A $15,000 Art Works grant has been obtained for the Chautauqua Opera Company’s 2020 Opera Festival, “The Women’s Suffrage Centennial: Claiming a Voice, Claiming a Vote.” The opera company’s season will focus on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment with three different operas: “Tosca,” “Thumbprint” and “The Mother of Us All.”

“We care about encouraging people to use their creative talents to express themselves, telling stories and sharing art that enriches the lives of so many,” said U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, who announced the grant. “This grant funding will allow the Chautauqua Opera Company to share stories and ideas that center around women’s rights and the right to vote — what is more enriching than that?”

“Bringing the voices of Susan B. Anthony and the suffrage movement back to Chautauqua was the inspiration behind our 2020 season,” said Steven Osgood, Chautauqua Opera’s General and Artistic Director. “This support from the NEA allows us to build out a rich festival which will investigate women throughout history who have fought to have a voice, as well as the ongoing battle for human rights that connect them.”