The Virginia Opera Association is being commended by the Virginia House of Delegates via Virginia Commonwealth House Resolution No. 358 which echoes the company’s 2018 recognition by the Virginia Commission for the Arts as a “Bedrock Institution of the Commonwealth,” and its “vital importance to the State’s cultural and artistic life.” The resolution is made on the occasion of the company’s 45th anniversary season.
The official public announcement of the proclamation will occur prior to the debut of the first of four scheduled statewide main stage productions of Puccini’s Tosca on Friday, Oct. 4 at the Edythe C. and Stanley L. Harrison Opera House in Norfolk, presented by honorable Virginia House Delegate Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler, serving Virginia’s Twenty-First House District. The resolution was ratified by the Virginia House of Delegates on Feb. 20 and its official representation as resolved made to VOA Board of Directors Chair Elisabeth M. Wollan.
Additional recognitions within Resolution No. 358 include acknowledgment of the company’s initial declaration as the State of Virginia’s “Official Opera Company of the Commonwealth”; its “wide and unique repertory”; and its community service to over 150,000 patrons each season through means of performance and broadcast along with its 40-year dedication in providing educational opportunities in learning about the art form in schools.