Come March, the Lyric will undergo long-awaited renovations to the stage area. The roughly $10 million project is expected to take between nine and 11 months. "When the renovations are done," Richmond says, "we will have the necessities to do grand opera in an efficient manner."
That includes a widened backstage space, built over the sidewalk on Maryland Avenue, and greatly improved capacity for flying scenery. "This will change the dynamics of the facility," Richmond says.
Upgrading the space opens up lots of possibilities, including presentations of other companies and self-produced works.
"Our goal is to have an opera season in the facility from now on," Richmond says.
The Lyric is also taking on the former Baltimore Opera's educational mission. Various programs, guided by Harp, are going into schools and senior centers.
For more information on the Lyric's 2009-2010 opera season, call 410-900-1150 or go to lyricoperahouse.com.
Prize to Baltimore artist
Baltimore painter Ren? Trevi?o won the $10,000 Best in Show from the Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards. The awards were founded in 2003 by Carol Trawick to honor local artists.
Receiving second and third place were Washington-based Molly Springfield and Baltimore-based Jessie Lehson; both were also finalists for this year's Sondheim Artscape Prize.
The Trawick Prize jury included Baltimore Museum of Art director Doreen Bolger, along with Kevin Everson, a professor at the University of Virginia, and Joanna Marsh, a curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
An exhibit of the winning work continues through Oct. 3 at the Fraser Gallery, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., in Bethesda. Call 301-718-9651 or go to thefrasergallery.com.
