The American Opera Project Awarded New York State Council On The Arts Grants

The American Opera Project announced today grant awards totaling $75,000 from the New York State Council on the Arts to support the recovery of the nonprofit arts and culture sector. Following New York State's $105 million investment in the arts for FY2022, NYSCA has awarded more than $80 million since June 2021. As part of this investment, AOP was the recipient of funding through the NYSCA Recovery Fund and its Rapid Restart grants in order to support New York's return to live, in-person performances.

Two additional NYSCA Grants were awarded to commission individual artists - composer Stephanie Chou for her project Comfort Girl and librettist Kelley Rourke for Eat the Document, with music by John Glover - and will be used to support the continued development of these new works at AOP.

These awards will help supplement an ongoing multi-year grant for General Operating Support towards AOP's mission to develop and present new and innovative works of lyric theater, provide a creative home to emerging and established artists, and engage contemporary communities in a transformative operatic experience.

Governor Hochul states, "The arts have long been a critical sector in our economy, and as we continue to rebuild a stronger New York, it's essential we do all we can help this industry thrive once again. These awardees represent the best of what New York's vibrant communities have to offer and with this funding in hand, they will be able to not only continue their creative and inspiring work, but help spur revitalization in their own backyard as well."

Comfort Girl, a jazz-opera by Stephanie Chou, explores the lives of Chinese 'comfort women,' a cruel euphemism for the women who were abducted and forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during WWII. Using survivor testimony, Comfort Girl explores themes of identity, trauma, resilience, and courage through the eyes of one young comfort girl, Lian. Information about Comfort Girl can be found at https://www.aopopera.org/comfort-girl.

Eat the Document, by librettist Kelley Rourke and composer John Glover, follows two American radicals who forge new identities after an act of rebellion goes awry. Based on the compelling novel by Dana Spiotta, Eat the Document invites the audience to peer into the world of 1970s activism and with it, the reverberating consequences of systematic oppression. Stay tuned for an operatic zine leading up to the premiere!

Information about Eat the Document can be found at https://www.aopopera.org/eat-the-document.