Along with 11 other appropriations bills, the Interior Appropriations bill -- under which the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) are funded -- has been tabled until after January 7, 2003 when the House and the Senate return from Recess. At that time, the 108th Congress will convene with both the House and Senate under Republican control. Because the Federal Fiscal Year 2003 began on October 1, 2002, all Federal spending is currently being sustained through a series of Continuing Resolutions.

Both Democrats and moderate Republicans are concerned about the effect budget cuts would have on domestic programs such as environmental programs; grants to rural schools; (which could be eliminated) and the Pell grant program, which if not refunded could greatly reduce aid to low-income college students. However, the WASHINGTON POST reports that at George Bush's request, Senate Republican leaders have agreed to cut $10 billion from this year's domestic spending bills.

The $10 billion -- which Bush is recommending cutting from domestic programs such as education and the environment -- could wind up in the Pentagon's coffers.

According to THE NEW YORK TIMES, the Defense Department is asking for an extra no-strings attached $10 billion a year for anti-terrorism and military actions for the next five years, beyond growth in its regular budget. Although Congress passed the military appropriations bill for the current fiscal year without including a war reserve fund of that amount, the Times reports that the Bush administration is pushing for the increased military funding.

When the 108th Congress convenes, Ted Stevens (R-AK) will replace Robert Byrd (D-W VA) as Senate Appropriations Committee Chair. Byrd will also be replaced as Interior Appropriations Chair; most likely by ranking Republican member Conrad Burns. (R-MT) C.W. Bill Young (R-FL) will remain House Appropriations Committee Chair.

This summer, the House of Representatives voted for an amendment put forth by the leadership of the Congressional Arts Caucus under the leadership of Representatives Louise Slaughter, (D-NY) Steve Horn, (R-CA) Nancy Johnson, (R-CT) and Norm Dicks.(D-WA) The resolution which would add $10 million to President Bush's FY03 budget request of $116 million for the (NEA) bringing the total 2003 NEA funding to $126 million. The House also voted to increase FY03 funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) by $5 million, which would bring the 2003 NEH total to $131 million.

"For an investment of less than $300 million in federal funds, America's nonprofit arts industry generates $134 billion in economic activity and more than $24 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues," stated Congresswoman Slaughter, who with Steve Horn, was recently honored by The American Arts Alliance, for commitment to the arts and leadership. "As someone who believes deeply in making wise investments, this is clearly one we cannot afford not to make."

The Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee recommended a smaller increase for the NEA -- from $115.2 to $119 million. The Senate Subcommittee also recommended a $3.25 million increase for the NEH, bringing its total to $127.75. Before appropriations were tabled, it had been expected that the difference would be made up in conference.

However, increased funding for the cultural agencies -- which with relatively small amounts of money foster the voices of artists and arts organizations and of the humanities in this country -- is likely to be in jeopardy if the President and conservative leaders in the Republican Congress succeed in cutting domestic funding.

Sources/resources

THE WASHINGTON POST -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Dan Morgan
"Senate GOP Leaders Accept Budget Ceiling
$10 Billion Cut in Spending Bills Planned"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31592-2002Nov23.html
November 24, 2002

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- http://www.nytimes.com
Thom Shanker and Richard W. Stevenson
"Pentagon Wants $10 Billion a Year for Antiterror Fund"
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/27/politics/27DEFE.html
November 27, 2002

"Senate Unlikely to Add More Money to NEA Budget; Advocates Urge that House-Senate Conference Committee Adopt House Allocation of $126 Million"
Arts Wire CURRENT -- http://www.artswire.org/current/2002/cur091702.html
September 17, 2002

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- In November, Eli Lilly drug company heir Ruth Lilly's bequest of $100 million over 30 years to the Modern Poetry Association of Chicago, publisher of POETRY Magazine, was made public. Her goal is to foster a greater role for poetry in contemporary culture.

Founded in Chicago in 1912 by a CHICAGO TRIBUNE art critic Harriet Monroe, in its early years POETRY published poets such as T. S. Eliot, Carl Sandburg, Dylan Thomas, Robert Frost, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Marianne Moore, and William Carlos Williams. Plans for the money include expansion of the magazine and arts education programs centered on poetry and the teaching of poetry.

Although museums and the performing arts structures have been the beneficiaries of such sizeable gifts, they less commonly support literature.

Just as bequests to Museums help keep the work of artists available to the public, Ruth Lilly's bequest to POETRY is likely to make the work of twentieth century poets more centrally available. Two new books, published in conjunction with POETRY Magazine's 90th anniversary -- both edited by POETRY's Editor, Joseph Parisi and Senior Editor Stephen Young -- underscore the magazine's distinguished history of publishing poets and highlight the work of the poets whom it has fostered over the years. They are DEAR EDITOR: A HISTORY OF POETRY IN LETTERS (W. W. Norton) which chronicles correspondence between the magazine's editors and the poets it published, and THE POETRY ANTHOLOGY 1912-2002 (Ivan R. Dee, Publisher) which includes the work of William Butler Yeats, Edgar Lee Masters, Sara Teasdale, D. H. Lawrence, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Vachel Lindsay, Robert Graves, May Sarton, Langston Hughes, W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender, Hart Crane, Robert Penn Warren, Dylan Thomas, E. E. Cummings, Gwendolyn Brooks, James Merrill, John Ashbery, Frank O'Hara, Randall Jarrell, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, Robinson Jeffers, Theodore Roethke, Karl Shapiro, Anne Sexton, Thom Gunn, John Berryman, Sylvia Plath, Maxine Kumin, Ted Hughes, Adrienne Rich, Galway Kinnell, Seamus Heaney, Rita Dove, Billy Collins, Kay Ryan, Eavan Boland, Stephen Dunn, Yusef Komunyakaa, Jane Kenyon, Sharon Olds, Louise Glck, Marilyn Hacker, many others.

The Ruth Lilly bequest also includes about $86 million for Americans for the Arts, which the Lilly Foundation has supported over the years. Under the Ruth Lilly Philanthropic Foundation, The Herron School of Art and other groups will receive $20 to encourage financial assistance to lower-income individuals who seek education and to promote the public appreciation of literature, music, painting and other fine arts.

Lilly, 87, herself a poet whose work was rejected by POETRY also established the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize of $100,000 and the Ruth Lilly fellowships for students of poetry. (both administered by POETRY)

However, because of its enormous size, the bequest also raises questions about the impact of endowing one organization in a growing, diverse field. In the fragile environment of literary publishing, $100 million bestows an enormous advantage on the judgement of a small group of people, whose publications tend to promote established poets. It is reminiscent of political campaigns funded entirely by the candidate's own wealth -- in that it could make it even more difficult for underfunded, unestablished and alternative voices to be heard. Particularly those who speak for social justice.

In this week's VILLAGE VOICE coverage of the bequest, poet Juliana Spahr, co-editor of CHAIN urges that POETRY Magazine widen their scope to encourage more forms of contemporary poetry. The Voice also quotes her as saying:

"Wouldn't it be amazing if instead of one poetry magazine getting 100 million, 400 magazines got a quarter-million? Which would mean almost every magazine in the U.S. would receive more than enough support."

In addition to poetry, Ruth Lilly has also supported The Ruth Lilly Learning Center at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis; The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art; Ruth Lilly Center for Health & Fitness, University of Indianapolis; Ruth Lilly Health Education Center; the Ruth Lilly Hospice of Clarian; the Ruth Lilly Law Library; IU School of Law-Indianapolis, Indianapolis Indiana Ruth Indianapolis Art Center; Christel Dehaan Fine Arts Center, University of Indianapolis; American Caberet Theatre; and the Ruth Lilly Shade Gardens at White River State Park.

But, as the Village Voice points out, the timing of the announcement was unfortunate. It was announced the same week that Congress passed the Homeland Security Bill which included protection for the Lilly drug company against class-action suits because thimerosal, the mercury-based child vaccine additive Lilly, a Republican campaign donor, developed has been linked to autism in children.

Sources/resources:

POETRY MAGAZINE -- http://www.poetrymagazine.org

Joseph Parisi and Stephen Young, eds
DEAR EDITOR: A HISTORY OF POETRY IN LETTERS W. W. NORTON -- http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/fall02/005092.htm

Joseph Parisi and Stephen Young, eds
The POETRY Anthology 1912-2002
IVAN R. DEE --
http://www.ivanrdee.com/fall_fl_Parisi_Poetry.html

AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS -- http://www.artsusa.org

THE VILLAGE VOICE -- http://www.villagevoice.com
Joshua Clover
"Modest $100 Million Proposals, for Better or Verse Poetry Nation"
THE VILLAGE VOICE -- http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0248/clover.php
November 27 - December 3, 2002 The Voice is inviting responses to the question: "What would you do on poetry's behalf?" Details are in the article.

NEW YORK TIMES -- http://www.nytimes.com
_Stephen Kinzer
"Lilly Heir Makes $100 Million Bequest to Poetry Magazine" http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/19/books/19GIFT.html
November 19, 2002
_Sheryl Gay Stolberg
"A Capitol Hill Mystery: Who Aided Drug Maker?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/29/politics/29VACC.html
November 29, 2002

CNN NEWS -- http://www.cnn.com
"Arts charity sues bank for negligence"
October 19, 2002
CNN NEWS -- http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/Midwest/10/19/charity.suit.ap/
In an occurrence which calls attention to how banks manage the funds of arts groups and other non-profit institutions, according to CNN, in October, Americans for the Arts instituted a suit against for National City Bank for mismanagement of its Lilly trust funds.

CINCINNATI, OH - On the banks of Ohio River -- where a century and a half ago blacks escaped from the then slave states of Kentucky and Virginia -- construction has begun on the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Concrete columns, which will support the third floor in the East pavilion, have been poured. The concrete second floor -- which will eventually hold Underground Railroad exhibits and a Story Theatre -- has been completed.

Construction work on the 158,000-square-foot center began with a groundbreaking on June 17. It is expected to be completed in 2004. The design team is Blackburn Architects of Indianapolis; BOORA Architects of Portland, OR; landscape architect Martha Schwartz of Cambridge, MA; and the Cincinnati-based firm of Alexander, Camabean & Assocs.

Other works by distinguished black architect Walter Blackburn, the project's lead architect, include the African-American Cultural Center on the Purdue campus; and the Malcolm X Institute at Wabash College in Indiana. In an interview with Emil Dansker, (available on the Freedom Center's web site) Blackburn emphasized how important it is that the building is situated at a place on the Ohio River where many African-Americans crossed the Mason Dixon line into freedom.

"This is the most prestigious architectural commission that a black American architect might hope to win," SOUTHCOAST TODAY quoted him as saying about the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center commission. "When they called to tell me, it not only made my day, it made my career."

Walter Blackburn died of cancer at age 62, without seeing the Freedom Center he designed become a reality. He died in 2000, the year that the National Underground Railroad Freedom Act was signed into law.

His wife, designer Alpha Blackburn, President of Blackburn Architects of Indianapolis and Chairperson of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, speaks in the Dansker interview of the difficult journey of escape which inspired the design. The building's connection to key landmarks in this flight to freedom - - the river and the fields -- is reflected in the undulating shapes which pervade the structure, she observes.

Over one hundred thousand fugitives from slavery sought freedom through the Underground Railroad during the 1800's. The name Underground Railroad describes the routes they took to gain their freedom as well as the people, free Blacks, Whites, Native Americans and former slaves, who acted as "conductors" along the routes of escape. The Center, authorized by Congress in the bipartisan National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Act has as its mission to focus on the triumph of freedom over slavery. It will showcase artifacts such as maps, newspapers, sale documents, shackles, weapons, work tools, as well as artwork and photographs from the mid-17th Century to 1865 and it will collect, research, and tell the stories of the Underground Railroad.

Three main structures which house galleries, story theaters, an amphitheater, a Wall of remembrance. Bridges will connect the buildings to each other. A slave pen from Kentucky -- a 20 x 30 foot, two-story log prison which held slaves being shipped to the slave auction markets -- will be placed at the center of the virtually transparent second level atrium, so that it is visible both in Ohio and across the river in Kentucky. A Wall of Tears will exude drops of water which will flow into a contemplative pool.

In four acres which connect with the buildings, landscape architect Martha Schwartz is working with several organizational strategies. The idea of the "paths to freedom" that escaping slaves took north will be expressed through north-south paths running between and beside the buildings. The idea of the crossing of the river from slavery into freedom will be expressed through river-like stone passageways.

Sources/resources:

NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER -- http://www.undergroundrailroad.org

BOORA ARCHITECTS -- http://www.boora.com/

MARTHA SCHWARTZ -- http://www.marthaschwartz.com

Associated Press
"Architects chosen for freedom museum"
SOUTHCOAST TODAY -- http://www.s-t.com/daily/09-98/09-05-98/a10wn053.htm

Rita Kohn
"Remembering
Walter Scott Blackburn, architect"
NUVO -- http://www.nuvo.net/archive/083100/street/083100_street_b.html
August, 2000

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD -- http://www.blackhistoricalmuseum.com/undergroundrr.htm
(from the Noth American Black Historical Museum in Canada)

The Cincinnati Opera is moving forward with its commission of a new opera to celebrate The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, which will open in Cincinnati in 2004.

The new opera will honor the Freedom Center, the National history which it represents and the Center's significance for the community in which it is situated. It will also be a meaningful contribution to the operatic repertoire, said Artistic Director Nicholas Muni.

"The commission is still in the contract stage," Director of Public Relations Julie Maslov, told NYFA Current. "We're looking at a possible co-commission with one or two other companies." The work is scheduled to be performed in June or July of the 2005 season, and the company expects to make a public announcement in spring of 2003.

since 1998, Cincinnati Opera has presented six company premieres under the direction of Nicholas Muni. During the 2002 Season, the company presented the Midwest premiere of DEAD MAN WALKING, the first opera by composer Jake Heggie and playwright Terrence McNally. Based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean, the opera tells the story of a young nun who becomes spiritual advisor to a convicted murderer on Death Row at Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana. It was commissioned by San Francisco Opera and received its world premiere on October 7, 2000. In Cincinnati, the opera sold approximately 90 percent of capacity for three performances, including a near sellout for the third single-ticket performance.

"This is an amazing response to a new opera about a tough subject," said Muni. "We knew that if our audience would give this opera a chance, they would be deeply moved by it. And that is certainly what we experienced."

In addition to solid ticket and subscription sales, Cincinnati Opera met 100 percent of its fundraising goals for the 2002 season, which also included Charles Gonoud's ROMEO AND JULIET; Mozart's THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO; and the company premiere of the Richard Strauss/Hugo von Hofmannsthal tragedy ELEKTRA. Contributed income totaled $3,010,000, the first time in Cincinnati Opera history that such income exceeded $3 million. Corporate contributions also were up 17 percent with 43 companies participating in Opera sponsorships.

"The Cincinnati Opera audience really deserves the credit for our tremendous success this season, because we took some risks by presenting two new works," said Muni. "We delivered on our promise to present outstanding casts in exciting and compelling productions, and the community really came together to support us. The level of audience enthusiasm was thrilling."

Sources/resources:

CINCINNATI OPERA - http://www.cincinnatiopera.com/current/

JAKE HEGGIE - http://www.jakeheggie.com/

NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER -- http://www.undergroundrailroad.org

BOSTON, MA -- OPERA UNLIMITED, a new biennial contemporary opera festival, has been created to provide a platform for contemporary opera from the United States and abroad.

Founded by Boston Academy of Music and Boston Modern Orchestra Project, (BMOP) the inaugural Opera Unlimited festival will run from February 6-11, 2003 at the Tower Auditorium, Massachusetts College of Art. It will feature five contemporary operas including two world premieres: Elena Ruehr's TOUSSAINT BEFORE THE SPIRITS, a tale of the hero of the slave rebellion in French Haiti, and Daniel Pinkham's A CASK OF AMONTILLADO, based on Edgar Allen Poe's short story.

The festival also includes the New England premiere of Thomas Ades' chamber opera POWDER HER FACE; (with a libretto by novelist Philip Hensher) Daniel Pinkham's THE GARDEN PARTY, a comic opera based on the Garden of Eden; and FULL MOON IN MARCH by John Harbison. (based on the Play by William Butler Yeats)

Pinkham's Garden Party and The Cask of Amontillado (world premiere) will be presented February 6 and February.

The world premiere of Elena Ruehr's Toussaint Before the Spirits, featuring the Nicola Hawkins Dance Company, will be presented on February 7 and 9. Elena Ruehr has been composer-in-Residence with BMOP since September 2000.

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project is one of the few full-sized professional orchestras in the country dedicated exclusively to performing works of the 20th and 21st centuries. Founded in 1996 by Artistic Director Gil Rose, BMOP was created "in response to an ever-widening gap between the concert-going public and the music of its time, music that is composed by artists with whom audiences share a collective cultural experience and language." Upcoming concerts include a free concert of composers and performers from New England Conservatory on January 18, 2003.

The Boston Academy of Music, a professional opera company founded by Artistic Director Richard Conrad, has produced 20 seasons of operas including, this fall LE JONGLEUR DE NOTRE DAME by Jules Massenet. (Libretto Maurice Lena)

Sources/resources:

BOSTON ACADEMY OF MUSIC -- http://www.bostonacademy.org
OPERA UNLIMITED http://www.bostonacademy.org/oultd_01.html

BOSTON MODERN ORCHESTRA PROJECT -- http://www.bmop.org

Mark Adamo: LITTLE WOMEN
Libretto by Mark Adamo, based on the book by Louisa May Alcott

"I read the book as a child, and loved it. And I recognized that Little Women itself solves certain problems for the opera composer. The novel itself - part classic, part mass-culture perennial - as well as its young, lively characters in their antique locale reminded me of opera itself these days: an art buzzing with new writing and thinking while still working with resources (the bel-canto trained voice, the acoustic orchestra) that stabilized one hundred years ago. I knew Jo's wild imagination, her haunting memories, would free me musically to range between abstract and tonal, poetic and vernacular, song and symphonic forms" - Mark Adamo, Composer's Note, G. Schirmer

Conductor: George Manahan
Director: Rhoda Levine
Set Designer: Peter Harrison
Costume Designer: Paul Tazewell
Lighting Designer: Amy Appleyard
Supertitles: Kelley Rourke
Featured Artists: Caroline Worra, Jennifer Dudley, Jennifer Rivera, Emily Golden, Chad Shelton, Daniel Belcher

"Adamo's insightful treatment of Louisa May Alcott's classic focuses on the heroine Jo's impossible struggle to stop the passage of time and cling to life with her beloved parents and sisters. A marriage, a death, and her own maturation ultimately force Jo to yield, just as a new romance arrives to begin her future. This opera is a magical way to revisit a true American classic," the company notes.

Mark Adamo is New York City Opera's Composer-in-Residence.

The New York City Opera's Spring 2003 season also includes:

Music by Stephen Sondheim; Libretto by Hugh Wheeler: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

Music by Georges Bizet; Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Hale: CARMEN

Music by Giacomo Puccini; Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica: LA BOHEME

Music by George Frideric Handel, Libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym: FLAVIO

Music by Benjamin Britten; Libretto by Ronald Duncan: THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA

For more information, visit http://www.nycopera.com

G. SCHIRMER, INC. AND ASSOCIATED MUSIC PUBLISHERS -- http://www.schirmer.com
Mark Adamo, LITTLE WOMEN: http://www.schirmer.com/composers/adamo/little_women.html

THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Poul Ruders
Libretto: Paul Bentley's libretto
Based on the novel by Margaret Atwood

"....I read the novel, I guess, in 1992. We lived in London and it struck me quite forcefully that the whole thing embodied the matrix of a real dramatic opera. It's got clearly defined situations, love and hate, violence and tenderness and the whole setup, at least for me begged to be set. Although when finally I got a commission from the Royal Opera House in Copenhagen I wriggled in my own net a bit because I realized that it was going to be a monumental, massive job to do, not because I'm particularly lazy. I thought that this could be the end of me! But then, after a week or so of deliberation, I told the then chief of the Opera that I'd do it, but it's got to be The Handmaid's Tale. She bought the novel, read it, and said immediately 'Here we go.'" - Poul Ruders, in an interview with David Hurwitz on CLASSICS TODAY

The Handmaid's Tale, based on the Margaret Atwood novel, "explores what happens when intolerance defines a society. In an era of extreme oppression, one woman's precious inner world of memories, hope and tenderness protects her humanity," the company notes.

Elizabeth Bishop debuts as the handmaid Offred, and Helen Todd returns as Aunt Lydia. Eric Simonson (LA BOHEME, BOK CHOY VARIATIONS) is creating this new production. Scenic design is being created by Robert Israel, whose history with The Minnesota Opera goes back to THE GOOD SOLDIER SCHWEIK in 1966 when the company (then Center Opera) was under the auspices of the Walker Art Center.

The Minnesota Opera's 2002-2003 season also includes: Franz Lehr's THE MERRY WIDOW; Vincenzo Bellini's NORMA; Richard Wagner's THE FLYING DUTCHMAN; and Giuseppe Verdi's LA TRAVIATA.

For more information, visit http://www.mnopera.org

CLASSICS TODAY -- http://www.classicstoday.com
_ "Ruders Discusses 'The Handmaid's Tale'" - http://www.classicstoday.com/features/f1_0201.asp

The Esoterics: ZODIAKOS

"If there are still any local ensembles that avoid 20th-century music using the self-serving rationalization that audiences aren't interested, they should consider the Esoterics, who pack the house performing nothing but contemporary work. This 40-member a cappella choir led by Eric Banks has built a loyal following without the benefit of opera's glamour, chamber music's prestige, or the orchestra's sonic glitter" - Gavin Borchert, SEATTLE WEEKLY

Aries - Tom Baker
Taurus - Kam Morrill
Gemini- Garrett Fisher
Cancer - Eric Lane Barnes
Leo - Greg Bartholomew
Virgo - Roger Nelson
Libra - Laura Kaminsky
Scorpios - Rick Bidlack
Sagittarius - Donald Skirvin
Capricornus - Robert Scandrett
Aquarius - Diane Thome
Pisces - Roupen Shakarian
Tabula siderum zodiaco - Eric Banks

For the fourth and final concert in The Esoterics' season of cycles, twelve Northwest composers will compose choral works, each after an ancient description of their own zodiacal sign. The Latin text of this commissioned cycle is taken from the Astronomica of the Roman poet Manilius.

The Esoterics has also commissioned Seattle artist Jennifer dela Cruz to create a series of twelve sculptures based the glyphs that represent each sign, these sculptures will be on display during each concert.

Now in its ninth season with founding director Eric Banks, The Esoterics of Seattle, presents the many styles which comprise contemporary choral music and infuses elements of the choreographic and theatrical into the choral concert.

On 15 December at 4:00 PM, the twelve ZODIAKOS composers will present a 90-minute pre-concert seminar: "Poetry, prophecy, and personality: The horoscopes of ancient Rome as modern inspiration." This seminar will be free and open to the public at Town Hall.

For complete information, visit http://www.theesoterics.org

SEATTLE WEEKLY -- http://www.seattleweekly.com
Gavin Borchert
"VOCAL CURRENCY
In multiple tongues, Eric Banks' choir creates a new music sensation"
Seattle Weekly -- http://www.theesoterics.org/press/vocalcurrency_press.htm

William Bolcom: A VIEW FROM A BRIDGE

"It's 1950's Brooklyn, in the small apartment of longshoreman Eddie Carbone, his wife Beatrice, and her blossoming niece Catherine - denial runs deep. For years, Eddie's primal love of his niece has simmered below the surface. But when two illegal immigrant cousins move into the home, things begin to boil over. Catherine's high heels, silky dresses and her attraction to one of the immigrants bring Eddie's unnatural desires to an explosive climax."

Baritone Christopher Robertson makes his Portland Opera debut as Eddie. Soprano Pamela South plays Beatrice. Ann Panagulias sings the role of Catherine, Baritone Robert Orth plays Alfieri. Conductor:John DeMain.

"The docks of Red Hook come alive with sexual tension, passion and betrayal in this new American opera," the company notes. "The innovative use of projected images gives this show a powerful multimedia edge. The score, layered with traditional music like tango rhythms, doo-wop, and a Broadway style show stopper, 'New York Lights' packs a punch. Make sure you're there to experience the spectacular West Coast debut...."

Also in the 2002 - 2003 season are Giuseppe Verdi, IL TROVATORE; Gaetano Donizetti, THE ELIXIR OF LOVE; and Jacques Offenbach THE TALES OF HOFFMANN

For more information, visit: http://www.portlandopera.org

William Bolcom and mezzo-soprano Joan Morris host a website about their work at http://www.bolcomandmorris.com/

WASHINGTON, DC -- In 2002, US opera companies -- including American Opera Projects; Florida Grand Opera; Glimmerglass Opera; Houston Grand Opera; Lyric Opera of Kansas City; and New York City Opera -- received Partnership Grants from OPERA America's Opera Fund.

Canadian opera companies -- including Pacific Opera Victoria, Autumn Leaf Performance; Opera Ontario; Calgary Opera; Chants Libres; Modern Baroque Opera; The Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company; Soundstreams Canada; and Chants Libres -- received grants in various categories from the Canadian Opera Creation Program.

Among the Partnership grants awarded to US companies were:

American Opera Projects (New York City, NY)
to put together a consortium to produce
THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY
Music and libretto: Paula M. Kimper
Based on the novel by Thornton Wilder
"Wilder's novel is an investigation into the intertwining lives of five people who were killed in 1714 after a bridge suddenly collapsed into a deep gorge in the Peruvian Andes."

Houston Grand Opera (Houston, TX)
to bring together various members of the creative team
for THE END OF THE AFFAIR
Composer: Jake Heggie
Libretto: playwright Heather McDonald
"Based on Graham Greene's 1951 novel, The End of the Affair, the story revolves around a doomed love affair in which an illicit romance becomes a far greater gamble than either lover could have imagined."

Lyric Opera of Kansas City (Kansas City, MO)
to put together a consortium
for JOHN BROWN
composer Kirke Mechem
"Lyric Opera of Kansas City's interest in producing John Brown, written by composer Kirke Mechem, came from the inspiring story of the historic title figure who played an important role in the fight over slavery in the Midwest."

Grants to Canadian opera companies included Autumn Leaf Performance for HOW IT STORMS; (music by Allen Cole and libretto by Maristella Roca) Opera Ontario for SCREEN TEST (composer Tim Brady and librettist John Sobol) and The Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company for CHARLOTTE. (composer James Rolfe and librettist Jeremy Podeswa)

OPERA America's membership includes 189 Company Members around the world, plus over 285 Affiliate and Business Members, and 2,000 Individual Members from 48 US states, 7 Canadian provinces, and 19 countries abroad, representing Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America. The Opera Fund provides technical and financial support to OPERA America Company Members and their partners. The Opera Fund is run in conjunction with Opera.ca's Canadian Opera Creation Program as part of a North American effort "to enhance the quality, quantity and creativity of new opera and music theatre."

For more information, visit OPERA America's web site at http://www.operaamerica.org

Commissioning Music /USA -- a partnership between Meet The Composer and the National Endowment for the Arts, established in 1996, with additional support from The Helen F. Whitaker Fund -- provides national support for the commissioning and multiple performances of new musical works, representing all styles of music.

The program promotes compensation for composers, librettists, and choreographers; builds repertoires of dance, opera, orchestra, chorus, music theater and theater companies, jazz and chamber ensembles, public radio, television, and Internet programming. It stimulates an awareness of the importance of commissioning new music and a wider knowledge and appreciation of new music by living composers. A portion of the funds for Commissioning Music /USA have been designated for commissioning promising composers early in their careers.

The next deadline is January 15, 2003. Both organizations and soloists are eligible to apply.

For complete details, visit http://www.meetthecomposer.org/

The Echoing Green Fellowship program provides social entrepreneurs who are fostering social change with original ideas with the tools and resources to start new autonomous public service projects or organizations. With guidance and support, including a two-year stipend, technical assistance and the support structure of their Fellows' Community, the program helps social entrepreneurs navigate the obstacles which such new ventures face and grow beyond the start up phase.

"We believe in thinking without boundaries. Therefore, we do not limit applicants to specific program areas or geographic territories. We support programs domestically and internationally in all public service areas including but not limited to the environment, arts, education, health, youth service and development, civil and human rights and community and economic development. The result is a fellows' community that represents a diversity of perspectives and experiences." the program states.

Fellows have brought artists and musicians to schools which can't afford arts programs; developed early education programs; developed programs for at risk children; developed health care initiatives; worked in environmental protection communities around the world; and developed programs for and fought for the rights of minorities, children, the disabled and inmates.

Initial applications are due January 6, 2003

For more information and applications, visit http://www.echoinggreen.org

Opportunities for Artists

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellowships for creative writers and translators in the areas of prose and poetry operate on a two-year cycle, with fellowships in prose available one year and fellowships in poetry available the next.

Fellowships for Creative Writers are for $20,000. The next deadline is March 3, 2003 for Creative Writing Fiction and Creative Nonfiction fellowships in FYI 2004.

Writers are eligible to apply in Creative Nonfiction if in the past six years they have published: at least five different creative essays (such as personal essays, memoirs, etc.) or a volume of creative nonfiction.

Writers are eligible to apply in Fiction if, in the past six years, they have published at least five different short stories, works of short fiction, or excerpts from novels in two or more literary journals, anthologies, or publications which regularly include fiction as a portion of their format or a volume of short fiction or a collection of short stories or a novel or novella.

For complete details, visit: http://www.arts.gov/guide/Lit02/Litindex.html

For access to information about many grants and fellowships for writers, visit the new NYFA SOURCE database, accessible from NYFA INTERACTIVE at http://www.nyfa.org

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS, formerly published as a part of Arts Wire Current, are now an integral part of NYFA INTERACTIVE, the new NYFA Website. Please visit http://www.nyfa.org/current and click on "Opportunities for Artists" for listings.

To submit opportunities, visit http://www.nyfa.org/current click on "Opportunities for Artists" and then on "Submit an Opportunity". Paste the information into the online form.

CURRENT JOB LISTINGS, formerly published as a part of Arts Wire Current, are now an integral part of NYFA INTERACTIVE, the new NYFA Website. Please visit http://www.nyfa.org/current and click on "Jobs" for listings.

To submit jobs, visit http://www.nyfa.org/current Click on Jobs, and the click on "Submit a Job Listing". Paste the information into the online form.