Founded in 1970, Opera for the Young’s mission is to ignite enthusiasm for opera. In pursuit of that mission, we COLLABORATE, EDUCATE and CREATE. The multifaceted world of opera provides a dynamic vehicle for growth within each child and their school community. OFY involves students in all aspects of the show – from design to performance. In this engaging manner, Opera for the Young is unlike any program in the nation.

– Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Josh Groban, in partnership with his Find Your Light Foundation and Americans For the Arts, will help raise funds for the Opera for the Young while in Green Bay to perform at the Resch Center on July 9th.

– For 41 years, Opera for the Young has been committed to igniting children’s enthusiasm for opera.  Since 1970, more than 2 million children across the upper Midwest have been introduced to opera by Opera for the Young.

          “Ensuring every child has the opportunity to experience an arts education is very important to me,” said Groban. “Opera for the Young shares this goal with me and it gives me great pleasure to highlight the work they do”

          Groban is partnering with Americans for the Arts to launch a joint text-to-give campaign, which will run for the duration of his Straight to You tour in 2011. Proceeds from the campaign will go to support both The Find Your Light Foundation and Americans for the Arts as they work to ensure every child and young adult in America has access to quality arts education experiences. A portion of the proceeds will go to highlighted organizations throughout the tour; in this case Opera for the Young.

         “We are grateful to have been selected for this recognition,” says Opera for the Young General Director Dan Plummer.  “Mr. Groban, Americans for the Arts, and Opera for the Young share a common vision of making the arts and arts education broadly accessible.  Being chosen for our work is heartwarming and inspiring.”

About Opera for the Young
Opera for the Young brings live, professional opera to 75,000 children at 200 elementary schools with its annual tour. Students from each school appear onstage in chorus and cameo roles, performing for their peers right alongside OFY's professional artists. All productions are fully staged, sung in English and adapted especially for kids. OFY also holds an annual set and costume design contest wherein students submit drawings for pre-selected elements of the upcoming production's sets and costumes. To learn more about Opera for the Young, visit the organization’s website at www.operafortheyoung.org

About Find Your Light
To find out more about the Find Your Light Foundation, please visit the organization's website at http://www.findyourlightfoundation.org and/or its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/findyourlightfoundation.

About Americans for the Arts
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2010, Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. From offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it serves more than 150,000 organizational and individual members and stakeholders. http://www.artsusa.org