Wednesday, January 10, 2007

What's Happening at Mississippi Opera

Greetings from the Mississippi Opera (MOA) office! I would like to thank you for being a part of our ever-growing mailing list and take a moment to update you on some of the incredible happenings so far this season.

The opening opera, Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde, was an enormous success artistically, financially and educationally. Alan Mann, Artistic Director, and I offer our utmost thanks to everyone involved on every level. Please view pictures from the opera online at www.blaylockphoto.com. It truly was a fantastic experience with a wonderfully receptive audience.

The company is not only artistically excellent but financially sound as well. In the last year alone, the accounts payable balance was reduced by almost $70,000. Other achievements this season include: the implementation of a new Long-Range Plan, a Document Retention and Destruction Policy and a Conflict of Interest Policy. Coupled with the introduction of a new Whistle Blower Policy and a new handbook outlining Personnel Policies, MOA continually increases the company’s administrative transparency.

On the technological frontier, MOA has made a number of advancements. With the generosity of Kite Networks of Ridgeland, we are now a wireless internet zone! Updating from dial-up has vastly improved day to day operations. Also, thanks to an anonymous donor, computer software and hardware upgrades have contributed to our ability to operate more efficiently in the twenty-first century. In fact, please subscribe to the MOA blog to recieve an email notification when new posts are made. Easily accessed through our informative website, the MOA blog will allow you to read updates pertaining to the company from both an administrative and artistic perspective. When you're done here, please continue your tour of MOA's website which features company history, ticket form downloads, raffle information, the option to donate online and more!

As you can tell, we are extremely busy here in the office. As the MS Museum of Art prepares to move, the reallocation of office space and the addition of other arts organizations to the arts center as well as a splendid green space are all actively being discussed among the arts groups, the Downtown Partners and the City of Jackson Department of Human and Cultural Services. It is proving to be an extremely exciting season.

So, if you’re downtown, stop by to see us – meaning Nell, me and our exquisite Eric McDonald portrait of Metropolitan Opera tenor, John Alexander. Thank you for supporting MOA!

See you at the shows,
Elizabeth Stevens
Administrative Director