[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 67 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E845]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  BILL TO DESIGNATE THE WASHINGTON OPERA IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AS THE 
                             NATIONAL OPERA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM F. GOODLING

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 2000

  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a bill to designate 
the Washington Opera in Washington, DC, as the National Opera. The 
beginnings of the Washington Opera were unusual having been founded by 
a music critic, Day Thorpe of the now defunct Washington Star, along 
with a few others who decided that the nation's capital should have an 
operatic enterprise of its own. In the early years, the Opera Society 
of Washington--later renamed the Washington Opera--was limited by 
financial and practical constraints to no more than one or two 
productions per year, the Opera Society performed in the Lisner 
Auditorium of George Washington University until the early 1970's, when 
Artistic Director Ian Strasfogel led the company into the Kennedy 
Center Opera House with the world premiere of Ginastera's Beatrix 
Cenci.
  The ensemble has since been named the resident opera company of the 
Kennedy Center, for which it receives honorary, but not monetary, 
support.
  The Washington Opera became the first American opera company to 
produce a repertory season in two separate theaters. Giving 
performances in the 2,200 seat Opera House and the more intimate 1,100 
seat Eisenhower Theater allows the company to perform in settings that 
reflect each opera's proper acoustical ambiance.
  In addition to performances, the Washington Opera has created several 
education and community programs that serve a broad and diverse 
population. These outreach programs are dedicated to enhancing the 
lives and learning of the children and adults of the greater Washington 
region, developing future audiences, and making the experience of opera 
available to those whom otherwise have limited access to the art form.
  Through these programs, the Washington Opera has made extensive 
outreach to the Washington D.C. area public schools and to the 
community at large. These outreach programs have reached more than 
150,000 individuals, and have been driven by the idea that ``learning 
by doing'' is a highly effective way to spark young children's interest 
in the arts. The number and scope of programming has grown to 22 
programs that provide performance experiences, curriculum enhancement 
activities, in-school artist and docent visits, professional 
development opportunities for teachers and young artists, interactive 
family-oriented presentations, and more.
  Under the stewardship of Artistic Director Placido Domingo, the 
Washington Opera has achieved the stature of a world-class company and 
plays to standing-room-only audiences at the Kennedy Center Opera House 
and Eisenhower Theater. The Washington Opera has earned its position of 
leadership in the musical world without the crucial government support 
typical in most world capitals, in a city without the strong business 
base that helps fund many U.S. opera companies.
  The company has been a leader through its commitment to sustain new 
American operas by presenting them in crucial second productions, 
giving these new works life beyond the short span of their premieres. 
It leads by championing lesser known works of significant musical worth 
rarely presented on today's opera stages. It has been hailed for its 
work with operas on the epic scale, as the British magazine Opera Now 
recently stated, ``The Washington Opera is carving out a new area of 
expertise . . . staging grand spectacles to exacting standards with 
precision and power not often seen even at the world's top houses.'' 
The company is also renowned for the number and quality of its new 
productions, its discovery and nurturing of important young talent and 
the international collaboration system it has pioneered with leading 
foreign companies.
  Since 1980, the company has grown from a total of 16 performances of 
four operas to 80 performances of eight operas, while the budget has 
increased from $2 million to more than $25 million.
  In 1980, the opera did not own a single opera set; by the spring of 
2000 the company had originated and built 61 new productions, becoming 
one of the most prolific producing companies in the U.S. The company 
has averaged 98 percent attendance over the last fourteen seasons a 
remarkable sales record. It now earns approximately 65 percent of its 
total budget through ticket sales, raising the remaining 35 percent 
through contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations. 
A sign of fiscal strength, this ratio of earned to contributed income 
is the highest of any opera company in the country.
  The Washington Opera has requested that I introduce legislation to 
designate the Washington Opera as the ``National Opera.'' There are 
precedents for granting private or quasi-private entities a 
``national'' designation. For example, the National Aquarium in 
Baltimore and the National Aviary in Pittsburgh both received their 
``national'' designation through acts of congress. Such a designation 
does not bring with it federal funding or a federal subsidy.
  Rather, it grants the entity national prominence, which may increase 
ticket sales and improve fundraising prospects.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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