Lynn Wyatt Receives 2011 National Opera Trustee Recognition Award

Lynn Wyatt, Houston Grand Opera Life Trustee and longtime member of the Board of Directors, was recently named a recipient of the 2011 National Opera Trustee Recognition Award. Sponsored by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, in partnership with Bank of America, this award honors trustees of U.S. opera companies for exemplary leadership, generosity and audience-building efforts on behalf of their respective opera companies.

"Over many years, Lynn Wyatt's contribution to Houston Grand Opera has been immeasurable. Her inspirational passion, generosity and commitment have made her the most exemplary of board members," says Anthony Freud, HGO General Director and CEO. "I couldn't be more thrilled that Opera America, through this prestigious award, is ensuring that the nation discovers what Houston Grand Opera has known for a long time: that Lynn is a priceless and irreplaceable treasure."

An international leader in raising support and awareness for worthy causes, and one of Houston's most active philanthropists, Lynn Wyatt has made it her mission to bring Houston Grand Opera (HGO) to its maximum artistic potential, and to ensure that HGO will continue to innovate the opera world for future generations. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother and an active philanthropist, Mrs. Wyatt has been the Vice Chairman of the Houston Grand Opera Board since 1984 and is a longtime member of HGO's marketing committee, where she has provided valuable guidance on ways to attract new audiences and expand the demographic of the company's reach.

She has provided production support and sponsorships for many productions including Wagner's Tristan and Isolde (2000), Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades (2010), the 1991 Placido Domingo concert and the world premieres of Bernstein's A Quiet Place (1983) and André Previn's Brief Encounter (2009). She is also a strong proponent of Houston Grand Opera's community collaborations, such as The Refuge (2007), an original work highlighting the stories of seven immigrant communities in Houston, and the fall 2010 production, To Cross the Face of the Moon / Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, the world's first Mariachi Opera.

In 2005, she chaired the organization's 50th anniversary Golden Jubilee Gala, which raised a record-breaking $2.5 million dollars for HGO. Recently, Mrs. Wyatt's husband, Oscar, announced a $1 million donation to create the Lynn Wyatt Great Artist Fund, an endowed fund dedicated to bringing the very best talent to Houston Grand Opera.

"Support in the arts symbolizes a community rich in ideas and energetic about its future. We exist solely because a group of citizens believe in our art form, simply because it has potential for greatness," says HGO Music Director Patrick Summers. "Lynn Wyatt is a paramount supporter of our company and a beacon of leadership for Houston Grand Opera, as well as all of the arts in Houston."

OPERA America is committed to recognizing strong trustee leaders, acknowledging the pivotal role they play in the success of opera companies and the vitality of the communities they serve. By celebrating the dedication of board members at the national level, the National Opera Trustee Recognition Program seeks to inspire as well as celebrate exemplary service to opera companies and to strengthen the relationships between opera companies and their trustees across the U.S.
"Lynn Wyatt has anchored HGO's board leadership for almost thirty years," says HGO Board of Directors Chairman Glen Rosenbaum. "In addition to inspiring several generations of board members and serving as HGO's leading fundraiser, Lynn's unique foresight has paved the way for HGO's innovative programs, which have redefined a modern opera company's community role."
OPERA America will pay tribute to the 2011 honorees and celebrate their remarkable achievements at a February dinner and reception in New York City.