Skylark Opera has, since its inception [see history], emphasized both high artistic
quality and opportunity for local (Upper Midwest) professional artists (both
musical and technical) to exercise their talents in fully-produced works. The company also emphasizes patron
accessibility by performing all works in English and by maintaining moderate
ticket prices with discounts available for students, seniors, and other selected patron categories. Skylark's performance history (with pictures)
In 2004, the Board of
Directors adopted the following mission statement which was reaffirmed during
the 2006 rebranding
process:
Also as a result of the rebranding
project, the Board adopted a brand promise:
The company is made up of a volunteer working Board of
Directors (12 members) and a paid Artistic Director. The Directors have a variety of backgrounds including
organizational management, financial management and accounting, musical
performance and education, law, governmental policy, and education. Individual
Directors currently assume responsibility for those administrative and
operational tasks not handled by the Artistic Director.
Skylark is housed at
Landmark Center in St. Paul and usually performs at E. M. Pearson Theatre on
the Concordia University campus in St. Paul, but it draws its audience from the
whole of the greater Twin Cities area. Its current patron base is roughly one third residents of St. Paul and
the eastern suburbs and two-thirds from Minneapolis and the west. The audience served varies by the type
of production, with an operetta audience that is predominantly senior citizens
and a somewhat younger audience mix for musical theatre and contemporary
offerings. Survey data indicate
that patrons are primarily persons of moderate income, with about a third of
them reporting incomes under $50,000.
Skylark thanks its many patrons who have generously made supporting donations and also the organizations who have provided grants, including the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Target Foundation, the McKnight Foundation and the Twin Cities Opera Guild. This activity funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
