“Warm Up with Opera Grand Rapids” until Dec. 17

By: Brittney Schering

Opera Grand Rapids is collecting warm winter coats and business clothing at the Betty Van Andel Opera Center from now until Dec. 17. For each item that is dropped off, members of the community will receive a coupon for the Company’s February production of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut.

The clothing drive, “Warm Up with Opera Grand Rapids,” is a community wide coat and clothing drive to benefit the clothing pantries of the ICCF Family Homeless Shelter and the Women’s Resource Center.

To encourage donations, Opera Grand Rapids will hand out coupons for up to 50 percent off tickets to its February production at DeVos Hall. The discount coupons will range from 10 to 50 percent off, and are valid until January 11. Anyone who donates clean clothing that is in good condition will receive a coupon. The more items donated, the deeper the discount will be for the show.

The clothing collection drive will run until Dec. 17 at the Betty Van Andel Opera Center, located at 1320 East Fulton. Donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 6p.m. on Mondays and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday.

Volunteers are invited to visit the Opera Center between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 20 to help sort and deliver the donations. For more information, please visit www.operagr.com.

Music and Voices Tell A Story: Opera Grand Rapids Finds A Permaent Home

By Theo Andrews

The once nomadic Opera Grand Rapids has officially moved into its new, permanent home. From 4-7 p.m. today, the company will give informal tours to the community showcasing their newly constructed residence.

This was a long time coming. The opera company has wandered for the past 42 years from abandoned, and raccoon-infested, abodes like Frank’s Nursery to a vacated Hollywood Video, as well as empty warehouses where the heat didn’t work and temperatures were ghastly cold. Certainly this is not the kind of situation you’d imagine a professional Opera company operating in, but they did; for four decades.

“It went from shabby to shabbier,” said Production Manager Catherin Wiegandt. “With this new building, everything is going to get better.”

The Betty Van Andel Opera Center is a two-story tall, 14,000 square foot facility that includes: a permanent box office, costume shop, prop storage, offices, meeting rooms, a library, and most importantly, real rehearsal rooms.

“The building doesn’t necessarily act as a performance center, but a learning center,” says Wiegandt. “It is a chance to develop community outreach.”

Performances will still be held at DeVos Hall, but the new building—located at 1320 E. Fulton St.—will serve as a space dedicated to providing educational and public programming; the intended experience Opera Grand Rapids wants to deliver.

Formal dedications will be held on June 16.