It's a story with a happy ending: Opera for the Young's 2012 season will have its new production after all.

The Madison-based touring company had hoped to celebrate the company's 40th anniversary with "Cinderella", a new adaptation for young audiences of Jules Massenet's opera Cendrillon. Unfortunately, last year's ailing economy made a major new project unrealistic as the focus shifted to staying in the black–which they did, thanks to a combination of belt-tightening measures, grants and increased community support.

Last week, Hanna Cook-Wallace (OFY board member and owner of Studio Jewelers) presented Artistic Director Diane Garton Edie with a fanciful children's pop-up book of Cinderella. As Garton Edie opened the gift on behalf of the company, an extra surprise 'popped up': a $20,000 check from Studio Jewelers to underwrite the new adaptation. "Happy belated birthday, OFY," Cook-Wallace told the stunned OFY staff. "Let's get this show on the road!"

"Cinderella is a story to which kids immediately connect, and the music in this opera is evocative and beautiful." says Garton Edie. "It's a perfect addition to our repertoire. We're immensely thrilled and grateful to Hanna and to Studio Jewelers that we can move forward with Cinderella much sooner than we had dared hope."

Opera for the Young hires young professional singers to perform original adaptations of classic operas for grade school and middle school children across the upper Midwest. Every year, more than 75,000 children see an OFY performance; the cost to the schools is less that $2 per student. It is estimated that more than 1,500,000 children have been served by OFY since 1970. Garton-Edie, who has adapted the librettos for OFY's seven other productions, will soon begin work on Cinderella; the musical adaptation will be done by OFY General Director Daniel Plummer. Cinderella will tour in the fall of 2012– right on schedule.

"Like the song says:'A dream is a wish your heart makes,'" says Cook-Wallace when asked about her gift."I just couldn't think of a better way to support arts in education than to help this particular dream come true."

To help bring a performance of Opera for the Young's Cinderella to a school in your area, or for information about sponsoring a touring performer for a season, please contact:

Daniel Plummer:
dplummer@operafortheyoung.org
OFY offices: 608.277.9560
www.operafortheyoung.org