the past two years, which OPERA American currently has on file in hard copy format. After this back-logged information is added, the front end of the database will become available for Professional Company Members and management organizations to update information on visas for which they have petitioned themselves.

New York Venue Directory The New York Venue Directory is available to Professional Company Members on OPERA America’s Web site and includes address, rental fees, photographs of the space, piano information, and an evaluation of the acoustics from the perspectives of a singer, pianist, and listener for New York City audition venues. Anne Choe and Megan Young have continued to research potential sites for listing and have expanded the directory. User reviews have also been added along with local restaurant recommendations for the venues. Future plans are to convert these PDF files into a searchable database, allowing companies to add feedback and connect directly with venues.

Opera Source Opera Source, OPERA America’s new online database, has now been up and fully operational since January 1, 2007. Opera Source is divided in two sections and is updated in two distinct ways: The first section, “Upcoming Auditions & Opportunities” can only be updated by e- mailing [email protected]. (Companies, competitions, and academic institutions who list do not need to be members of OPERA America to list information about their

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organization.). The second section, “Organization Directory,” contains static information about companies, training programs, competitions, etc. and is to be updated by the organization itself, not by OPERA America staff. Staff is always ready and willing to help the organization to find its username, password and the correct webpage to perform the updates.

Since January, Advertisements for Opera Source have been placed in several publications, including Classical Singer magazine. Opera Source is a regular feature of our new ArtistLink monthly email – new listings and interesting search results are highlighted every month. In addition, new features have recently been added to Opera Source, such as a keyword search under Organization Directory, which allows users to look for any organization with a certain word or words in its title; and a dialog box in the Upcoming Auditions & Opportunities section which always features the ten most recent additions to Opera Source’s listings.

In Miami, conferees will be encouraged to visit the Web Café to try Opera Source. Instructions on how to use it will be provided along with a guest username and password for use during Opera Conference 2007. OPERA America is eager to receive feedback and comments from users.

Classical Singer Convention Following a successful trip to the Classical Singer convention last year, Membership Manager Rebecca Ackerman and Artistic Services Manager Anne Choe will be attending the upcoming Classical Singer Convention, May 24-26, 2007, in San Francisco. They will also be staying on for the weekend to attend the first day of the West Coast Auditions in order to greet current members and share information about OPERA America with singer and companies present, some of which are not members.

RECENT ACTIVITIES San Francisco Workshop OPERA America’s Workshop for Singers, Building a Career: Strategies for Success — part of the Hewlett supported San Francisco Bay Area Initiative – was presented January 27 & 28, 2007. Co-hosted by the San Francisco Opera, panelists for the workshop included: Ann Baltz, Founder and Executive Director, Opera Works Joanne Barnes, Arts Management Services Elizabeth Connell Nielson, publicist Clifford "Kip" Cranna, Music Administrator, San Francisco Opera Irene Dalis, Founder and General Director, Opera San José Paul Dresher, Artistic Director, Musical Traditions, Inc. John Duykers, tenor Juliana Gondek, Professor with Great Distinction and Chair, Division of Voice Studies, University of California Los Angeles Sheri Greenawald, Director, Opera Center, San Francisco Opera Diana Hossack Peter Kazaras, Young Artist Program Artistic Director, Seattle Opera Jay Lesenger, Artistic and General Director, Chautauqua Opera José Luis Moscovich, General Director, West Bay Opera Donald Osborne, Artist Manager, California Artists Management Eric Owens, bass Bill Palant, Vice President, Artist Manager, IMG Artists

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Timm Rolek, Artistic Director, Sacramento Opera Gregory Stapp, bass Marcie Stapp, vocal coach, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Over the course of the weekend, over 85 registrants attended panel discussions and presentations and learned pragmatic skills essential to building a performance career. The session topics were: • Securing the Basic Skills • In Your Backyard: Looking at the Local Landscape • Choosing the Right Training Program • Performing an Effective Audition • The Singer/Manager Relationship • Creating Winning Publicity Materials • Learning a Role Inside & Out • Diversifying Your Performing Portfolio with New Music • Conversations with Performing Artists Feedback from the attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Almost all participants polled found the workshop helpful, would attend another OPERA America workshop, and would recommend it to their friends.

Making Connections OPERA America’s professional development and networking series, Making Connections, has concluded for the 2006-07 season, but will resume in September 2007 until April of 2008. The events had an average attendance of 20 people. The sessions that focused on singers drew the largest number of attendees, while the other sessions drew fewer, due largely to the fact that there are more opera singers than opera composers or opera directors. Making Connections attendance had approximately 50% members and 50% non-members. About 10 of the people who came to Making Connections attended 5 or more events and through Making Connections, OPERA America gained 8 new members. Speakers were individually selected from among the local opera industry according to their expertise to lead each panel determined by topic.

The series will be continued next year, partnering with local organizations such as the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and New York University to coproduce and copromote some sessions. Also the member price will be dropped to encourage more member participation and to encourage membership acquisition.

Finally, more advertisements will be strategically placed, to increase attendance. A special Open House and Discussion for High School Singers, held on March 6, was an especially worthwhile event and will be continued next year. Additionally, a welcoming event for New York City opera organizations who are not yet members of OPERA America was held on March 21 to introduce them to our services and staff.

Kansas City Regional Meeting OPERA America’s Regional Meeting in Kansas City was held on March 14 and 15, 2007 and convened representatives from Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Des Moines Metro Opera, Light Opera Oklahoma, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Omaha, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Tulsa Opera, and Wichita Grand Opera; as well as teachers and administrators from Highland Community College, University of Kansas, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Wichita State

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University, and William Jewell College. Expenses to cover costs associated with this meeting were graciously raised by Evan Luskin of Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

On the first day, Marc Scorca moderated a session for Professional Company Members focused on the topics of (1) producing new and existing American operas and (2) working with local conservatories and university opera programs. A concurrent session for university representatives was moderated by Peter McDowell and was centered on (1) working with local and regional opera companies and (2) preparing students to perform new and existing American operas. On the second day, in a joint session, participants addressed the following topics: • What are the points of convergence and divergence in the challenges and opportunities at opera companies and universities? • How can opera companies and universities work together more effectively to strengthen the field and advance the art form? • What are appropriate next steps in working together in the Midwest?

Many agreed that companies and the universities could work more closely together. There were several fine examples of students singing chorus or small roles with professional companies, but more could be done. Regional joint auditions were strongly desired by the universities who feel that summer young artist programs would have a lot to gain by holding Kansas City area auditions and working with the many universities from Kansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Missouri. Other issues discussed were university funding, union restrictions on allowing students in choruses, opera training versus musical theater training, scheduling, and casting and recruiting. A lively discussion was held about the experimental presentation of work in semi- staged forms; the greater fundability of alternative productions; and the use of creative formats in student recitals. University opera faculty believe that more outreach needs to be done to school theater departments to spread awareness of opera.

Future plans include an OPERA America Singer Workshop in September; an educational round- table at the same time; and the development of a Listserve for sharing information between universities and companies in the region.

USITT Convention Rebecca and Megan traveled to Phoenix in the mid-March to attend the annual United States Institute for Theatre Technology Conference & Stage Expo. There, they manned an OPERA America exhibit booth on the trade show floor and made new contacts; including new affiliate, business, and individual members; in the technical theater field. Each year, the USITT Conference is attended by 3,800 professionals and students with backgrounds in design, technology, costume, sound, architecture, management, engineering, and/or production.

Submitted by: Peter McDowell, Director of Programs Anne Choe, Artistic Services Manager Megan Young, Artistic Services Coordinator

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GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE Nominating Report April 2007

The OPERA America by-laws allow for a Board of up to 27 members, including at least 18 General Directors and at least 6 members-at-large, and the President/CEO.

A number of positions are open as a result of required rotations, retirements, and resignations, as follows: • Patricia Compton retired from Opera North, effective October 1, 2006. • William Powers resigned from Berkshire Opera at the end of December, 2006. • Patricia Beggs, Speight Jenkins, David McIntosh, and Janice Mayer are required by the by-laws to rotate off the Board, having completed two consecutive 3-year terms.

Four Board members, having completed one 3-year term, are eligible for reelection to the OPERA America Board. They are: Susan Danis, Anne Ewers, Barbara Leirvik, and Erie Mills. Members of the Governance Committee recommend they be re-elected in light of the outstanding service to OPERA America during their first terms.

Assuming that the Board members who are eligible for renewal are re-elected, the OPERA America Board of Directors includes 14 General Directors and 6 Members-at-Large. At the Annual Business Meeting in April, between 4 and 6 General Directors and up to 2 Members-at- Large are to be elected.

Current Board - As of April 1, 2007 (assuming the re-election of the Board members eligible for renewal) 1. Charles MacKay Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Level 2 2. Peter Gelb Metropolitan Opera Level 1 3. Diane Wondisford Music-Theatre Group Level 4 4. Susan Danis Sarasota Opera Level 2 5. David Baile Opera Atelier Level 3 6. Brian Dickie Chicago Opera Theater Level 3 7. Anne Ewers Utah Symphony & Opera Level 1 8. Catherine French Member-at-Large 9. Anthony Freud Houston Grand Opera Level 1 10. David Gockley San Francisco Opera Level 1 11. Dennis Hanthorn Atlanta Opera Level 2 12. Libby Larsen Member-at-Large 13. Barbara Leirvik Member-at-Large 14. Frayda Lindemann Member-at-Large 15. Christopher Mattaliano Portland Opera Level 2 16. Erie Mills Member-at-Large 17. Allen Moyer Member-at-Large 18. Peter Russell Opera Colorado Level 2

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19. Karen Stone The Dallas Opera Level 1 20. Robert Swedberg Orlando Opera Level 2 21. Marc A. Scorca President/CEO

Motion 1: Re-elect Susan Danis, Anne Ewers, Barbara Leirvik and Erie Mills to second three-year terms, expiring at the conclusion of the 2010 Annual Conference.

Motion 2: Nominate the following candidates to stand for election to first three-year terms, expiring at the conclusion of the 2010 Annual Conference. 1. Louise Gaylord, Member-at-Large 2. Robert Heuer, Florida Grand Opera, Level 1 3. Carol Penterman, Nashville Opera, Level 3 4. Joel Revzen, Arizona Opera, Level 2 A. Kevin Smith, Minnesota Opera, Level 1

Note: One member-at-large position remains open. We are still in the process of communicating with Tod Machover of M.I.T. about the possibility of his standing for election.

Officers - As of April 1, 2007 Chairman Charles MacKay Entering the final year of his term. Vice Chairman Peter Gelb Eligible for re-election. Vice Chairman Diane Wondisford Entering 2nd year of a 2-year term. Vice Chairman Speight Jenkins Required to rotate off the Board. Treasurer David McIntosh Required to rotate off the Board Secretary Susan Danis Eligible for re-election.

Motion 3: a. Re-lect Peter Gelb and Diane Wondisford to another one-year term as Vice Chairman b. Elect Anthony Freud as Vice Chairman c. Elect Susan Danis as Treasurer d. Elect David Baile as Secretary

Members of the Governance Committee extend profound thanks to Patricia Beggs, Speight Jenkins, David McIntosh and Janice Mayer for their tremendous service to OPERA America and the entire field of opera during their six years as members of the Board of Directors.

Note: Board member Robert Swedberg announced his resignation from Orlando Opera on April 9, 2007. Rather than fill his vacant position hurriedly, it has been suggested that the position remain open until the candidate pool can be reviewed more thoroughly. It has been further noted, that since no current members are due to rotate off the Board in 2008, postponing the replacement of Robert Swedberg could help even the overall rotation schedule.

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INFORMATION/ONLINE SERVICES REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 2007 OPERA America Magazine: Progress and Next Steps The capabilities of our new Web site, along with a desire for continued improvement of services, have led OPERA America to reflect on the frequency and format of its communications to members. At the fall 2006 board meeting, board members approved a plan to replace Newsline, published 10 times each year, with a quarterly magazine called OPERA America. Since then, we have done a number of things to prepare for the September 2007 launch of the new magazine.

Creating New, More Timely Communications Vehicles: In January 2007, we unveiled a new series of electronic newsletters to replace and/or supplement existing print and electronic communications with various specialty groups. This newly expanded and improved portfolio of electronic publications allows us to provide more timely information to members, even as we prepare to reduce the frequency of our flagship publication. Response to the newsletters, which include NewsLink, MediaLink, EducationLink, ArtistLink, and TrusteeLink, has been positive. For details, see the Information Technology Report.

Discussion, Research, and Recommendations for the Magazine: In January 2007, the Information Services Committee of the OPERA America Board had a robust discussion about the proposed magazine. Most questions were related to content: How would we determine what is worthy of coverage? Should there be some kind of editorial advisory committee? Who would serve on this committee, and how would it function? Who are the writers, and what are their qualifications? How do we ensure this publication has a distinctive voice? In addition to asking questions, board members offered clear consensus on a number of issues: • The magazine should be distinguished from Opera News, Opera, and others in that it will address opera stakeholders rather than simply consumers/fans; it will look at current artistic and administrative trends and consider how the field can continue to improve both its productions and its business practices. The overall tone is not only informational but also instructive. • The magazine should be a clear step up from Newsline in terms of both content and design. • The magazine should not include reviews. • The magazine should primarily report on member activity, but when there is something to be learned from non-members (ranging from fringe music-theatre companies to large European houses), it is appropriate to include them in stories. Likewise, it may be occasionally appropriate to report on innovations in other performing arts disciplines or in the business community. • It is important to recognize leaders in the business, both artists and administrators, and profile them in a way that provides practical guidance for others who aspire to lead.

In addition to considering results from a reader survey and board/committee feedback, staff met with a variety of professionals to discuss plans and seek feedback. These included: Patrick J. Smith, former editor of Opera News; Doug McLennan, founder of ArtsJournal.com and director of the National Arts Journalism Program; Rebecca Winzenried, Editor-in-Chief, Symphony; Jim O’Quinn, Editor in Chief, American Theatre; Alicia Anstead, Editor, Inside Arts; Ellen

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Goldensohn, Editor, Chamber Music; Speight Jenkins, OPERA America Board Member and former journalist; and Maggie Stearns, Director of Communications, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

In these conversations, we reviewed what elements might regularly appear in the magazine; criteria for identifying topics and features; editorial guidelines; and roles and responsibilities for staff, potential advisory committee, and contract employees. All those consulted felt that plans were thorough and sensible; and several offered questions, comments, or suggestions that assisted OPERA America staff in refining plans.

The major areas of budgetary change for the magazine will be printing, postage, and contract fees. We have received bids from our printer and mailhouse indicating that decreases in printing and postage expenses will offset not only the move to four-color, but also a significant increase in fees for writers and or/art.

Anticipated budgetary change related to magazine Printing Postage Contract Fees Total FY07 budget $33,000 $13,644 $3,500 $50,144 FY08 budget $31,160 $7,000 $12,000 $50,160

Proposal to Board: In March, a subcommittee comprising board officers Susan Danis, Anthony Freud, Charles MacKay, David McIntosh, and Diane Wondisford met with staff via conference call to review general editorial principles, proposed content, and preliminary design, which can be summarized as follows:

• General Editorial Principles: In all sections, and across each issue and each volume, staff will work to make sure that there is balanced coverage of companies of varied budget levels, a range of artistic approaches, and varied communities across North America; and to provide articles of interest to varied professional specialties (production, marketing, etc.) within the field. There is a strong bias toward activity at OPERA America member companies, a bias toward articles that are not only informative but also instructive, and a bias toward activity around new and North American work. Each issue will also have a thematic through-line; although not every article will be tied to the theme, there will be some continuity through the cover, letter from the president/CEO, and feature articles. These themes will be defined in advance and announced to potential advertisers.

• Main Areas of Content: Field News Section: Similar in tone to the “American Ensemble” feature in Chamber Music America, this 10-page section will offer micro-features on significant people, new productions of new and unusual work, new buildings, new marketing initiatives, new collaborations, etc. Because this section is meant, in part, to alert readers to new ideas and initiatives across the field, proven success of said initiatives is not necessarily a criterion for inclusion. Once an event/project has been completed and appropriately assessed, it may warrant an in-depth feature in a later issue of OPERA America. This section will also include significant personnel transitions, season announcements, and news from OPERA America.

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• Feature Articles: These articles, which represent the most significant move from “newsletter” to “magazine” will typically be written by professionals outside the OA staff, and will most frequently address artistic topics. Topics and writers will be determined with the assistance from the Advisory Committee (see attached). These articles will feature color photography and have the most “designed” look—designs will take their cues from the subject matter.

• Production Notebook: This section will feature photos, sketches, and words from artists about a recent member production. We will make a special effort to highlight premieres of works supported by The Opera Fund, but may also include other productions of new or infrequently-performed works, or innovative approaches to traditional repertoire.

• Non-Feature articles: These articles are focused on the nuts and bolts of creating, producing, enjoying opera and will provide proven strategies, practical advice, and other information that assists opera stakeholders in their opera-related role. Articles will be similar to [the best examples of] articles in the current Newsline, and will have a consistent, low-key design. In addition to topics of interest to various professional specialties, they may include reports from OPERA America convenings, announcements of Opera Fund grants, announcements of recent publications and recordings of American opera, etc.

Design Objectives: Members of the subcommittee reviewed a mock-up of the proposed design. (Copies of a refined version of this design will be available for perusal at the board meeting.) Primary design objectives were as follows: • Create a magazine that expresses the vibrancy and variety of opera production across North America, embracing the best of cutting-edge experimentation, more traditional grand spectacle, and everything in between. Transform the publication from an industry newsletter that lives in the desktop pile to a magazine displayed on coffee tables. • Make design choices based on the fact that OPERA America is a publication for industry stakeholders, rather than consumers. While visual interest is important, quality of information and ease of use is the top priority. • Create a visual language that, while allowing for some variety in the feature layouts, is consistent throughout the magazine, from issue to issue. • Avoid the frenetic, overly busy layouts seen in some commercial publications. • Recognize that regular news sections, departments, and articles with practical application should be easy to find and easy to read; resist the temptation to visually treat all sections like features. At the same time, use simple but eye-catching design elements and colors to give these sections more visual interest than their previous incarnation. • The subcommittee was enthusiastic about the plans for the magazine. After suggesting minor tweaks, they unanimously recommended we bring the current plan forward for approval at the spring board meeting.

Advertising: We expect the new four-color magazine to allow us to increase advertising revenue. In May, organizational members of OPERA America, along with other prospective advertisers, will receive information on the new magazine and advertising rates.

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Meanwhile, Kate Ehle continues to work to increase advertising revenue for our existing publications. The new display advertising sales campaign that began with this year’s September issue of Newsline has been extremely successful. The combined revenue from April “Annual Conference” issue of Newsline and the Annual Conference Program Book is $5695. (In 2006, Conference advertising revenue was $1055.)

Future Season Survey: 86 companies (compared to last year’s 85) participated in OPERA America’s Future Season Repertoire Report for the 2006-2007 and 2011-2012 seasons, which was completed and mailed the third week of April. The Future Season Repertoire Report is an annual resource designed to aid Professional Company Members and International Company Members in planning seasons and possible co-productions. The first half of the report lists each company’s future season repertoire in alphabetical order, and the second half is alphabetical by work/composer. It includes each company that plans on performing each work, the month and season they plan to produce it in, director, designer(s), production codes, whether or not each company is seeking a producing partner, comments and set rental information, and whether or not the plans for each production are tentative or firm.

Additional Publications Created Since Last Board Meeting March and April issues of Newsline Annual Conference Promotional Postcard Annual Conference Program Book Advertisements for Opera News and Classical Singer The Future Season Survey Report January, February, March, and April editions of ArtistLink, EducationLink, TrusteeLink Biweekly editions of NewsLink and MediaLink Numerous flyers, programs, and fact sheets for Opera Conference 2007 and related events

Continuing Education: In October, the library of OPERA America became a collegial member of METRO, the Metropolitan New York Library Council. METRO supports the network of public and private libraries serving diverse communities throughout New York City and Westchester County. METRO offers advice from experts on many topics, especially the applications of emerging technologies to library needs; their goal is to build a stronger network of collaboration and support for libraries in their service area.

Member benefits include discounted tuition for professional development classes and workshops in the areas of technology, management, leadership, communications, and library operations. Alexa Antopol and Kevin Sobczyk attended the Introduction to Metadata for Digital Collections seminar on Friday, February 9. The seminar was led by the metadata coordinator at the Digital Library Program at the New York Public Library. In the future, Alexa and Kevin will be able to tag (describe) items held within the digital archive in a coherent and complete manner, making it easy to identify, search for, and retrieve specific electronic files. On Wednesday, February 28, Alexa attended the Planning and Managing a Digitization Project seminar, which was led by the manager of web content and digital collections at Brooklyn Public Library. Topics regarding effective planning included: selecting materials and determining project scope, delivery of digital collections, imaging specifications, metadata creation, considerations for outsourcing and working in-house, and sustainability planning. Alexa picked up valuable information about how to develop a project’s workflow, about digitization standards and best practices now in use, and tips for finding digitization grant funding. This seminar complements her CDIA+ training, which is nearly two-thirds complete.

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Flood Aftermath: The damages sustained to the Information Services collection and the Baisley Powell Elebash Score and Recording Library during the January flood have been addressed. 16 shelving units have been replaced and have been installed approximately one yard away from their previous location, putting them out of the way of a flood recurrence. Our losses also included six books and approximately 200 Opera magazines, which will be replaced as soon as possible. Many of the missing issues of Opera are available from the publisher; the rest are being located with the assistance of a periodical replacement service.

Information Requests: OPERA America’s Information Service department continues to assist member companies and others with a variety of research requests. Recent subjects have included: financial benchmarking information; performance history for various individual opera titles; performance trends for Puccini; how a librettist finds a composer; founding dates of Canadian companies; size and demographics of audience for opera and/or classical music; rights to translations; career assistance for aspiring singers; archives of early opera recordings; operas that do not require chorus; and more.

Member organizations taking advantage of our research service since January have included: The Atlanta Opera, Central City Opera, Chautauqua Opera, The Dallas Opera, Dayton Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Opera.ca, Opera Idaho, Orlando Opera, Shreveport Opera, The Skylight, and Wagner Society of New York. In order to promote the opera field and OPERA America’s members, staff have also provided minor research assistance to Amadeus Press and Limelight Editions, American Symphony Orchestra League Information Resource Center, Bard College, Christie’s Library, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, City of Tarpon Springs Cultural Treasures, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Gerda Lissner Foundation, Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, an author of economics textbooks, a retired reverend who is also a librettist, a choir director from the Midwest, a singer and consultant in Philadelphia, a National Advisory Council Working Group Member, a 13-year-old student at Robert Finley Middle School, a public radio arts reporter in Boston, a university music student in Germany, and individual singer members.

Submitted by: Kelley Rourke, Director of Research and Publications Alexa Antopol, Research Manager Katherine Ehle, Publications Manager

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EDUCATION AND AUDIENCE RESOURCES REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 2007 SERVICES TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC Adult Education Initiatives A. Online Learning The 2007-2008 Season of Online Learning has just been announced. We will offer a series of four courses offered in collaboration with member opera companies who will present the featured operas as part of their seasons. In addition to the patrons of our opera company partners, the courses are made available free of charge to OPERA America individual members, trustee designees, and National Trustee Council Members, and are open to the general public for a charge of $10 per course.

In addition to the written course text, which focuses on the historical background of the piece and the composer, as well as musical analysis, each course has interactive features including a bulletin board where the instructor can post questions, discussion topics, or interesting articles, and the participants can correspond with the instructor and each other about the topics covered. The text is accompanied by online audio clips, allowing for a detailed musical analysis of the opera.

The 2007-2008 Season of Online Learning will include the following courses: • La bohème: August 28- September 18, 2007 Confirmed Company Partners: Boston Lyric Opera, L.A. Opera, Opera Columbus, Pensacola Opera, Washington National Opera • Hansel and Gretel: October 22- November 12, 2007 Confirmed Company Partner: Opera Company of Philadelphia • La Cenerentola: February 13- March 5, 2008 Confirmed Company Partners: Opera Columbus, Utah Symphony and Opera • Nixon in China: May 15- June 5, 2008 Presented with Opera Colorado in conjunction with the 2008 Performing Arts Convention

Additional company partners are still being confirmed.

In addition to the new season of courses, we are working with opera companies who plan to present the four operas that were featured in this past season, so that their patrons can gain access to those materials that are already online.

The current season recently concluded with Samson et Dalila taught by Paul Speiser of Westminster Choir College. It was presented in partnership with Florida Grand Opera and Dayton Opera, and all conference registrants received the course as part of their registration. Participants included 22 OPERA America members, 10 Dayton Opera patrons, 90 Florida Grand Opera patrons, and 44 members of the general public.

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We are grateful to Opera D’Oro, which provided the audio samples included in all four courses, and StreamingCulture, which provided the audio streaming services for the courses. These partnerships were instrumental in the success of the first season of online learning, and we hope to continue these relationships. We continue to work with Naxos of America and plan to involve them in the online learning initiatives as appropriate.

B. OPERA America Learning Center The OPERA America Learning Center has been active on the OPERA America Web site since January of 2007. From January to April 2007 the Learning Center has placed in the top 10 most viewed pages on the OPERA America Web site.

The Learning Center houses all the content previously found on OperaWorld.com including: • Cornerstones, exploring the 20 most frequently performed operas, with background articles, photos, audio clips, and audio interviews. Recently added to Cornerstones are lesson plans for high school teachers, and web-based exploration activities for high school students. • The Bel Canto Zone, discovering the beauty of three selected bel canto operas, enhanced by interviews with creative artists. • In the Beginning, an exploration of four baroque operas. • A Living Tradition, with information about opera’s thriving tradition today, including audio interviews with creative artists and background information on three selected operas. • Viva Verdi!, featuring information on fifteen of Verdi’s lesser known operas, including streamed video segments for seven of the pieces. • Opera Insights, highlighting over 100 lesser known, and more unique operas and composers. • Online Learning courses • Recommendations for reading, listening and viewing, and links to other online arts education resources.

A new section, Introduction to Opera, has also been recently added, with information designed for those with no prior experience with the art form. The content is based on educational materials that were created for the Great American Voices project with the NEA. Introduction to Opera includes: $ Information about operatic voice types with audio samples $ Brief historical background information about the genres of opera $ “Opera is More Than Singing,” a look into the production elements that are part of an opera $ Connecting opera to modern pop culture $ A glossary of frequently used terms $ “Debunking Myths,” which addresses stereotypes frequently associated with opera

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In FY 2008, we will conduct a series of audio interviews with creative artists that will be added to those already featured in the Learning Center. The interviews will provide the perspectives of singers, directors, conductors, and composers on new works, popular repertoire and the creative process.

MUSIC! WORDS! OPERA!

A. Summer Workshops Plans are being finalized for the six M!W!O! workshops that will be held this coming summer. • June 11-15, St Louis, MO; hosted by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis • July 9-13, Denver, CO; hosted by Central City Opera • July 9-13, Salt Lake City, Utah; hosted by Utah Symphony and Opera • July 30-August 3, Charlotte, NC; hosted by Opera Carolina • August 20-24, Vancouver, British Columbia; hosted by Vancouver Opera

In addition to these dedicated companies who have all hosted M!W!O! for several years, we are pleased to welcome a new M!W!O! site for this summer, Duluth Festival Opera, who will host their first workshop August 13-17.

B. Library of Listen and Discover Units We are in the beginning stages of building a library of Listen and Discover units that have been created by opera companies, Trainers or individual teachers for operas that are not currently a part of the M!W!O! curriculum. We have contacted companies and Trainers and they have sent sample materials that will be evaluated over the summer. Those materials that are of a similar quality to the current Listen and Discover units will be housed in our offices for all member companies to borrow for a small royalty fee that would be paid to the creators of the material.

C. Digitalization of M!W!O! The Hansel and Gretel student studybook has been digitized and reprinted. In FY 2008, the other five student studybooks and all three Teacher’s Manuals will also be scanned and turned into electronic PDF documents. This will necessitate easy re-printing when it becomes necessary, and will also allow us to have a digital record of the curriculum.

Core Services

New Since the Last Board Meeting 1. Education Survey The 2006 Opera Education Survey was distributed in September 2006 and we have received responses from 63 companies in the United States and Canada. This is an increase in participation; last year 56 companies submitted the survey. The executive summary of the report will be released at Opera Conference 2007, with the full report being released in May 2007.

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2. 2007 Conference Bravo! Awards On March 21st the 2007 Bravo! Awards were adjudicated at the OPERA America offices. The members of the judging panel were: • Edward Harsh, Vice President, Meet the Composer • Laura Johnson, Jazz at Lincoln Center • Thomas Michel, Managing Director of Marketing, New York City Ballet

After spirited debate, the following organizations were selected as winners of Bravo! Awards: • Business of the Year Award: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, nominated by Pittsburgh Opera • Diversity Award: Opera Colorado, for La Curandera • Educator of the Year Award: Erich Knapp, nominated by The Minnesota Opera • Spotlight on Opera Award: Calgary Herald, nominated by Calgary Opera • Spotlight on Opera Award: WEAR-TV, nominated by Pensacola Opera • Success Award: Fort Worth Opera, for Leadership FWOpera • Success Award: The Metropolitan Opera, for Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD

The following individuals will also be honored with Career Service Awards: Ten Year Service Award • William Mason, Lyric Opera of Chicago • Jerome Shannon, Mobile Opera • Mark Weinstein, Pittsburgh Opera

Twenty-Five Year Service Award • Victor DeRenzi, Sarasota Opera • Richard Marshall, Center for Contemporary Opera • Erik Buck Townsend, Townsend Opera Players

Career Service Award • Paul Kellogg, New York City Opera

The Award of Distinction will be presented to Michael Spring, Director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.

We will also honor New Orleans Opera with a special award, recognizing the extraordinary efforts the company has made to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

3. Partnership with Opera For Youth Opera for Youth is an organization dedicated to encouraging the creation of operas to be performed by children and adults in theatre and opera companies, to the support of composers and librettists, and to the study and publication of writings about opera and music

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theatre for young performers and young audiences. They have agreed to collaborate with OPERA America to provide joint services to the field of opera education and the members of both organizations.

One of the great resources that Opera for Youth brings to the collaboration is an extensive bibliography of operas written both for young audiences, and for youth to perform. This exciting resource provides the opportunity for our member companies to learn about new youth operas that they could potentially present and tour. Over the summer, we will work with Opera for Youth to update the bibliography and enter their information into a database that will be combined with the current listings in the Tried and True Works Lending Library, and new listings submitted by the field. If your company has commissioned or presented a children’s opera that you would like to have included in this new resource please contact Andrea Johnson for submission forms.

In addition to the creation of the database for youth operas, we will work to encourage Opera for Youth members to join OPERA America as educator members, and discuss programming for each year’s conference that related to creating, commissioning and presenting youth operas.

5. Future Projects We are looking for funding to bring together a group of key education thinkers to discuss the future direction of OPERA America’s education activities. The group will evaluate current projects including M!W!O!, based on the current educational environment that arts education organizations must operate in, as well as generate ideas and recommendations for future projects. OPERA America’s overall educational strategy is to offer programs and services that best meet the needs of opera companies, teachers and schools, and this meeting will help us to determine how best to accomplish that goal.

Submitted by: Andrea Johnson, Manager of Education and Adult Learning Programs

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EXTERNAL AFFAIRS REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 2007 We are pleased to welcome Manny Simone who joined the staff of OPERA America on March 19, 2007 as Development Coordinator. In addition to administrative experience, Manny brings enthusiasm for the work of OPERA America as a free lance voice and piano teacher.

The external affairs department is now fully staffed (Brian Chapman, Rebecca Ackerman, and Haley Gordon). We look forward to working together as a team as effectively as possible on behalf of OPERA America’s membership, activities, and goals.

ANNUAL FUND • The FY07 Annual Fund is currently at $90,321 vs. same time last year, $71,839 toward a fiscal year-end goal of $150,000. Last year’s fiscal year-end goal was $119,000.

• We plan to have the major portion of the annual Spring direct mail solicitations sent out to donors prior to the conference.

• Thank you very much to Barbara Leirvik for her time and participation in this project having assisted with the letter drafts and personally signing more than 350 letters.

• The Spring solicitations are being sent to the following: renewals (208), lapsed (90), Trustee Designees and National Trustee Council (approximately 350), Online Learning buyers (400), miscellaneous prospects (50), current members (approximately 800). In addition, we are including an appeal in the electronic Newslink as an experiment.

GRANTS Operating/Project Grants Received Target, $35,000, in support of the continued development of OPERA America’s Web-based education resources, with emphasis on the Online Learning Program. This is a renewal.

Proposals Submitted and Pending • The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, requesting $400,000 over two years in response to the foundation’s invitation to apply at this level. The proposal is a request for support of our next phase of expanded online resources and services to transform “OPERA America Online” to “OPERA America Interactive,” i.e., our online presence from its current “read only” capability to the interactive realm that meets the needs and expectations of today’s internet users as individuals and as members within the new electronic communities.

• Hewlett Foundation, $150,000 over three years, to support customized services to the San Francisco Bay Area. (Renewal and request for increased support)

• National Endowment for the Arts, requesting $150,000 to support adding interactive capabilities and the continuation of core programs and comprehensive services. This grant would be for FY09. The FY08 grant is confirmed for $100,000.

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• New York City proposals: o Department of Cultural Affairs, requesting $25,000 to increase “Making Connections” seminars from 10 sessions to 20 next year.

Two separate proposals were submitted to: o Manhattan Borough President o Manhattan Delegation “Enhanced Services Delivery through State-of-the-Art Technology.” Both requests, $103,000, are to outfit staff with the latest hardware and operating systems for the highest levels of connectivity, internally and externally, to enhance interaction and services. Teleconferencing and podcasting capabilities for meetings and seminars are included in the funding request.

• Carnegie Corporation, requesting support to expand Making Connections from 10 sessions per year to 20. Specific amounts cannot be requested for this type of funding.

Proposals in Preparation • New York State Council on the Arts, requesting $37,000 for “Building Opera Capacity for Upstate New York,” in association with Syracuse Opera, to support customized workshops, seminars and onsite consultations to build capacity with emphasis on Central and Upstate producing and educational institutions.

• New York City Council, $103,000 for “Enhanced Services Delivery through State-of-the- Art Technology.” We will submit the same request that was sent to the two city agencies above.

• National Opera Trustee Council Recognition Program: We will submit requests, ranging between $25,000 to $50,000, for exclusive corporate sponsorships to: Bank of America, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, UBS and will add additional corporate prospects moving forward. Frayda B. Lindemann, as Chair, will lead this exciting new program that will both recognize the “best of the best” among opera trustee excellence and set a standard in the process.

• American Express, requesting an amount to be determined, to launch a new version of The Next Stage linking American Express’s interest is supporting classics with the need to fund subsequent productions of new North American works to prevent obscurity following premieres.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE SPONSORSHIPS Sponsorships total $32,000; with the addition of Florida Grand Opera’s host company sponsorship of $25,000, the total is $57,000 against a goal of $60,000. • Arts Consulting Group, Inc. $2,500 • Community Counselling Service (CCS Fund Raising) $2,500 • DCM, Telemarketing and Telefundraising for the Arts $1,000

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• Figaro Systems, $2,500 • Fisher Dachs, Inc. $2,500 • Florida Grand Opera $25,000 • LTM Artists $10,000 • Schuler Shook $2,500 • Target Resource Group $5,000 • TAYLAR Development $2,500 • Zeidler Partnership Architects, $1,000 (sponsoring Palm Beach extension)

SANTA FE As part of OPERA America’s Ambassador Travel Program, we have planned a trip to the Santa Fe Opera Festival, August 20 – 24. Three operas are included, Platée, Cosé fan Tutte, and Tea: A Mirror of the Soul as well as trips to museums, Bandalier National Park, Georgia O’Keefe’s studio, with gourmet restaurant meals. Also, Plato and Dorothy Karayanis will host a dinner in their home. To date, we have nine Ambassador Circle donors registered to travel.

DEVELOPMENT BENCHMARKING SURVEY The survey was mailed to all company listservs in late March. This is the third annual survey. We anticipate a healthy participation since last year’s number of participating opera companies was approximately doubled over the initial year. The deadline for returns is mid May with results to be disseminated in June.

TRUSTEELINK Three issues have been sent in the new electronic version to date. E-newsletters are reported more fully in the Information Technologies section of the Board Report.

THE OPERA CENTER • We acknowledge with delight and the deepest gratitude the generous pledge of $250,000 from Barbara and Ronald Leirvik to endow the conference room at the Opera Center, which will be named the Barbara and Ronald Leirvik Conference Room. Until the space is constructed, the Conference Room in our current New York office is now named in honor of Barbara and Ronald Leirvik to acknowledge their generous 5 year pledge and deep commitment to OPERA America.

• Pamela Hoiles’s pledge payments for her very generous $2.5 million gift toward OPERA America’s relocation to New York City and development of the Opera Center are being received on schedule.

• A discussion paper has been submitted to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with a $1.5 million amount included. Marc met with Program Director, Susan Feder, on February 14, 2007.

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• We are drafting a proposal to the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation that will outline the Center plans and include a range of naming opportunities. The proposal is being constructed to request a meeting to initiate discussions with the hope of a major endowment gift.

• Fidelity Foundation: A proposal is being written that aligns with the foundation’s interests in planning initiatives for capacity building. We will report more on this as we go forward regarding details and requested amount.

• The Adams Family Foundation: A proposal is being written to request underwriting and naming the basic reference library in the new Center. Details and request amount (range of $250,000 to $500,000) are in the process of being determined.

Submitted by: Bill Higgins, Director of External Affairs

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GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 2007 It’s appropriations season in Washington which means the past three months have been busy with policy strategizing, meetings with Congressional offices, and hearings galore. Below are various updates on issues related to OPERA America’s advocacy/lobbying efforts:

2007 Arts Advocacy Day Close to 500 arts advocates visited Capitol Hill on March 13 for Arts Advocacy Day. OPERA America members actively participated in Arts Advocacy Day by visiting Congressional offices on Capitol Hill, lobbying in their home towns, and writing letters to their elected officials. Representatives from Baltimore Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, and Virginia Opera traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with Congressmen and Senators from Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia in order to discuss NEA funding, arts education, international cultural exchange, charitable giving incentives, and visa processing for foreign artists. Nashville Opera Association met with 24 of Tennessee's legislators in Tennessee thanking them for their support of the arts, reminding them of the economic impact of arts, and discussing specifics about opera companies' service to the community. At the same time, 134 performing arts activists from 33 states responded to a call-to-action and sent letters to their Members of Congress telling them to support the performing arts in honor of Arts Advocacy Day.

NEA and Arts in Education Funding/Dear Colleague Letters With the February 16 signing of a $463.5 billion spending package, Congress completed work on FY 2007 appropriations. The final FY 2007 package funds most federal programs at FY 2006 levels, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which received $124.4 million and the Arts in Education programs, which received $35.3 million.

On February 6, the Bush Administration’s FY 2008 budget proposal was released and included a modest budget increase for some of the federal cultural agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts. However, for the seventh year in a row, the budget provided no funding for the Arts in Education programs at the Department of Education. As a result, Arts Caucus Co-chairs Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) are currently circulating two Dear Colleague letters in the House of Representatives. One letter requests support for $53 million for Arts in Education programs at the Department of Education and the other requests support for $176 million for the NEA. Presently, there are 46 signatures to the arts education letter and 78 signatures to the NEA letter. The current deadline to sign-on to either letter is April 20.

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Federal Arts Hearings On March 13, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which handles funding for the NEA, held a hearing devoted to federal arts funding. Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA-6), chair of the Subcommittee, scheduled the hearing, entitled “Role of the Arts in Creativity and Innovation” to spotlight arts issues on Capitol Hill. He intended the hearing to serve as a powerful and symbolic statement to his colleagues and the public that he views the arts as a top priority for his Subcommittee. The witnesses included jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, CEO of BET Dr. Sheila C. Johnson, CEO of Raisbeck Engineering James Raisbeck, Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island David Cicilline, Actor Chris Klein and President and CEO of Americans for the Arts Robert L. Lynch.

On March 20, NEA Chairman Dana Gioia testified before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. Gioia said he has five priorities for any substantial increase in NEA funding: 1) increasing the average grant size to organizations, 2) arts education, 3) increasing grants to underserved areas and populations, 4) increasing funds for the states and 5) supporting international exchange. Subcommittee member Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM) asked about the NEA’s opera support and wanted to learn more about the Santa Fe Opera’s involvement in the NEA’s Great American Voices program.

Additionally, on April 19, Karen Bea, a violinist with the Phoenix Symphony, will testify on behalf of the American Arts Alliance at a public witness hearing also before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee.

Visa Processing: ARTS “Arts Require Timely Service” Act Introduced On March 5th, longtime performing arts supporter Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA-28) introduced The ARTS “Arts Require Timely Service” Act (HR 1312), which would require O and P visa processing within 45 days. The bill is co-sponsored by 4 Democrats [Reps. Berman, Weiner (D-NY-9), Nadler (D-NY-8), and Schiff (D-CA-29)] and 4 Republicans [Reps. Blackburn (R-TN-7), Coble (R-NC-6), Chabot (R-OH-1), and Lungren (R-CA-3)]. The bill is similar to the provision approved by the Senate last year as part of the comprehensive immigration reform bill.

This legislation would address the delays and unpredictability currently suffered by nonprofit performing arts organizations pursuing artist visas. Delays in regular visa processing began in June 2001 (prior to September 11th) when the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adopted a Premium Processing Service (PPS), guaranteeing processing within 15 calendar days at an unaffordable cost for most nonprofit arts organizations- $1,000 per petition. Prior to the creation of PPS, regular O and P visa processing took an average of 45 days. However, current regular processing time now averages between 45 days to six months.

Additionally, beginning May 16, 2007 visa petitioners may submit I-129 applications for O or P visas up to a maximum of one year in advance of their need for the foreign artist’s services. Currently, the earliest petitioners may file is only up to 6 months in advance of a performance. USCIS made this rule change at the urging of the nonprofit performing

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arts community. Extending the earliest filing date from 6 to 12 months may provide relief for those petitioners prepared to file far in advance of a performance.

No Child Left Behind Reauthorization No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is scheduled to be reauthorized this year. Under NCLB, the federal government has deemed the arts a “core academic subject,” yet national studies have shown that the implementation of NCLB has led to the erosion of arts education in schools, with 22% of school districts reporting a decrease in instruction time for art and music. As a result, the Arts Education Working Group is creating specific policy recommendations to be included in the reauthorization language. These will focus on arts in education funding, research, teacher quality, and flexibility and accountability of the arts.

NEA Capacity Building On Wednesday, April 18th arts community leaders met with NEA Chairman Dana Gioia to further discuss “capacity building” or multi-year grants to arts organization for the purpose of building arts infrastructure. In February, a small group of NEA staff and arts community representatives met to develop a draft “capacity building” proposal. Last year the Chairman Gioia agreed to have biannual meetings with the arts community and this is the first of those meetings for 2007.

Advocacy Sessions at Annual Conference In an effort to highlight advocacy at this year’s conference, there will be two advocacy oriented open sessions. One session, “Arts and Politics Collide: Creating a Performing Arts Center,” will focus on the creation of new performing arts centers and the relationship between city officials and arts administrators while the other session, “Lobbying is for Everyone,” will include information on how to be an effective arts advocate; how the political shift in Washington impacts the arts and what policy issues affect the arts on local, state, and federal levels.

Government Affairs Liaisons Below is a current list of companies that have appointed government affairs liaisons. Companies that have yet to select a staff, board, and/or volunteer government affairs liaison should email the following information to [email protected].

Amarillo Opera Center for Contemporary Opera American Opera Projects Chautauqua Opera Anchorage Opera Cincinnati Opera Arizona Opera Connecticut Opera Ash Lawn Opera Festival Dayton Opera Asheville Lyric Opera Des Moine Metro Opera Atlanta Opera Encompass New Opera Theatre Augusta Opera Eugene Opera Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre Fargo-Moorehead Opera

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Florentine Opera Opera Company of Philadelphia Florida Grand Opera Opera Memphis Fort Worth Opera Opera Pacific Houston Grand Opera Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia Metropolitan Opera San Francisco Opera Mississippi Opera Association, Inc. Santa Fe Opera Nashville Opera Sarasota Opera New York City Opera Seattle Opera Opera Carolina Tacoma Opera Opera Cleveland Tulsa Opera Opera Colorado Washington National Opera Opera Columbus Utah Symphony and Opera

Submitted by: Haley Gordon, Government Affairs Manager

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AMERICAN ARTS ALLIANCE REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 2007

Last May, I reported on the advocacy work of the American Arts Alliance and suggested a couple of actions that would help performing arts companies excel in two key areas – as generators of important issues and effective activists in support of change. With some chagrin, I re-read my neophytic natterings and am happy to report that my enthusiasm remains high and, much more importantly, the American Arts Alliance had a wonderfully successful year.

The American Arts Alliance (AAA), largely through the outstanding work done by government affairs staff for each member service organization, assesses, researches, and develops appropriate responses to issues that present as either ongoing or unique challenges to our work. These issues are organized into tiers that prioritize their relevance and regulate our investment of resources. • Tier 1 issues have an impact on our work that is either immediate or annual and the AAA takes a leadership role acting on these, creating consensus among our service organizations and others and acting to affect policy change. • With Tier 2 issues, those that affect the long-term health of our business but do not receive regular action at the federal level, the AAA works as a coalition partner, assisting and advising others to define policy. • Tier 3 issues do not present an immediate challenge, or are of indeterminate impact, but merit monitoring.

The year just past is characterized by spectacular successes, slowly growing influence, and creative responses to new challenges. This effectiveness is directly attributable to an amazing team of government affairs experts and people like Marc, who employ deep knowledge and political savvy for our benefit. Here is a quick summary of the successes.

Disaster Relief (Tier 1). The stunning inadequacies in FEMA policy with respect to nonprofit performing arts facilities that hurricanes Katrina and Rita made so apparent were changed as a result of AAA action. Although recent disasters provided special impetus, five years of work with multiple federal departments and several congressional offices created change that places nonprofit performing arts companies and facilities on equal footing with other important cultural institutions when applying for grant and loan assistance needed to rebuild after disasters. Part of this work included submitting written testimony this past December to the House Ways and Means Committee. Although final FEMA reform was not completed, Congress acknowledged the importance of AAA-recommended changes to policy and added them to the Department of Homeland Security funding bill, thus assuring their implementation even if other reforms fall short.

Increased NEA funding (Tier 1). Assuring ongoing meaningful support of the NEA by the federal government was a founding principle of the AAA. This year’s advocacy assured the seventh consecutive increase in annual funding, to $124.4 million. As an unplanned but welcome additional achievement, Chairman Gioia and leaders of the service organizations met, exchanged viewpoints on key long-range concerns, and laid the groundwork for parallel planning and advocacy in the future, especially as the NEA considers funding capacity-building programs for our industries.

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IRA Rollover Provision, Charitable Giving (Tier 2). As the cherished flow from the philanthropic spigot continues slows to a dribble, providing additional opportunities for charitable giving that carry meaningful incentives is of high value to us all. Working with others in the arts community, the AAA helped convince the Senate to pass key legislation that permits donors to divert money from tax-sheltered IRAs to arts institutions without first paying income tax.

Visa processing (Tier 1). The AAA and Performing Arts Visa Task Force, in spite of the clunky integration of US Citizenship and Immigration Services into the Department of Homeland Security and demagogic public harangues about immigration policy, secured important changes in policy that will simplify initial visa filing and provide affordable follow-up service when problems with artist visas arise. This major success is too complicated to summarize here, but all future arts-related visas will be processed according to a single, more streamlined protocol.

In thirty years of service, the American Arts Alliance has earned status as a credible and trusted voice for the performing arts, which these activities enhanced.

Visa processing (Tier 1). During the protracted process of amending visa processing, AAA and others built trust with officials that led to favorable policy changes in how US consulates relate to foreign-born artists engaged to perform with American companies.

Federal Arts Funding in Arts Education, NCLB Re-authorization (Tier 1). The American Arts Alliance has done wonderful work this year to shape the discussion about arts education. The next major issue is re-authorization of No Child Left Behind, the first federal education program to mandate inclusion of the arts in curricula and the major reason cited by local administrators when shifting funding away from providing arts experiences and toward the Rs. Though Iraq-related expenses continue to make justification of “soft expenses” more treacherous and data about the value of the arts are constantly questioned or discredited, the AAA secured the fifth consecutive increase for the US Department of Education Arts in Education programs and Congressional support for federal-funded research into the status of arts education in America. The AAA also participated in a successful Hill briefing for Congressional staff on the importance of arts education and helped to create a unified statement for policymakers and arts education advocates called Arts Education: Creating Student Success in School, Work, and Life. This document will prove beneficial as No Child Left Behind re-authorization progresses.

NPAC (Ongoing Project). The American Arts Alliance has committed to demonstrating its value at the National Performing Arts Convention in 2008.

This last section, “creative responses to new challenges,” is one with which we are all very familiar, for it revolves primarily around budget. To be perfectly honest, all of this good work is jeopardized by shrinking resources and the challenge we all face in finding new sources of revenue. Even in our graft-proof governmental culture, where money and power are never equated, access to intelligent and influential people, and those for whom they work, costs increasingly more money. Rachel Lyons, Executive Director of the American Arts Alliance, has accommodated shrinking resources but soon will confront the law of diminishing returns. Although considered at other times, there is new urgency when we talk now about donations by AAA Board members and recruitment into AAA membership of other performing arts service organizations (Chorus America, American Composers’ Forum, American Music Center, Chamber Music America, Meet the Composer, Music Critics of North America, National

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Alliance for Music Theatre, North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance), because spreading the expense across many will ease current concerns.

What has been most impressive about the AAA this year is that the service organization leaders view our current success and potential for financial distress as indicators that we should revision the Alliance, develop a new mission, and improve our relevancy. Last year, I noted that the process of setting the American Arts Alliance agenda begins with us, company leaders who encounter problems and opportunities simultaneously specific to our institutions and representative in aggregate of bigger trends. So, blithely strolling into dangerous territory, here is this year’s charge to us:

Let’s share our failures and successes with each other in the group meetings and, After reporting to each other in Group meetings our successes and failures (and laughing humorlessly at the challenges as we must), each Group should devote some time to developing a consensus regarding what is most important to the continuance of opera in America now, in five years, and in a decade.

• Designate a spokesperson to communicate that list to Haley Gordon or Marc. • Answer the opportunities sent by the American Arts Alliance to throw our weight at specific issues, and continue to bring up issues that provoke concern or opportunities that seem beyond our own company resources to address.

While sitting at the bar recounting individual moments of derring-do is personally gratifying, we all know this conference is ultimately about the bigger whorls of energy that shape our work, and with which the American Arts Alliance is fully prepared to tangle. Driving my desk, it is easy to become hypnotized by the steady flow of stuff that needs attention, but looking up helps bring that other stuff into focus – believe that your experiences have importance that transcends enrichment of your future cardiac specialist and help the AAA know best how to serve you.

Once again, thank you, Marc, for this opportunity and for working as hard as you do, and thank you, CSO Board, for continuing to support my participation in the American Arts Alliance.

Submitted by: John Wehrle, Executive Director, Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Member, American Arts Alliance Board of Directors

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 2007 I. IT Observations and Trends The past three months were spent reviewing and refining our implementation of Opera Source. The main focus has been on further integration with our current online offerings in a non-obtrusive manner to allow for a deeper, more meaningful user interaction.

The newly created Visa database as well as our new conference registration procedures were both created using the new database architecture. Both applications will be discussed in detail below.

The past three months also saw the full launch of our new e-newsletters. Adoption and feedback on the news letters has been positive. They offer OPERA America a more refined way of disseminating information to a targeted audience.

II. Hardware

All server related hardware is performing normally. New hard drives and tape back up are functioning as expected.

Microsoft has released new versions of both their flagship operating system (Windows Vista) and their flagship productivity software (Microsoft Office). The IT department will be purchasing a minimum of two new, fully loaded desktop systems from Dell to evaluate both offerings. This evaluation period will take place for three to four months after the initial purchase with a look to deploying new hardware and software for the entire office shortly thereafter.

Bill Higgins and Amy Smitherman have been hard at work securing additional funding to bring in more of the tools necessary to further extend our in-house IT offerings. The major item of interest from the IT perspective is at least one new server from Dell that will allow the IT department to relieve the load on the current server as well as increase the speed with which the current databases operate. This new server will also allow OPERA America to set up a proper testing environment for all in house IT work. By being able to test on a separate machine in a production-like environment, we will be able to spot problems faster and experiment more without affecting the day to day business.

III. Network OPERA America recently upgraded to a full data T1 line, increasing our connection speed to the internet at least threefold. Because Opera Source is hosted on-site in the OPERA America offices, it is critical that we offer the fastest connection possible. Paetec handled the installation and the new line is performing as expected. An increase in server hardware will further increase the speed at which Opera Source operates.

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IV. Current Projects A. Opera Source Version 1.0 of Opera Source went live on January 1, 2007. Overall, this massive undertaking can be viewed as a success. It came in on time, and far less expensive than if the project had been handled by an outside agency.

Further additions and enhancements have been made over the course of the past three months to increase the usefulness of the application. The data retrieval and search pages have been reorganized for greater clarity as well as including sections such as the ten most recent entries and more robust search options.

More additions and enhancements will be incorporated over time as we are constantly striving to meet the users’ needs. Please see the Artistic Department’s report for more information.

B. Conference Registration This year’s conference registration went much more smoothly than in previous years. By integrating it with the Opera Source database, we were able to save time the user spent inputting information (such as automatic address retrieval based on which company was registering) thus lowering the number of mistakes during the process. Another new feature was the ability for registrants to go back and change their registration at a later date. In the past, this process was handled by telephone and required a huge amount of staff time as well as an additional fee on top of any fee changes the new request may have generated. The additional fee was waived if the registrant made the changes themselves online.

Another benefit of the integration was the inclusion of near real-time data retrieval for conference reports and statistics that gave running reports crucial to the staff’s preparation for this year’s conference.

C. Online Learning The 2006-2007 Online Learning courses concluded in March of 2007. By using an outside contractor to handle the layout and design, we were able to minimize staff time but maintain a consistent level of quality. We will continue to use this contractor barring any unforeseen circumstances for the 2007-2008 offerings. Please see the Education report for specific details on the previous course as well as information on the upcoming season.

D. OPERA America’s E-Newsletters OPERA America has increased the scope of its partnership with TRG (http://www.trgarts.com) to include 4 new electronic newsletters. TRG was the service responsible for sending OPERA America’s previous e-newsletter, Broadcast News.

ArtistLink, EducationLink, and TrusteeLink are sent out monthly; NewsLink (formerly Broadcast News) and MediaLink is sent twice each month. Each newsletter

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has stories and links specific to the target audience to increase traffic on OPERA America’s current website.

In addition to the partnership with TRG, LTM Artists (http://www.ltmaritsts.com) is the official sponsor of NewsLink. This partnership was created to increase LTM’s visibility in the opera world and to offset some of the production costs associated NewsLink. In return for financial support, OPERA America agreed to provide LTM basic statistics on NewLink’s monthly open and click rates as well as an acknowledgement and logo placement within the newsletter.

Earlier in the year, Alexa Antopol attended an introduction to web authoring class. Upon the completion of her class, she took over the layout duties on each of the newsletters, thus freeing up the IT staff to focus on some of the more difficult challenges associated with the day to day operations of the company. Her work has saved considerable time and she is to be commended for her excellent work on this project.

Please see the statistics below for more information on our newsletters.

E. Visa database OPERA America recently completed a new online resource for artistic administrators. This resource tracks international visa information to promote cooperation among companies employing foreign artists. It will keep a running log of artists that enter the country to perform, which type of visa was procured, as well as any salient notes that may be useful in the future. It will also keep track of the contact information for both the artist and the artist’s management. In addition, by allowing other companies to see who is planning to employ an artist, our hope is that joint visas will become easier.

V. Web Statistics The numbers are averages for the span of January 2007 to April 15, 2007 NewsLink Statistics Sent emails (without bounce backs) : 13,667 Total Opened: 4250 Open Rate: 31.34%

ArtistLink Statistics Sent emails: 1335 Total Opened: 1050 Open Rate: 78.65%

EducationLink Statistics Sent emails: 496 Total Opened: 362 Open Rate: 72.98%

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MediaLink Statistics Sent emails: 2416 Total Opened: 1953 Open Rate: 80.84%

TrusteeLink Statistics Sent emails: 785 Total Opened: 533 Open Rate: 67.90%

OPERA America Web site Usage 9/16/06 – 1/18/07 12/1/2006 – 4/11/2007

Total Hits 4,930,028 7,252,088

Average Hits per Day 44,414 55,359

Total Page Views 263,925 376,418

Total Visitors 122,260 208,461

OPERA America.org Usage Statistics: Of the 208,461 total visitors to OPERA America.org, roughly 40,000 are brand new for this time period versus the previous time period. As you can see above, we are showing considerable growth. This growth has been consistent over the past three months with no real spike in activity. On the downside, failed page requests are up (times when a user cannot reach a page due to any number of technical reasons) to a total of 2% of all page requests. This is a sign that the current infrastructure is being stretched to the limit. The new server purchases described above are intended to combat this trend and allow us to increase our offerings while keeping the failed request number low. Top 10 pages viewed: 1. The home page 2. Jobs search page 3. Login page 4. Conference home page 4. Main singers page 5. Schedule of Performances 6. Production Directory * 7. Membership map 8. Cornerstones/Learning Center 9. The site map 10. Opera Source *

* Members’ Only section of our website.

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VI. Future Projects a. My Career My Career will be a new service offered to members that will allow them to receive updates on audition or job opportunities in their chosen areas and time frames. My Career will pull information from several areas of the Opera Source architecture to create a personalized snap shot of industry opportunities as well as provide all available contact and procedural information relevant to each opportunity.

b. Digital Library The archive project is receiving an overhaul with input from the IS department. Please see the IS report for more information.

c. North American Works Directory In the Works and Encore have been merged into one Access database which will in turn be merged into the Opera Source architecture, allowing for a greater breadth of information and more robust searches. It will exist in a structure similar to Schedule of Performances with heavy ties to Schedule’s data.

d. Further Database Conversions

All online databases will be evaluated and targeted for inclusion into the Opera Source architecture. The re-use of data will significantly lower the complexity of data retrieval and offer users more robust and coherent information. This will be an ongoing project.

e. Web Site Related Further revisions and content updates have continued on the OPERA America web site. Response has been overwhelmingly positive on the new look and navigation schemes. The password system will be going through an overhaul to complement OA’s new online offerings and future plans.

Submitted by: Kevin Sobczyk, Information Technologies Manager

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MARKETING/PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORT REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 2007

Media Relations The public affairs department continues to cultivate relationships with the media through its online Press Room at the OPERA America website, by responding promptly to media inquiries, providing data for writers, and through the issuing of press releases on the activities in the field and at OPERA America.

Throughout FY07, we’ve made efforts to set up telephone and personal interviews and meetings with Marc and local press throughout his business travels. As a result, since the January Board meeting, several phone interviews and live interviews were scheduled for Marc resulting in published articles and/or broadcasts. These are:

Crain’s Business News (Cleveland) The Houston Chronicle San Diego Union Tribune Los Angeles Times Boston Public Radio

Press Releases Issued Since the January Board meeting, the following press releases have been issued, copies of which are available from OPERA America’s office and also are available for downloading from OPERA America website. • February 9, 2007—Largest Gathering of Opera Professionals in the World to Convene; Opera Conference 2007: Opera of the Americas to be Held in Miami, Florida, April 25- 29. • April 9, 2007—2007 OPERA America Bravo! Award Winners Announced • April 18, 2007—OPERA America Presents New Works Sampler, Brown Bag Movie Reel At Conference 2007

Young Friends of Opera National Steering Committee Since the January Board meeting, the Young Friends of Opera National Steering Committee has finalized plans to implement this new audience development tool. As previously stated, the purpose of the program is to increase the recruitment of younger adult audience members through the establishment of reciprocal benefits across the country, and to increase the value of participating in such groups through additional networking opportunities. Participating OPERA America member companies will allow young professional memberships from across the country to receive reciprocal ticket benefits. In addition to offering local benefits to their constituency, the additional nationwide benefit from company participation in the Young Friends of Opera can serve as a further enticement to increase the participation of this demographic on the local level.

The program was announced in early March accompanied by a packet of materials describing the program sent to the marketing network with an invitation to join this initiative. Approximately fifteen companies have committed to participating with strong interest expressed by several more. Prior to Conference 2007, member companies will be personally contacted by phone to

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allow the program to reach its maximum participation level. Program information will be posted on the OPERA America website by April 18.

Members of the Young Friends of Opera Steering Committee and several participants from Houston Grand Opera, Utah Symphony & Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and Palm Beach Opera, will present an open session on this topic on Friday, April 27th during Conference 2007. Moderated by Saverio Mancina, the panel will present a brief overview of the YFO program, present the best practices to establish it, and discuss the retention and development of these potential long-term ticket buyers and future donors.

The committee will host a cocktail reception Friday night, April 27th, from 5:30 to 6:30 in the Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel with interested conference participants and young professionals invited to attend. The group is invited to reconvene for an informal lunch sponsored by the Marriott on Saturday, April 28th.

Marketing Benchmarking Survey Our first marketing benchmarking survey was emailed to marketing staff and general directors on February 26th, 2007, with a follow-up email sent on March 12. Based on the Development Benchmarking Survey, the new marketing survey is designed to provide detailed comparative data about subscription recruitment and retention, single and group ticket sales. The survey documents the size and efficiency of direct mail, telemarketing, and e-marketing campaigns at members companies.

To date, eighteen responses have been received. The survey data will be compiled with an accompanying narrative report by May 18th.

American Express National Audience Development Research Project Final results and activities of this research are nearing completion. A total of seven company members e-mailed brief surveys to their constituents querying them on their email preferences with regard to their local company. The survey results were compiled by OPERA America staff on a company-by-company basis as well as in a combined aggregate form. These results will be distributed to the participating companies. An e-marketing Resource Guide has been developed with the participation of Bill Predmore, Founder and President of POP. This resource will serve as an online “toolkit” and will be available via OPERA America’s website later this month.

Opera Conference 2007 Final planning and arrangements continue for the marketing and public relations sessions scheduled for the April 2007 conference in Miami. Session topics include current issues in electronic media and internet marketing, the best practices and elements of a successful subscription campaign, strategies to maximize public relations coverage in local communities, and strategies to attract and retain the young professional audience. A seminar focusing on pricing practices, revenue maximization, and the effects of customer relationship management on buyer retention, is also scheduled. Jill Robinson and Rick Lester of TRG, and Doug Kinzey of Audience Strategies for the Arts, Inc., have been secured to present this seminar.

Submitted by: Brian Chapman, Government and Public Affairs Manager

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NEXT MEETING FALL 2007 BOARD MEETING SEPTEMBER 28 – 30, 2007

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA