Lettie Pate Evans Foundation Grants $850,000 To The Atlanta Opera

The Atlanta Opera has received an $850,000 grant from the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation. The grant will help the company make capital investments in support of the organization's recent growth. The Lettie Pate Evans Foundation is part of the family of foundations that also includes the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. The Opera last received a grant from the Woodruff Foundation in 2007.

The Atlanta Opera's recent productions and collaborations with top opera companies has generated acclaim from esteemed international institutions, such as the International Opera Awards, which nominated The Atlanta Opera for the 'Accessibility' award in 2016. This heightened global reputation has caught the attention of distinguished US-based institutions, including Harvard Business School, which is preparing to publish a case study on The Atlanta Opera's business turnaround. This combination of artistic success and the positive business shift has compelled Atlanta's most important foundations, such as the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation and Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Foundation, to make significant contributions to The Opera in order to further its growth and impact on a local, national, and global level.

"We are grateful to the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation for supporting The Atlanta Opera," said Tomer Zvulun, General and Artistic Director. "This grant allows us to continue on a path of innovation and harness the momentum of our rapidly growing organization in order to present even more impactful operatic productions on local stages and beyond."

The Opera will use the grant for production, artistic, marketing, and administrative initiatives. This includes, amongst other considerations, investment in new pianos, development of new offices and practice space for the Atlanta Opera Studio (the company's artist in-residence program), advanced projection and lighting equipment, construction of an expansion to the costume shop, and cloud-based administrative and marketing software.

"We are deeply appreciative of the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation for their support," said Cathy Adams, Chair of the Board at The Atlanta Opera. "This grant will make a meaningful impact across the company. Most importantly, this financial support will enable the furthering of our mission to enrich our community through the highest operatic and theatrical programming that expands and engages our audience, and stimulates critical conversations."

The Atlanta Opera is one of the finest regional opera companies in the nation. In 2013, the company recruited internationally recognized stage director Tomer Zvulun as its General and Artistic Director. In the 2014-2015 season, the company launched the acclaimed Discoveries series of operas staged in alternative theaters around Atlanta. The program was recognized by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as part of its Best of 2015 awards and the company was nominated for the International Opera Awards in London in 2016. The Discoveries series has grown from three to sixteen performances in the past four seasons. In the 2016-2017 season, the company expanded its mainstage season from three to four productions at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The Opera works with world-renowned singers, conductors, directors, and designers who seek to enhance the art form and make it accessible for a sophisticated, 21st century audience. The Atlanta Opera was founded in 1979 and to this day adheres to its mission to enrich lives through opera.

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