OPERA NEWS Earns Merit Award for Illustration by The Society of Publication Designers

OPERA NEWS was named a Print Merit winner in the best editorial design competition by The Society of Publication Designers (SPD), an organization serving the network of creative professionals, strengthening the editorial design community and shaping the future of visual culture. This follows recognition OPERA NEWS received last fall from the Society of Illustrators for the August 2018 piece "Access Opera" by Robert Neubecker. The illustration was accepted into the Society's annual competition art show and book.

The winning piece, "Barred Genius" from the magazine's February 2018 issue, addresses the stalling of Giacomo Meyerbeer's career and the diminishing of his legacy due to anti-Semitism. Illustrator Nigel Buchanan regularly contributes to OPERA NEWS and his previous collaboration earned the magazine an SPD Merit Award in 2016.

"Being honored by this prestigious organization is a direct testament to our talent, determination and passion for telling engaging and meaningful stories, not just with words, but through the art form," said Trent Johnson, Design Director, OPERA NEWS. "We are proud to have earned recognition among a well-respected circle of publications who are equally devoted to sharing compelling works."

The winners' distinguished work will be featured in SPD's Pub 54 Annual. The Gold and Silver Medal winners will be announced at the 54th Annual SPD Awards Gala on Friday, May 3rd in New York City.

About OPERA NEWS: OPERA NEWS has been published by The Metropolitan Opera Guild since 1936; it has the largest circulation of any classical music magazine in the United States and is the only North American publication that covers opera internationally. Editor in Chief F. Paul Driscoll helms the monthly, which is a winner of six ASCAP-Deems Taylor Awards for excellence in music journalism. For more information and the latest opera news visit OperaNews.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.