DIVERSITY STATEMENT
Mission Opera is committed to cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion because of the community it serves: the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys. Persons of Hispanic origin make up approximately 40% and 30% respectively. Nearly 40% of the San Fernando Valley is foreign born, mostly from Latin America and Asia.
We recognize, as conductor Jenny Wong put it, that "Music gives us a unique opportunity on the one hand to process and express the layers of cultural identity and perspective — the pride and joy, the grief and trauma; and on the other hand, to listen and put ourselves in the shoes of those we have not directly empathized with.” We also strongly believe that despite its past associations with affluent elderly white audiences, opera is for everyone, just as the stories it tells are universal human stories.
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In pursuit of its commitment to cultural equity and inclusion Mission Opera strives to keep its productions affordable and relevant to the community it serves. Recently, for example, we produced Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Telephone” in Spanish as “El Teléfono” in a double bill with his “The Old Maid and the Thief” for only $15 general admission. Mission Opera also strives to include community members from all walks of life, racial and ethnic groups, ages and backgrounds in staffing, casting and all other aspects of its productions.