Advocacy
NEA Opera Honors Award

In 2008, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) established the NEA Opera Honors to celebrate outstanding achievement and individual excellence. The awards are the highest honor the government bestows in opera. OPERA America, the national nonprofit service organization, is the NEA partner in the Opera Honors program.

Now in its third year, the NEA Opera Honors is the highest award our nation bestows in opera. This year, the awards will be presented at an award ceremony and concert produced by the Washington National Opera on Friday, October 22, 2010 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. The evening will feature video tributes to each honoree created and produced by OPERA America. Admission will be free, but tickets will be required.

2010 Awardees
Martina Arroyo David DiChiera Philip Glass

Eve Queler

Martina Arroyo
Soprano

David DiChiera
General Director

Philip Glass
Composer

Eve Queler
Music Director

NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman said, "On behalf of the NEA, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to this group of stellar artists and thank them for all they have accomplished and shared with us in the course of their careers. Their works of art have delighted and challenged us, illuminated our sense of the world, and refreshed our understanding of what is possible."

NEA Director of Music and Opera Wayne S. Brown said, "This class of NEA Opera Honorees is four outstanding individuals, who together represent the finest traditions of opera. Without their artistic accomplishments, the world of American opera would be far less extraordinary."

Martina Arroyo is admired around the world for her operatic roles, oratorio and recital performances, recordings, and also for her commitment to young artist development through the Martina Arroyo Foundation.

David DiChiera's varied career includes important posts in Ohio and California, as well as at the Michigan Opera Theatre, which has played an important role in the cultural and economic vitality of Detroit.

Philip Glass has had an unprecedented impact upon the musical and intellectual life of our time, including especially his 20 operas, symphonies, compositions for his own ensemble, and his wide-ranging collaborations.

Eve Queler is being recognized for her focus on rarely performed operas and for her dedication to emerging singers, which she has brought to her work as music director of the Opera Orchestra of New York.

These four honorees will each receive an award of $25,000 in recognition of their significant lifetime contributions to American opera. NEA Opera Honors recipients are nominated by the public and chosen by an NEA-convened panel of opera experts. Past honorees are John Adams, Frank Corsaro, Carlisle Floyd, Richard Gaddes, Marilyn Horne, James Levine, Lotfi Mansouri, Leontyne Price and Julius Rudel.

For more information, visit http://www.arts.gov/honors/opera.

Photo credits:
Martina Arroyo - Marty Umans
David DiChiera - Ameen Howrani
Philip Glass - Raymond Meier
Eve Queler - Steven Edson

Summer 2010 Magazine Issue
  • Letter from the President/CEO
  • OPERA America News
  • National Opera Week
  • Looking Back, Looking Forward: Career Service Awards
  • Opera Conference 2011
Contact Us
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Info@operaamerica.org • Directions
From Airport:
The easiest way to reach the OPERA America offices is to get a cab at the airport. Cost is $40-45
(not including tip).
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From Penn Station/Madison Square Garden:
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From Grand Central Station:
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Take the Train to the 28th Street stop and walk north on 7th Avenue.
The building is on the same block as the train stop.

From 42nd Street/Times Square:
Take the Train to the 28th Street stop and walk north on 7th Avenue.
The building is on the same block as the train stop.

For more detailed directions, most up-to-date pricing or to specify a different starting location, please visit the
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