March 24, 2020
Pittsburgh Opera sadly announces the cancellation of all performances of Norma, and all public events through May 3rd. The canceled events are:
- ‘Workshops for Educators’ which had been scheduled for Thursday, April 16th and Saturday, April 18th at Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters
- The Norma radio preview show on WQED-FM which had been scheduled to air Saturday, April 18th and Friday, April 24th.
- ‘Opera Up Close’ which had been scheduled for Sunday, April 19th at Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters
- All Norma performances at the Benedum Center. The performances were scheduled for April 25th and 28th, and May 1st and 3rd.
- All related events before/after each Norma performance, such as our Pre-Opera Talks, the New Guard cocktail and our Meet The Artists event which had been scheduled for after the conclusion of the April 28th performance.
In addition, the season-ending Maecenas fundraising gala will not be taking place on May 9th as originally scheduled. Pittsburgh Opera is currently assessing potential options for rescheduling or modifying it. Further information about Maecenas will be released as it becomes available and will be posted online at pittsburhopera.org/Maecenas.
These events are being canceled because of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, and the resulting guidance and recommendations from local, regional, and national health officials and government entities.
“Like many arts organizations in our region and across the country, these cancelations are painful to us both artistically and financially,” says Pittsburgh Opera General Director Christopher Hahn. “We are immensely thankful for the many ticket buyers who have already asked us to donate the value of their ticket back to Pittsburgh Opera in lieu of requesting refunds. We know not everyone is in a position to do that, and we are grateful for all our patrons, now more than ever.”
At this time all Norma ticketholders may:
- To help the organization sustain operations through this difficult economic time, donate the value of their ticket refund to Pittsburgh Opera.
- Exchange their tickets free of charge for a credit for comparable or better tickets to the performance of their choice of any opera in our upcoming 2020-21 season, which includes:
- Rusalka, the Water Sprite – Oct. 10-18, 2020
- The Magic Flute – Nov. 7 – 15, 2020
- Emmeline – Jan. 23-26, 2021
- Soldier Songs – Feb. 20 – 28, 2021
- Aida – March 20 – 28, 2021
- Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, May 8 – 16, 2021
- Receive a refund for the full price of their ticket.
All ticketholders can submit this online form to select their preference.
Individual patrons and subscribers wishing to discuss these options with a Pittsburgh Opera representative should contact Pittsburgh Opera Manager of Audience Services Mark Marston at 412-281-0912 ext. 216, or email tickets@pittsburghopera.org. Group Ticket holders should call Pittsburgh Opera Group Sales Manager Regina Connolly at 412-281-0912 ext. 213, or email groups@pittsburghopera.org. If you call, please be patient as we deal with a higher-than-normal call volume. We will respond to all phone calls and emails as promptly as possible, but please be prepared for delays.
We look forward to returning to normal operations, and sharing our art with the community, as soon as possible. We sincerely thank you for standing by us through this unprecedented situation. Should you wish to make a donation you may do so at pittsburghopera.org/give.
