Piedmont Opera Secures $168,527 in Grants for 50th Season

Piedmont Opera has secured $168,527 in grants so far during its 50th anniversary season, with the largest single award — $75,000 from The David R. Hayworth Foundation — tied to its production of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" and its expanding presence in High Point, N.C.

The Hayworth funding backs three programs: "Student Night at the Opera," "Storytime with Piedmont Opera" for children and young families, and "HOPera," an initiative that connects opera audiences with local bars and restaurants in High Point. The message is clear — the money isn't just for the stage; it's for building audiences where they live.

What does the money actually fund?

The grants split into two broad buckets: program support and operating support.

• $75,000 — The David R. Hayworth Foundation, for "The Barber of Seville" and High Point programming
• $20,000 — The Winston-Salem Foundation, for education and outreach around the November premieres
• $10,000 — The Tri-M Foundation, in support of the premieres
• $2,700 — The Shallowford Foundation, for bringing opera to the Lewisville Community Center
• $31,327 — Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County, operating support
• $28,500 — North Carolina Arts Council, operating support
• $1,000 — Allegra, a local printing company, in printing support

That last line matters. Roughly a fifth of the total is unrestricted operating money, the hardest kind of funding for small and mid-sized arts companies to raise.

Which premieres are backed?

The Tri-M and Winston-Salem Foundation awards support the company's November North Carolina premieres of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's "Another Sunrise" and "Before It All Goes Dark." The Winston-Salem Foundation grant specifically covers education and outreach surrounding the productions, meaning the money extends beyond the performances themselves into community programming.

Heggie and Scheer are among the most performed opera collaborators working in the United States today, so landing both works as state premieres gives the anniversary season a contemporary anchor alongside the Rossini.

How did Opera Lite get started?

The Shallowford Foundation's $2,700 grant brought opera to the Lewisville Community Center, and that modest award helped launch the company's Opera Lite series. The series takes performances outside the traditional theater and into communities — it has since expanded to Yadkinville and Lexington, and it will soon reach High Point.

Opera Lite is the clearest example of the strategy behind this season's fundraising: meet audiences in their own neighborhoods rather than waiting for them to come downtown.

Why now, and what changes going forward?

The grants follow a deliberate move. Last year, Piedmont Opera contracted with Susan Brittain of Susan Brittain Consulting to expand its grant-seeking efforts, and the $168,527 total suggests that investment paid off within a single season.

What does this change for the company? It converts a 50th-anniversary moment into durable infrastructure — recurring programs in multiple towns, funded premieres and operating cushion — rather than a one-off celebration. Piedmont Opera says it continues to pursue additional funding during the season, so the total may still grow.