Atlanta Opera gets $27.5 million gift
OperaChainstore owner Arthur Blank has given an absolute fortune to Atlanta Opera to fund a building in his mum’s name. The Molly Blank Center for Opera will include a 200-seat recital hall, rehearsal spaces, offices and gardens.
Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank said: ‘My mother, an artist herself, believed in the power of the arts to bring joy and healing. As a sculptor and dancer, she loved attending concerts, theater, and opera in Atlanta and New York. My brother Michael and I are proud to carry on her passion for the arts, and we know she would be honored to see her name alongside one of the country’s top opera companies. ‘
Atlanta Opera chief Tomer Zvulun said: ‘Few leaders have left as large an imprint on Atlanta as Arthur Blank.’
His donation is the lead gift in a $110m campaign.
The Atlanta Opera, under Tomer Zvulun, absolutely deserves this magnitude of funding. Kudos to Arthur Blank and his family.
I saw Tomer Zvulun in Dallas during the Ring Cycle… fishing for singers and a new Music Director for the Atlanta Opera, maybe? An excellent manager.
Great for Atlanta and amazing result for Tomer’s leadership
Wow! That is just fantastic! (especially in these difficult times)
Even in difficult times, the creme rises to the top.
That’s a huge amount – practically a blank cheque…
Classical music is THRIVING in Atlanta Ga, of all places. The recent success of the Opera, the enthusiasm around the Atlanta Symphony, and the huge crowds that the Chamber Music Society of Atlanta draws at every concert all dispel the idea that classical music is dying.
Is there is a bigger donation going to children medical research…
A wonderful gift with what I assume are noble intentions. But if the musicians in the orchestra make what….$8000/year? $10000/year? Does anyone really care about a building?
I hope some of that money goes to the orchestra musicians. They were pushing recently to get decent per service rates and working conditions. If they want a world class opera company, they need to pay their orchestra musicians well.
Basically a Blank Cheque lol