Everything you need to know about Long Leaf Opera
Where does your name, Long Leaf Opera, come from?
The pine tree is the official state tree of North Carolina and this great reference to the Long Leaf Pine is found in our official state song and the state toast which was adopted in 1957:
"Here's to the land of the long leaf pine,
The summer land where the sun doth shine,
Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great,
Here's to 'Down Home,' the Old North State!"
Do I need to "dress up"?
We want you to be comfortable at our festival. If that means jeans and Birkenstock's, then that's what we want you to wear. Many people still enjoy dressing for a night out, and that's great, too. Our only rules are: no hats or big hair because we want the people behind you to be able to see too; and no overpowering colognes, please, for folks with allergies!
How can I become involved with Long Leaf Opera?
You are welcome into our Long Leaf family in a number of ways. You can donate, join our opera guild, or just participate in our unique "tribe". We are always happy to speak with you about this and encourage you to contact us at 919-338-2642.
Are group rates available?
Yes, we are happy to offer discounts for groups of ten or more. Just contact our office to arrange this.
We need a vocalist for our event. Can Long Leaf provide somone?
Yes, we can provide one or many of our artists for your unique event. This may range from singing the national anthem at a sporting event to a program for your civic group. We will be happy to discuss this with you.
You say Long Leaf Opera is the only company to present fulled staged opera originally written in English. Are you the only source for American opera?
Fortunately not. Our friends at the Center for Contemporary Opera in New York do a great job of cultivating American opera. They typically produce one opera each year and the remainder of their season is filled with semi-staged readings or what they call "ateliers". Here, operas are presented in varying stages of completion. We are also proud to be part of a consortium with them and San Antonio Opera to produce new American opera.
How do you get your funding?
Paying for this is always the hard part! We raise about one third of our expenses through ticket sales (which is about average for other professional companies). About eight percent comes from foundations, seven percent from government agencies, and the remainder comes from private donors, such as you. If you can make a donation, please contact us and we will be most appreciative.
Opera is boring, isn't it?
How can you call passion, romance, and adventure boring! Just come to one of our performances and see for yourself.
Isn't it expensive to go to the opera?
Part of our mission is to make opera as accessible as possible to the greatest number of people. Tickets are as low as $20.00 and this is about the lowest of any professional opera company in the country.
You can save money in other ways, too. You do not need to buy a new suit, dress, mink stole, or tiara to attend, As we said before, we only want you to be comfortable. Of course, if you wish to wear a tiara with your jeans, feel perfectly free.
What about children?
Well-behaved children are always welcome, and we do have an outreach program for public and private schools. It is important to start children early in attending arts functions. However, a typical adult opera is not the place for unsupervised, unruly, or noisy young people. We are always careful to let you know if the content of the opera is not suitable for children, but sometimes the length of a work is also not suitable. Please consider a baby sitter for the evening and everyone will breath a sign of relief. We do reserve the right to ask that intrusive audience members, no matter the age, be removed from any performance. That, too, is part of everyone being comfortable.