Palm Beach Opera Receives OPERA America Grant For Technology

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Palm Beach

"Statistically speaking, the free concert on the West Palm Beach waterfront that Palm Beach Opera staged in December was a rousing success. About 2,500 people turned up to hear soloists and a full chorus and orchestra perform opera favorites and Broadway show-tunes. Around 52 percent had never been to an opera event before. The debut concert was the flagship of the company’s drive to attract new audiences. One of its most innovative features was a mobile-device app that enabled users to access scene-setting information, lyrics and fun facts about the pieces being performed. For the next edition, scheduled Dec. 13 at the Meyer Amphitheatre, the company intends to open a two-way conversation by developing a new app financed by a $30,000 grant from Opera America, a service organization for the opera community. With the new app, audience members can shoot off comments about the show, ask questions and respond to surveys, said Daniel Biaggi, Palm Beach Opera’s general director. Plans call for users to be able to tweet and post to Facebook directly using a hashtag. The company also is 'investigating the cost and feasibility of live feeds from social media within the app so that people would see all their comments go by,' he said. Palm Beach Opera is one of seven companies chosen from 53 applicants to receive a total of $300,000 in grants under the Building Opera Audiences program. The program, now in its second year, is supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation." [Source]