Toledo Opera seeking applications for View Then Voice focus groups

Published Monday, August 16, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 16, 2021

CONTACT: Alyssa Greenberg, Community Engagement Director, agreenberg@toledoopera.org 

Toledo Opera seeking applications for View Then Voice focus groups

Application deadline is August 27; selected participants will be paid to attend a Toledo Opera performance and provide important feedback in October.

Toledo, OH—Toledo Opera is now accepting applications for first-time opera attendees to become guest critics in its View Then Voice focus groups, designed to engage with new audience members and gain insights that will help build and diversify the next generation of opera-goers in Toledo.

Each selected participant will receive two tickets, one for the participant and one for a guest, to attend Toledo Opera’s Il Trovatore on Friday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m. or Sunday, October 10 at 2:00 p.m. Both performances will take place at the Valentine Theatre, located at 410 Adams Street in Downtown Toledo. During the week of October 11th, participants must also attend and participate in a focus group session that will be held at the ProMedica Ebeid Center, located at 1806 Madison Avenue in Toledo. Free transportation will be available upon request. All selected participants will receive a $50 honorarium.

The View Then Voice application form can be found at toledoopera.org/view. Toledo Opera will accept applications now through Friday, August 27th. Selected participants will be notified in early September.

“This project was inspired by ‘Look at Art. Get Paid.,’ a model co-created by artists Maia Chao and Josephine Devanbu. We believe we can learn a lot from first-time opera attendees,” said Alyssa Greenberg, community engagement director for Toledo Opera. “We look forward to meeting our participants, listening to what they have to share, and developing impactful ways to engage more deeply Toledo area residents.”

“This initiative is in line with Toledo Opera’s new mission, vision, and values,” said Suzanne Rorick, executive director of Toledo Opera. “In order to create a space for everyone, we must listen to feedback, collaborate with the community, and innovate. We are excited to see where this will lead.” 

View Then Voice is sponsored by the Greater Toledo Community Foundation and ProMedica. It is created in partnership with The Arts Commission and Issue Box Theatre.

For more information about View Then Voice, please contact Alyssa Greenberg, community engagement director for Toledo Opera, at agreenberg@toledoopera.org, or visit toledoopera.org/view.

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ABOUT TOLEDO OPERA

Founded in 1959, Toledo Opera produces high quality operas and programming, reaching 30,000 people annually through mainstage performances, educational programs, and community outreach.

Each year, Toledo Opera presents three, fully-staged operas at the 900-seat Valentine Theatre, located at the heart of Downtown Toledo. Toledo Opera partners with the Toledo Symphony for its productions, and the Toledo Opera Chorus and Toledo Opera Children’s Chorus participate as needed.

A cornerstone of Toledo Opera’s mission, Toledo Opera’s educational and community programs serve all ages and demographics, including preschool students (An Opera is a Story), elementary school students (Opera on Wheels), middle school and high school students (Student Night at the Opera), and the greater community (Opera Outdoors).

In 2018, Toledo Opera renewed its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and community work through the Toledo premiere of Douglas Tappin’s I Dream, a contemporary opera recounting the final days of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life. In 2020, Toledo Opera convened a Community Engagement Advisory Committee, previously piloted for I Dream, to co-create programs centered on the relevance of opera to contemporary issues, as Toledo-area residents experience them. This season, Toledo Opera will present Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson’s contemporary opera Blue, named Best New Opera of 2020 by the Music Critics Association of North America.

Toledo Opera is at a critical turning point in its history. This year, new mission, vision, and values were written and approved by Toledo Opera’s Board of Trustees. They will serve as guidance for Toledo Opera’s strategy and ongoing work to further the opera art form in the region through artistry of the highest caliber and authentic community connections.