Spring has arrived, and we are excited to see hundreds of members in person at Opera Conference 2023 in Pittsburgh. We are grateful to our colleagues at Pittsburgh Opera for their tremendous assistance as hosts this year, as they were back in 2004. That year, OPERA America organized the first-ever National Performing Arts Convention during which the yearly meetings of OPERA America, Dance/USA, the League of American Orchestras, Theatre Communications Group, and other national associations all took place concurrently. That convocation demonstrated the value of national collaboration across the performing arts in communicating a unity of purpose — a model for every city.

Collaborating as advocates for the arts is as important as ever. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has proposed enormous increases in visa application fees for artists from other countries looking to work in the United States. For our largest companies, the aggregate escalation in expense is huge, but even for our mid-sized companies, the cost of bringing foreign directors, designers, singers, and conductors to this country will be prohibitive. OPERA America and many of our members have joined with thousands of artists and arts organizations around the world to oppose the increases and to affirm the importance of cultural exchange during this period of increased global tension.

At the same time, President Biden’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes a modest increase to the National Endowment for the Arts and other cultural agencies. Although we are grateful the NEA budget is the largest it has ever been, it still lags far behind the previous high point of the early 1990s when adjusted for inflation and U.S. population growth. In light of the continued uncertainty facing all nonprofit arts organizations, additional funding is needed to stabilize a sector that contributes profoundly to the quality of life in our country.

At Opera Conference 2023, we will reflect on how to increase our connection with the communities we serve and turn the spotlight to how we can best support the artists and arts workers who bring opera to life. We will discuss how to overcome the “burnout culture” of the arts and create respectful workplaces that are free of sexual harassment and barriers to advancement. We will also focus on the evolving needs and behaviors of audiences whose patterns of attendance evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the inspiring variety of new works being written by veteran artists and newcomers to the field.

We’ve learned in recent years that remaining informed and unified is central to the success of our field. Coming together in one place offers the best chance to debate and celebrate. Join us in Pittsburgh in May for Opera Conference 2023.