Charlottesville Opera Announces Launch Of Michelle Krisel Fund

Charlottesville Opera is pleased to announce the establishment of the Michelle Krisel Fund for Support of Young Artists. The Fund will provide Young Artists and Apprentices performance and career development opportunities. It will also assist singers ranging from conservatory students to individuals who are beginning a full-time career as performing artists and support the costs of Young Artists and their participation in programs and activities in Charlottesville.

"We are thrilled to celebrate Michelle Krisel's role in developing our vibrant Young Artist program by establishing this Fund in her honor," said Sue Ann Corell Sarpy, President of the Charlottesville Opera Board of Directors. "Our goal is to attract the resources necessary to ensure this distinctive program continues to flourish as a critical component of Charlottesville Opera's mission."

Michelle Krisel served as General Director of Charlottesville Opera from 2010-2014, and as Artistic Director from 2015-2017. Recruited from the Washington National Opera (WNO) where she had served for 14 years as the Special Assistant to General Director Plácido Domingo; she was also the founding director of the WNO's renowned Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program.

Krisel used her 35 years of experience in the opera world to transform Charlottesville Opera-formerly Ash Lawn Opera--into a vibrant and nationally-recognized company based. Productions now regularly feature principal artists from the Metropolitan, Washington National, Los Angeles, and San Francisco Operas, along with talented Young Artists, an orchestra drawn from national blind auditions, and collaborative productions.

Charlottesville Opera Executive Director Kevin O'Halloran commented, "Contributions to the Fund will provide valuable support to help us continue to nurture the next generation of opera performers. We are especially excited about the public launch of the Michelle Krisel Fund for Support of Young Artists at our 2018 Gala this Saturday, June 16 at Farmington Country Club, where we will be honoring Michelle and her many contributions to the Charlottesville Opera."

Now in its 41st summer season, this July and August, Charlottesville Opera will present Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro and Sondheim's Into the Woods at The Paramount Theater. Tickets are available at www.theparamount.net. Additional details may be found at www.charlottesvilleopera.org.

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