The Florentine Opera Announces a $91,000 Grant from Opera America for Recording New Works

The Florentine Opera proudly announces that it is a recipient of an Opera America Innovation Grant, generously funded by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, which will aid the company in recording and commercially releasing new and previously unrecorded operas of American composer, Carlisle Floyd.

The $91,000 grant will be distributed over a two-year period. The Florentine will focus its efforts on the production and recording of Prince of Players in March 2018, and Willie Stark in 2019.

"This continues our Carlisle Floyd Initiative, which we began with the recording of Wuthering Heights," said General Director William Florescu. "We are excited to continue to work closely with one of America's most prolific opera composers. It's a unique partnership that the Florentine has forged."

During the productions and recordings, the Florentine will document its unique process of collaboration with recording engineers, creative staff, and the composer. The Florentine will then distribute its findings to other opera companies nation-wide, to foster greater learning and an increase in new American works being recorded and preserved.

The Opera America Innovation Grant is in its first year. The funding comes from the Getty Foundation, which previously funded grants directly to arts organizations annually, in smaller dollar amounts. The Opera America Innovation Grant encourages companies to innovate in one of four categories, which will improve the art form as a whole: artistic vitality, audience experience, organizational effectiveness, or community connections.

WHY YOUR AUDIENCE WILL CARE

With the support of Opera America, the Florentine Opera will be able to expand and solidify its reputation as the foremost recorder of new American opera in the world. Since 2010, the Florentine has produced and recorded for commercial release four recordings: Rio de Sangre, Elmer Gantry, Wuthering Heights, and Sister Carrie. The company has won three Grammy Awards for its works: one for Rio de Sangre, and two for Elmer Gantry-which included Best Classical Composition, one of two operas in Grammy history to win that award. The recording of Wuthering Heights was ranked in Opera News as one of the Top 10 Recordings of 2016, out of an international field. Sister Carrie will be released later in 2017.

The Florentine's recordings and accomplishments not only add to the canon of American work, it is a source of civic pride. The Florentine Opera has put Milwaukee on the creative and cultural map, garnering national and international attention for its recording initiatives. These recordings are made in Milwaukee, featuring many local musicians, including members of the Florentine Opera Chorus and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. As the Florentine creatively and productively thrives, so too does the cultural landscape of Milwaukee.