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Pomfret
opera group
gets arts
grant
POMFRET — Opera New England of Northeastern Connecticut, Inc. in Pomfret was awarded an Arts Catalyze Placemaking Grant from the State of Connecticut.
The total grant award is $23,375.00.
The grant programs are funded by the state appropriation to The Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA), and funds received by DECD/COA from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“It is so important for the growth of our young people and for our residents to be able to enjoy the talent that surrounds them,” said State Senator Tony Guglielmo (R-Stafford). “In an economy where money is scarce for extras – this grant will allow our children to continue enjoying this wonderful enrichment program.”
The grant awarded to the Opera New England of NE CT, Inc. falls into the category of Arts Leadership. The leadership category award requires partnerships, develops community engagement and positions the arts in a leadership role.
The Opera New England of Northeastern Connecticut, Inc. has been entertaining and teaching the communities children for decades.
40 schools in 26 towns, in northeastern Connecticut and nearby Massachusetts benefit from the Opera program. It is offered free of charge to local schoolchildren and spans grade levels from third to seventh. More than 150,000 schoolchildren (including public, parochial, private and home-schooled students) have participated in these programs through the years.
Productions are at the Hyde Cultural Center in Woodstock, which seats up to 1000. Recent programs have included jazz, folk, opera, ballet and musical theater. Popular children’s artists have been featured in recent seasons. Children’s performers have included: Steve Songs, Dan Zanes & Friends, The Russian-American Kids Circus, and the St. Petersburg Ballet from Russia in The Nutcracker, which featured 67 local children in the cast.