• Best practices for safety. Our team continues to work closely with peer organizations locally, regionally, and through national forums to standardize guidelines for safely rehearsing and producing productions, and welcoming audiences; while continuing to monitor guidance and recommendations from leaders and scholars for everyone’s protection.

• Masks are recommended at Portland Opera performances. Our ticketing policies are updated often to reflect safety measures for COVID-19. We reserve the right to share changes or add entrance requirements. We've also updated our policies to be more flexible for patrons who are ill, exposed, or unable to attend. These policies may change at any time. You can review the updated policy here. 

• The staff of Portland Opera continues to follow a hybrid schedule, and gather onsite at our offices for essential in-person activities. Need to contact us? You can view our staff directory.
  
  
• Opera is an intimate art form, and we continue to work with artists, managers, and union representatives to monitor guidance, scholarly recommendations, and best practices to protect all collaborators.
  
  
• We’ve made adjustments to our HR policies to continue to follow national guidance about time away from the office due to illness, childcare needs, and more. Our Administration continues to employ new policies and changing guidance to help staff members navigate options and support, including mental health support and wellness programs.

• The financial impacts of the pandemic continue to pose challenges to the arts and culture sectors. 

  • We are focused on fiscal responsibility as we ramp out of COVID. We have joined regional and national cohorts to delve into research about the needs of our community members and patrons, and we have taken action to manage expenses during this interval, including workforce management changes, furloughs, and more.

  • As one of the leading arts employers in the state of Oregon, we know that cancellations and decreased work opportunities impact many households and individuals. We’ve consistently followed the state and local mandates for closures and are trying to mitigate the impact for our employees.
    
    
  • From day one of mandated cancellations, we’ve worked diligently with unions and artists to honor compensation for cancelled contracts to the best of our ability, and we continue to remain in communication with all parties about how to balance the desire for work and the safety of our musicians and artists.

  •  You can learn more about strategic planning progress here.

• To keep Portland Opera operational while we have had to remain shuttered, we have applied for various federal grants, Small Business Association loans, and payroll protection program loan forgiveness programs, with varying success. In July of 2020, members of Oregon’s Legislative Emergency Board approved more than $200 million from federal coronavirus relief for numerous programs and organizations throughout the state. $50 million was allocated for arts, cultural, and heritage organizations affected by the shutdowns from COVID-19. Portland Opera is among the recipients named in this legislation, with relief funding in the amount of $875,000.
  
  
• Without the generous support from our patrons, foundations, and the federal government, Portland Opera would not be able to continue offering public and educational programming during the pandemic. This funding has enabled us to partially honor our commitments to artists, unions, and administrative staff without jeopardizing reserve funds. This funding has also allowed us to hire artists, musicians, and staff to continue public programs like Opera a la Cart and the Polka Dot concerts; develop digital curricula with teaching artists for Opera Elements; upgrade HVAC and physical plant procedures for safe rehearsal environments; plan for community collaborations and events; safely produce our outdoor production of Frida, and begin to ramp up our critical staffing levels while balancing workforce management changes. 

If you have questions about this, please contact Richard Seals, Chief Financial Officer, at rseals@portlandopera.org.