Opera Maine

Opera Maine's Studio Artist Program (SAP) presented two performances of Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Campbell's Rappahannock County, featuring five emerging opera singers playing 30 diverse roles and premiering a new two piano score composed specifically for our production. Performed at Portland Stage in Portland, Maine, this contemporary chamber opera dramatically explored the devastating impact of the Civil War on a small Virginia community. The audience of 401, our largest SAP audience to date, described the opera as compelling and insightful, and attended pre-show talks with Opera Maine dramaturg Calien Lewis, and post show conversations with the librettist, the conductor, the director Richard Gammon, and Dr. Everett McCorvey (professor and founder of the American Spiritual Ensemble).

Community Programs: Opera for All is Opera Maine's multi-faceted initiative to make opera inclusive and accessible to everyone in our community. In our FY'24 school program, our teaching artist, accompanist, and six Education Outreach Artists from the University of Southern Maine performed for more than 1,100 students in seven K-12 schools in four counties. Opera for All also partnered with South Portland based PSL Serices/STRIVE to provide opera education and performance to 50 adults and young adults with intellectual disabilities. STRIVE participants also created scenic elements and puppets for Aida under the guidance of Opera Maine's scenic department. Opera Maine partnered with Bowdoin College to present two free concerts in the Bowdoin Museum of Art. Dramaturg Calien Lewis gave free community lectures on Aida at the Portland Public Library and the Curtis Memorial Library and provided pre-show talks for both Aida and Rappahanock County. In the second year of our successful Opera Film Series, we expanded our programming to include screenings of five acclaimed opera productions.

Overhead expenses properly allocated to programs