GIVING

While Hungry Opera machine is not currently a 501c(3) tax exempt organization, you CAN make a tax-deductible donation through our non-profit fiscal agent World Folk Traditions We rely on the generous donations and support of our friends, sponsors, audience members and more. Please contact us for more information, donate online or mail a donation of your choice to:

Hungry Opera Machine
4128 N. Kerby Ave.
Portland, OR 97217

And if you desire some inspiration for giving here is an article by Erskine Maytorena of the ensemble Qtango adapted with permission by Hungry Opera Machine’s director, Eric Stern:

Have you ever wondered why there are so few operatic, dance, and theatrical ensembles?

It boils down to simple economics.

Time is money, and it takes a lot of time to make a bunch of great musicians into a great orchestra.   A lot of time every week.  Even a small ensemble requires an immense amount of time and dedication to get to a point where they can produce quality work.

Musicians need to make a living.   If they can’t do it playing music, they get day jobs like everyone else.  Day jobs leave them with very little free time to work on challenging music.   Our rehearsals and performances are often scheduled in the evenings, after work.

Bands need sheet music, and orchestras need arrangements.   Both cost money.  New arrangements cost even more.

Venues need money too!  Venues need to sell drinks, charge admission or generate revenue in some other way to pay the musicians they hire.  Many venues have an entertainment budget, generally around $400 a night, $600 on the high end.  Divided by four musicians, it’s not a bad deal.  Divided by twelve musicians, it’s $50 per musician for a night of work.   But that $50 must also cover rehearsal time.  Our performers get together at least  ten evenings a month.   That’s one third of their evenings per month.   In addition to that, they must find time to practice their music individually.    If they are paid $300 in a month, their income must be divided over all their performance, rehearsal and practice time.   They’re often earning less than $10 per hour at that rate.  The time they spend dedicating themselves to performance is time they’re not making money elsewhere.  Monthly subscriptions to Hungry Opera Machine subsidize what a venue can pay so we can afford to remain a large ensemble.   You’re helping to reward our musicians for all their hard work and dedication at every show, allowing us to dedicate more time and energy to becoming a truly great performance ensemble.

When you make a one time donation to Hungry Opera Machine, that helps too.  We can purchase new equipment, and pay costume, set and lighting designers as well as directors and production crews.

Our goal is to expose as many people as possible to the thrilling vibrancy of  contemporary opera in English and all it’s styles. Opera is more than music .   Opera sings stories of life and life’s spectrum of heart-break, birth, hope and tears.  Hungry Opera Machine is a community, a way of life, and like love, it must be experienced to be fully appreciated.   Help us build our community, expose the world to this wonderful way of life, and together we will watch them fall in love with something you have already discovered, the beauty of opera!