Season Sponsor and Production Underwriter
GRoW @ Annenberg
Régina Weingarten and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten with the cast of The Clemency of Titus in 2019.
Across the country and around the world, GRoW @ Annenberg is renowned for its extraordinary support of organizations that address social and cultural issues, meet community needs and offer inspiration to communities around the world. This philanthropic reach is evident most notably in the arts and culture sectors—including in many of the world’s most prominent visual and performing arts companies. LA Opera is deeply honored to be a longstanding recipient of GRoW @ Annenberg’s generosity. Its founder, Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, along with his wife and philanthropic partner and LA Opera board member Régina Weingarten, share a deep commitment to exceptional artistry, cultural enrichment and providing access to the arts and arts education. This season, LA Opera celebrates this dedication by recognizing GRoW @ Annenberg’s support for four operas on the mainstage (Lucia di Lammermoor, The Marriage of Figaro, Pelléas et Mélisande and Otello) and becoming the company’s 2022/23 Season Underwriter.
GRoW @ Annenberg is a philanthropic initiative led by Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, a vice president and director of the Annenberg Foundation. At LA Opera, GRoW @ Annenberg’s support has brought numerous productions to the stage: Salome (2017); Orpheus and Eurydice, Hansel and Gretel and Rigoletto (2018); and The Clemency of Titus (2019). Over the years, they have championed the company’s education programming and the company’s special funding initiatives as members of the Angels and The Campaign for LA Opera. Through the generous support of GRoW @ Annenberg, LA Opera is recognized for its artistic excellence and its arts education programming for young people, helping to make Los Angeles one of the world’s premier cultural centers.
GRoW @ Annenberg’s funding is part of a robust portfolio of philanthropy dedicated to supporting humanitarian efforts across the globe as well as innovative projects in health, education, the arts, and civic and cultural life. It has also engaged students in the arts through a sponsored poster art contest focused on LA Opera productions, enticing hundreds of young people to discover opera. When the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons were halted due to the pandemic, its continued generosity for LA Opera’s general operations helped the company weather this challenging time.
Gregory Annenberg Weingarten moved in 2015 with his wife Régina Weingarten and their family to Los Angeles from Paris, where they were active in making significant contributions to the arts, as well as other prominent organizations. In recognition of their dedication to the arts, both Gregory and Régina received the prestigious distinction of Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur, France’s Legion of Honor Award. LA Opera also salutes their generosity and is honored to be a recipient of GRoW @ Annenberg’s support.
Production Underwriter
Barbara Augusta Teichert
Barbara Augusta Teichert has helped to bring many of LA Opera’s most beloved productions to the stage for over 15 years. Now, through her generosity, the company is thrilled to bring Verdi’s Otello to the stage this season.
A board member since 2009, Barbara has helped to give life to an impressive number of our productions: Luisa Fernanda (2007), Die Walküre (2009 and 2010), Tamerlano (2009), Il Postino (2010), Simon Boccanegra and The Two Foscari (2012), Thaïs and La Traviata (2014), Pagliacci and Gianni Schicchi (2015), Macbeth (2016), Nabucco (2017), El Gato Montés (2019), Roberto Devereux (2020) and La Cenerentola (2021), as well as the Javier Camarena recital (2022). She also supported the 2007 Verdi Requiem and the 2008 gala celebrating Placido Domingo’s 40th anniversary in Los Angeles, as well as a 2006 DVD production of La Traviata, starring Renée Fleming. She is a member of LA Opera’s 20th and 30th Anniversary Angels leadership giving programs.
Barbara, who lives in Pennsylvania, shows her love of opera by making sure that a number of companies have the support they need. In December 2018, she was elected to the board of Opera Philadelphia. She has underwritten a number of productions there over the years, including Don Carlo, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Barrie Kosky’s production of The Magic Flute, as well as several important contemporary works: Kevin Puts’ Silent Night, Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar and Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain. She also served on the board of Washington National Opera for nine years, supporting a project there every season for over a decade. For the Metropolitan Opera, she has underwritten several productions including the world premiere of Tan Dun’s The First Emperor as well as Iphigénie en Tauride.
We are grateful for Barbara’s longstanding generosity and proud that LA Opera is one of her treasured opera homes.
Underwriter Recognition
All across the country, people are participating in the arts, exercising their imaginations, and developing their creative capacities, thanks in part to generous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. And, for more than 20 years, the Arts Endowment has been integral to LA Opera’s growth–helping to build the company in its early years, supporting the commissioning and development of new productions, aiding in the creation of educational programs, and allowing opera to reach new and underserved audiences. We are honored to have the National Endowment for the Arts’ support for this thrilling production of Otello, as well as 12 additional past productions, including the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin's Eurydice and recent productions of El Gato Montés, Orpheus and Eurydice, The Tales of Hoffmann, anatomy theater and The Ghosts of Versailles, among others.
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is committed to making the arts a part of the lives of all people across the nation. Some of LA Opera’s signature community initiatives were originally developed with the Arts Endowment’s support, including the Community Opera at the Cathedral, programs for the military and veterans, and educational initiatives for thousands of teachers and students.
LA Opera is proud to be recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts. Through this important public support, the company brings the magic of this art form to many thousands of people each year, making significant contributions to the economic vitality of Los Angeles, and enhancing the civic and cultural life in our community.
Underwriter Recognition
Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation
Norman and Sadie Lee exemplified a couple who were committed to classical music in Los Angeles and to LA Opera since the company’s founding in 1986. Following their passings in 2005 and 2009, their legacy of dedication has continued through the Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation, led by their nephew Paul James, building an endowment that is generously supporting this production of Otello.
Norman and Sadie Lee, both British citizens, lived a life of generous philanthropy and community involvement. Norman was born in 1916 and was an engineer and industrialist in refrigerator manufacturing and property development. Sadie, born in 1911, was a schoolteacher. Both had a love of the arts, including music, dance and theater. Upon their retirements, they became active in the community in Los Angeles and throughout the world. Supporting the newly established LA Opera in 1986, they became subscribers and donors. Mr. Lee became a board member and officer, serving until the 2001/02 season when he became a Life Trustee.
During that time, the Lees began their commitment to the future of LA Opera by establishing an endowment that they would enhance with annual contributions. The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation has further supported LA Opera since their passings, continuing to contribute to their endowment, as well as the Opera’s annual fund. They have built a legacy that now provides underwriting support for LA Opera’s productions annually, helping the company to continue to bring the beauty of the arts to generations to come.
LA Opera is deeply grateful to the Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation for their generosity and dedication over the years.
Underwriter Recognition
The Armenian Consortium
Consortium members congratulate Angel Blue (Tosca) and Gregory Kunde (Cavaradossi) after a 2022 performance of Tosca.
LA Opera extends its heartfelt appreciation to the Armenian Consortium for stepping forward again, after the success of this season’s Tosca, to provide additional resources to help bring Otello to our stage. This remarkable group of friends enjoys coming together at the opera to celebrate and invest collectively in the artistry of the company.
Otello is the fourth project to benefit from their passion and philanthropy. Since Joyce and Joseph Stein first launched this initiative in 2020, the Consortium has provided underwriting support for Roberto Devereux (2020), Aida (2022) and Tosca (2022). We thank each member of the Consortium listed below for helping our production team, musicians, artists, and artisans make all this art possible.
Linda Kay and John Abdulian
Any Yakoub Barr and Michael Barr
Ani and Nazareth Darakjian
Stephanie and Michael Landes
Margaret and David Mgrublian
Cheryl and Harry Nadjarian
Arsine and Gary Phillips
Sonia Messer Randazzo
Tina Segel
Sirphuhe and John Conte Foundation
Joyce and Joseph Stein
Stephen Philibosian Foundation
Hayde and Andy Torosyan
