National Endowment for the Arts FY 2017 Fall Grant Announcement

expresses the humanity of the characters and the comforts that friendship and music bring amidst the bloodiest
and most inexplicable of human experiences. The creative team may include director Michael Shell, set designer
Steven Kemp, costume designer Melissa Torchia, and lighting designer Pamila Gray. Conductor Joseph Marcheso
will lead a cast of principal artists that may include tenors Kirk Dougherty and John Lindsay, and soprano Julie
Adams. As many as eight performances will take place at the California Theatre in early 2017.
Opera Southwest
$12,000 Albuquerque, NM
To support the world premiere of "Bless Me, Ultima" by composer and librettist Hector Armienta. The opera is
based on Rudolfo Anaya's novel of the same name (1972). The story follows Antonio, a young boy coming of age
amidst the cultural changes in the American Southwest during World War II with the guidance of his curandera
(shaman) and protector Ultima. Under her wing, he will probe the family ties that bind and rend him, and
discover the magical secrets of the llano (grasslands) and the river. The creative team may include conductor
Guillermo Figueroa. Produced in partnership with the National Hispanic Cultural Center at their 631-seat
theater, as many as three performances will occur in early 2018.
Opera on Tap
$10,000 Brooklyn, NY
To support The Playground Operas. In keeping with the organization's mission to bring opera to audiences
(rather than audiences to opera), an opera performance designed specifically for the playground will reach
students, families, and local community members that pass the schoolyard on a daily basis. Elementary school
students will be immersed in the creation, production, and performance of an opera. Professional performers
will serve as teaching artists and will spend as many as eight classroom sessions working with students in the
school. The program will culminate in performances on the school's playground and will feature students
alongside professional opera singers accompanied by a chamber ensemble. Productions will comprise excerpts
from Mozart's "The Magic Flute" or Rossini's "La Cenerentola" ("Cinderella") with music arranged by Jeffrey
Hudgins and text and stage direction by Jenny Lee Mitchell. In 2017, the New York City program may expand to
as many as five schools, and three new cities may be added: Boston, Milwaukee, and San Francisco.
Parallele Ensemble Corporation (aka Opera Parallèle)
$22,000 San Francisco, CA
To support a new production of "Les Enfants Terribles" by composer and NEA Opera Honoree Philip Glass at
Opera Parallele. Based on novel of the same name by Jean Cocteau (1929), this tragic story follows siblings Paul
and Elisabeth through what began as a childhood game and ends in death and destruction. The third installment
of the composer's trilogy of works based on Cocteau, with this work Glass invented a hybrid dance-opera form in
which the dance element is not secondary or decorative, but rather contributes to the narrative flow and soundscape
of the opera. The creative team may include director Brian Staufenbiel, conductor Nicole Paiement, media
designer David Murakami, and choreographer Amy Seiwert. Performances will take place at the Caroline H.
Hume Concert Hall in San Francisco in the spring of 2017.
Pensacola Opera, Inc. (aka Pensacola Opera)
$15,000 Pensacola, FL
To support the regional premiere of "Dead Man Walking" by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence
McNally. Based on the nonfiction book by Sister Helen Prejean and the 1995 film of the same name, the opera is
set in 1980s Louisiana, and follows the relationship between a condemned killer on death row (Joseph De
Rocher) and the nun (Sister Helen) who supports him in his final days. The story explores the death penalty and
the complexity of forgiveness. Sister Helen Prejean and the composer will participate in community events at
Some details of the projects listed are subject to change, contingent upon prior Arts Endowment approval. Information is current as of
December 7, 2016.