[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 18, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         HONORING LOUIS HERING

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 18, 2010

  Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the 
outstanding citizens of our nation's capital, Mr. Louis Hering. I would 
like to thank Mr. Hering for his extraordinary contributions to the 
cultural pursuits of his community during the two decades of his 
residence here and his five plus years of leadership and service to 
Washington, DC's very own Opera Lafayette.
  On June 8, 2010, Opera Lafayette will be holding a Benefit 
Celebration at La Maison Francaise, Embassy of France, in Washington, 
DC. During this celebration, Mr. Hering will be honored for his 
exemplary leadership at the helm of this unique and critically 
acclaimed opera company. Opera Lafayette is an American period 
instrument ensemble dedicated to performing 17th and 18th century 
operas, particularly the French repertoire.
  Mr. Hering served on the Board of Opera Lafayette for the last five 
years, the last three of which he served as Chairman. Under his 
leadership, the company moved its performance location to the Kennedy 
Center and also began performing at the Lincoln Center in New York 
City. In addition, four of the company's five recordings were released 
on the Naxos label (many never previously recorded). Due to the growth 
of the company, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the 
National Endowment for the Arts are now awarding support to Opera 
Lafayette and its opera education program, which brings music and opera 
education to 5th grade students in disadvantaged DC neighborhoods.
  This year, under Mr. Hering's leadership and as part of Opera 
Lafayette's 15th Anniversary Celebration, the company performed to sold 
out audiences in the 2,400 seat Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center and 
the 1,200 seat Rose Theater at the Lincoln Center. No seats were priced 
over $15 and many children in low income school districts attended for 
free, including many whom Mr. Hering personally sponsored. If that was 
not enough, the performances received rave reviews in both the 
Washington Post and New York Times.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Mr. Hering 
for his leadership and service on behalf of the arts community of our 
nation's capital and congratulating him for the honor being bestowed on 
him by Opera Lafayette on June 8, 2010.

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