Sound Vision

Toledo Opera Vision and Mission Statements

The Vision of Toledo Opera is to be a vital, cherished and sustainable part of the region’s cultural community, with a reputation for artistic excellence, organizational effectiveness and community engagement.

The Mission of Toledo Opera is to enhance the cultural fabric of the region by creating opera experiences that celebrate, both in the theater and beyond its walls, what is unique to opera: dramatic, passionate stories expressed through glorious music and the powerful voices of classically trained singers

Since March 2011, Toledo Opera has been operating under a new maxim: Sound Vision. For the 2011-2012 year, the Opera produced a fully staged (and sold out) La traviata at the Valentine Theatre, a Gala concert at the Peristyle Theater, and its final production of the season, a semi-staged version of Puccini’s Turandot at the Peristyle Theater in May. In this first year of restructuring, those three productions have fulfilled the two requirements of Sound Vision: they have been acclaimed for their high artistic quality and the costs of each one have been within the company’s financial capacity.

In addition, the Opera’s Board of Directors has participated in a Leadership Retreat and, since then, has developed revised vision and mission statements.* Now in place are a new committee structure with a strong finance committee and a plan for board leadership succession. With the implementation of a strategic fundraising plan and the resulting community support, the Opera is now operating within its budget and also has reduced the organization’s over-all debt by $140,000. Financial oversight policies and procedures have been adopted by the Board and this winter an audit was conducted. We received an unqualified audit opinion for the year ended May 31, 2011 from the certified public accounting firm of Clifton Larson Allen LLP. Board members are now in the process of developing a strategic plan that will ensure the long-term viability of the company. .

Opera Productions in 2012-2013

The Opera is moving forward by offering a season of two fully staged operas and an Opera Gala concert. As the Opera continues to rebuild, it is ever mindful of the need to balance artistic quality with sound fiscal management.

The October 2012 production of La bohème, Puccini’s popular opera, will be directed and conducted by Opera Carolina’s James Meena. The February 2013 production of Don Giovanni sets the classic story in the 1950’s, a visually compelling new look that challenges the traditional approach to Mozart’s great work. The Opera’s collaboration with the Toledo Symphony continues, as its Principal Conductor, Stefan Sanderling, will conduct Don Giovanni.The final production of the season will be the Opera Gala. Traditionally held at the Peristyle on one night in mid-February, a newly formatted Gala will have two performances at the Valentine Theatre in April 2013. It will feature guest soloists and guest conductor Sara Jobin, Assistant Conductor of San Francisco opera. A further collaboration with the Symphony will take place in May, when the 2013 Opera on Wheels production is performed as part of the Symphony’s Family Concert Series

Opera Education & Outreach in 2012-2013

The Opera’s two flagship education programs are very effective at providing young people with opportunities to experience opera. Each spring Opera on Wheels takes a new production “on the road” to over 20,000 students in the area’s elementary schools.  Student Night at the Opera provides an opportunity for middle and high school students to attend the final dress rehearsal of fully staged operas in the Valentine Theatre at a cost of $5 a ticket. In June 2012 Toledo Opera is reintroducing its two week, summer Opera Camp, a program which will involve collaboration with the Valentine Theatre.

Each opera company, big or small, chooses what education programs to offer based on its mission and its resources. Toledo Opera’s new vision statement speaks of community engagement and of being a vital part of the region’s cultural community. To fulfill that mission, the company now is exploring models for involving community members in the creation of opera, especially given the art form’s capacity to express stories in music. The Opera’s goal is to engage with the community around us by listening to and honoring people’s or a neighborhood’s stories, which can be the source of new operas and new productions. Such community initiatives will not be pursued unless funds sufficient to support them are secured.