Non-Profit Passes The 2/3 Point Of A 200 K Matching Challenge Grant
Wrapping up its 40th anniversary season with aplomb, Opera Roanoke presents Verdi’s “La Traviata” April 8 at 7:30 p.m. and April 10 at 3:00 p.m. The lush, beautiful, and tragic classic of the operatic repertoire stars Amy Cofield Williamson, who has in the past covered the role for famed soprano Renée Fleming.
Ticket sales for both Friday evening’s and Sunday afternoon’s performances are brisk – well ahead of last spring’s “Cinderella”, which was a near sellout.
In addition to the whirl of activity involved in putting on a live professional opera: rehearsals, set building, costume making, transporting, housing, and feeding opera artists from all over the world, Opera Roanoke is also immersed in its largest fundraising opportunity in several years. A private foundation has offered $ 100,000, if the company can match that amount twice by June 30. So far, they have raised $ 135,000, with $ 65,000 left to raise.
“Once again, our community is coming through with support for this organization, believing, as we do, that opera is important – in the world and right here in the Roanoke Valley. As with all non-profit performing arts, what we can reasonably charge for tickets doesn’t really cover the cost of productions, even with creative economies that make a little look like a lot on stage,” says Linda Webb, Executive Director.
Tickets for “La Traviata” may be purchased at the Jefferson Center Box Office, 541 Luck Avenue, SW, Roanoke, VA 24016 or by calling (540) 345-2550 or online at www.jeffcenter.org. Prices range from $ 25- $ 100. In addition, a limited number of free student tickets are available with a valid student ID. Also, the Wednesday, April 6 dress rehearsal at 7 p.m. is open and free to the public.
Donations toward the matching challenge may be mailed to Opera Roanoke, 20 East Church Ave., Third Floor, Roanoke VA 24011 or can be made online at www.operaroanoke.org or by phone at (540) 224- 1257. Gifts or pledges directed toward the operating, production, or Sheila Strauss Memorial Education Fund, or the Endowment all count toward the challenge.
