Featured Underwriter: Rochester Opera House

By Meghan Hirsch

The Rochester Opera House, located in downtown Rochester, is a non-profit organization that presents various types of performances and programs including live theater, local bands, and educational programs. 

The Opera House is an integral part of Rochester’s community, both physically and socially. The organization is also an underwriter for WSCA. This is just one of the ways the non-profit stays involved with the community and furthers the mission of its “arts for all” philosophy.

Anthony Ejarque, the Executive Director at the Opera House, said “the Opera House is kind of the cornerstone of social activity in Rochester. It supports a lot of the activity, restaurants, and [other organizations] in the area.”

He also explained that since its conception, around one hundred and ten years ago, the organization has always been heavily involved in the community. This is partly because it was originally conceived as a space to host local theater and built by community members. 

On top of attracting people to the downtown area for various concerts and performances, the theater also hosts many educational programs that involve children from local schools.

Ejarque highlighted Porchfest, which is a free outdoor music festival the non-profit hosts yearly, in which younger local bands participate. He also mentioned Studio to Stage, which is a program where children can hang out after school, learn about recording equipment, and eventually do performances on the Opera House’s main stage. 

“We have good relationships with the schools. We do a lot of educational programs for kids, theatrical programs, things like that,” said Ejarque. 

Another community engagement initiative Ejarque highlighted was that the Rochester Opera House offers ten-dollar tickets for minors when accompanied by an adult, which makes programs more affordable for families and arts more accessible overall. 

The actual programming in the theater venue is often more community-based, including family theater and student-led productions that appeal to many different folks, Ejarque explained. 

Because the Opera House was born out of a community effort in the early twentieth century, it seems it has continued to value an emphasis on community engagement, not only through its educational programs and discounted tickets but also by supporting organizations  that amplify the arts, such as WSCA Portsmouth Community Radio.