Organizations Filed Purposes:
Opera Maine produces creative inspiring and professional opera performances of artistic excellence. We foster young operatic talent, provide educational opportunities, and engage our audience, supporters, and community in collaborative ways that excite enthusiasm for the art form.
The mainstage opera is the artistic centerpiece of each season, bringing together seasoned professionals and emerging singers in original productions conceived by our Artistic Director. In 26 years, we have presented 17 different operas by 10 different composers. Opera Maine aspires to introduce its audiences to a range of masterpieces and selects our operas based on the pulse of the community, the thematic potential for programs and collaborations, and our resources. Internationally renowned artists, rising opera stars, and local singers have filled over 200 roles in the company's performances and brought joy to thousands through the beauty and emotional power of the human voice. Singers are supported by professional orchestral musicians from the region.Bringing opera to life demands talented people to implement the artistic vision through scenic, lighting, and costume design.The many difficulties that arose due to the pandemic provided an opportunity for staff and board leadership to show their true grit. Their thoughtful engagement brought stability to the company and allowed Opera Maine to move forward with production plans despite unprecedented events. Since we could not safely present opera during the pandemic summer of 2020, we postponed the production of Wagner's The Flying Dutchman, originally planned to celebrate Maine's bicentennial. Nonetheless, we made partial payments to all contracted artists.
Opera Maine offers operatic performances as part of its Studio Artist Program (SAP) in which more than 100 aspiring singers have participated. The SAP presents short operas in productions that meet the highest artistic standards. The artists are professionals who are on the cusp of their careers, and the works usually address contemporary topics. The SAP production planned for the pandemic summer of 2020 was cancelled and rescheduled for 2021. Partial payments were made to artists.
In order to stay virtually connected with our community, OM offered a series of 13 online presentations called "Opera in ME". The episodes aired on YouTube and at operamaine.org/discover. The aim of the series was to take our audiences behind the scenes to explore what goes into the creation of an opera production. Host Robert Mellon, a baritone who has become an audience favorite, interviewed Opera Maine singers, conductors, designers, and directors to discuss many aspects of opera, with a special focus on their experiences in Maine. The guests' original, educational, and entertaining perspectives were highlighted by short clips from past Opera Maine productions. The videos have received over 3,900 views to date.
Executives Listed on Filing
Total Salary includes financial earnings, benefits, and all related organization earnings listed on tax filing
| Name | Title | Hours Per Week | Total Salary |
|---|
| Caroline Koelker | Executive Director | 32 | $51,888 |
| Peter Plumb | Clerk | 1 | $0 |
| April Ylvisaker | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Margaret Wilkis | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| John Serrage | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Warren Schubert | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Jack Riddle | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Katherine Reimann | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Elizabeth Hunt | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Elizabeth Hope | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Donald Head | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Robert Hammer | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Anthony Fratianne | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Kelley Boero | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Elizabeth Astor | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
| Ann Elderkin | Immediate Past President | 2 | $0 |
| Constance Bingham | Treasurer | 2 | $0 |
| Melody Schubert | Secretary | 2 | $0 |
| Arlene Palmer Schwind | President | 20 | $0 |
Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (
public 990 form dataset) from:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202130789349300038_public.xml