Pittsburgh Opera To Receive $25k NEA Art Works Grant

Pittsburgh Opera will receive a $25,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help support the new production of Moby-Dick by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer which will make its Pittsburgh debut March 17th.

The grant is part of the more than $25 million in grants which NEA Chairman Jane Chu has approved as part of the NEA's first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018. The Art Works category is the NEA's largest funding category and supports projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and/or the strengthening of communities through the arts.

"It is energizing to see the impact that the arts are making throughout the United States. These NEA-supported projects, such as this one to Pittsburgh Opera, are good examples of how the arts build stronger and more vibrant communities, improve well-being, prepare our children to succeed, and increase the quality of our lives," said Chu. "At the National Endowment for the Arts, we believe that all people should have access to the joy, opportunities and connections the arts bring."

"We appreciate this strong endorsement from the NEA" said Pittsburgh Opera General Director Christopher Hahn. "This new production of Moby-Dick will help introduce thousands of people to opera."

Pittsburgh Opera is a co-producer of the new production of Moby-Dick, which was built by Utah Opera and debuted in Salt Lake City this January to great acclaim. The Salt Lake Tribune said "Erhard Rom's abstract set design, Jessica Jahn's exhaustively researched costumes and Kristine McIntyre's authoritative stage direction pull the audience into the action."

Moby-Dick, which is sung in English, will be performed at the Benedum Center March 17, 20, 23 and 25. Tickets start at just $12, with Children's Tickets starting at only $6. Tickets are available online, by phone at 412-456-6666, or in person at the Theater Square Box Office, 665 Penn Avenue, downtown.

For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.