[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 4, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S757-S758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  PITTSBURGH OPERA'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. CASEY. Madam President, today I wish to recognize the Pittsburgh 
Opera on their 75th anniversary. Since its founding by five dedicated 
women in 1939, the Pittsburgh Opera has consistently worked to foster 
new generations of artists and fans by making opera accessible to a 
diverse audience. The stated mission of the Pittsburgh Opera is ``to 
culturally enrich Pittsburgh and the tri-state area, and to draw 
national and international attention to the region''. Roughly 31,000 
people attend one of their five opera productions each year.
  Over time, the Pittsburgh Opera established its own orchestra, has 
become a leader in the use of supertitles, and forming the Resident 
Artists Program to train young artists and increase awareness of opera, 
developing community programming throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. 
In so doing, the company has served not only Pittsburgh and the 
tristate area, but has become a respected national organization, 
attracting such luminaries as Luciano Pavarotti, Beverly Sills and Joan 
Sutherland.
  The Pittsburgh Opera has also been an invaluable steward for the 
future of opera and Pittsburgh's arts culture through its focus on 
environmental sustainability and fiscal management. In 2008, the 
company moved to new headquarters in the historic George Westinghouse 
Air Brake Factory, a cultural landmark that became the oldest LEED-
certified building in Pittsburgh in 2011, making the Pittsburgh Opera 
the first opera company in the United States to receive LEED 
certification in the operations and maintenance category.

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  Similarly, in 1997, general director Mark Weinstein sought, through 
financial management and long-range strategic planning, to ensure a 
sound future for the Pittsburgh Opera, increasing the company's assets 
and establishing a gold standard for financial management in the 
industry. This planning, as well as the establishment of the Artistic 
Excellence Project to raise funds for engaging elite singers and 
directors, has ensured that the Pittsburgh Opera will continue to serve 
as a cultural centerpiece of Pittsburgh and a respected leader in the 
greater opera community.
  Again, I want to congratulate the Pittsburgh Opera on the impressive 
achievement of their 75th anniversary. I wish them the best and look 
forward to their continued enrichment of the arts community both in 
Pittsburgh and nationwide.
  Mr. TOOMEY. Madam President, today I wish to recognize the Pittsburgh 
Opera, the seventh oldest opera company in the United States. The 
Pittsburgh Opera is currently engaged in its 75th season, and I would 
like to congratulate them on this momentous anniversary. The company 
started in 1939 when five ambitious women were determined to bring 
opera to their community. Within a year, these women had assembled 
musicians, singers, sets, costumes, and lighting, and produced the 
opera company's first performance, Offenbach's ``The Tales of Hoffman'' 
at Carnegie Music Hall. Before long, the Pittsburgh Opera Society, 
under the leadership of general director Dr. Richard Karp, had become a 
fully professional organization.
  The Pittsburgh Opera is not only recognized as an asset to 
southwestern Pennsylvania, but it is known throughout the international 
opera community for the fine skill and artistry of its productions. It 
has welcomed numerous celebrity vocalists over the years, and the 
company's notoriety only continues to grow and attract more talent. I 
believe that the Pittsburgh Opera has been undeniably successful in 
fulfilling its stated mission ``to culturally enrich Pittsburgh and the 
tri-state area, and to draw national and international attention to the 
region,'' and I think that the 31,000 Pittsburghers and visitors who 
attend the opera's productions annually would agree.
  The Pittsburgh Opera is also dedicated to fostering the development 
of future opera talent. The company has established and nurtured a 
resident artist program that ranks among the top five in the country 
and has the distinction of being the only program in the United States 
that trains singers as well as stage directors. These artists present 
two fully staged productions of their own and also develop a variety of 
general music programs to perform at public schools, community centers, 
and libraries.
  Six years ago, after nearly 70 years without its own center, the 
Pittsburgh Opera acquired and renovated the original home of the George 
A. Westinghouse Air Brake Co. in Pittsburgh's historic Strip District 
and transformed it into a state-of-the-art home for the development and 
production of opera. This structure is the oldest LEED-certified 
building in Pittsburg, and it is a fitting home for an opera company 
with such a rich history and a promising future.
  Again, I want to recognize the Pittsburgh Opera on its 75th 
anniversary. I wish them nothing but success in the next 75 years.

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