Ancram Opera House Receives $40,000 Grant From NYSCA

The Ancram Opera House (AOH) will start the new year with the announcement of a grant award totaling $40,000 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the recovery of the nonprofit arts and culture sector. This is a four-fold increase from previous year's NYSCA grants to AOH.

Following New York State's historic investment for the arts, NYSCA has awarded $90 million since Spring 2022 to a record number of artists and organizations across the state.

"We are thrilled with this funding from the state and thank NYSCA, the state legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul's office for making it possible," said Ancram co-director Paul Ricciardi

"NYSCA's support makes all the difference and allows us to bring high caliber performances and community programs to a rural, sparsely populated corner of NY State," his colleague Jeffrey Mousseau added.

"As a cultural capital of the world, New York State is strengthened by our expansive coverage of the arts across all 62 counties.," Governor Kathy Hochul said, "This year's historic commitment to the arts sector will spur our continuing recovery from the pandemic and set the course for a stronger future."

About the New York State Council on the Arts

NYSCA preserves and advances the arts and culture that make New York State an exceptional place to live, work and visit. NYSCA upholds the right of all New Yorkers to experience the vital contributions the arts make to our communities, education, economic development, and quality of life. To support the ongoing recovery of the arts across New York State, NYSCA will award record funding in FY 2023, providing support across the full breadth of the arts.

NYSCA further advances New York's creative culture by convening leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources. Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 and continued with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, NYSCA is an agency that is part of the Executive Branch. For more information on NYSCA, please visit http://www.arts.ny.gov, and follow NYSCA's Facebook page, Twitter @NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.

About the Ancram Opera House

Located in southern Columbia County, the Ancram Opera House presents a mix of contemporary theatre, alternative cabaret, and community programs. The Opera House was erected in 1927 as Grange #955, a chapter of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, a movement founded shortly after the Civil War to advance methods of agriculture and address the needs of farmers. In 1972, the grange was repurposed as a performance hall presenting operatic fare. AOH offers audiences a unique opportunity to directly engage, up close, with visionary theatre artists at the top of their field who are rarely seen in our region. For more information visit www.ancramoperahouse.org.