The vision for Opera North began with Sister Mary Elise of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who fought zealously to break the color barriers that denied performance opportunities to gifted African-American vocal artists, musicians, and conductors on major opera and concert stages in America. For the past 30 years, Opera North, Pennsylvania's only African-American opera company, has continued to fulfill this vision by presenting opera productions, recitals, concerts, and Black History programs that feature celebrated and rising African-American artists, as well as providing an impressive array of education and outreach programs.

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Through the Opera In The Schools Program, professional artists each year introduce the wonders of opera to over 3,200 children in our inner city public and parochial schools who otherwise would receive little or no exposure to classical music. Opera North Youth Guild brought to the stage for the first time in Philadelphia an all youth production of Oliver! with a cast of nearly 75 children, ages 8 to 18. Additional offerings to the public also include the Opera for Seniors program, which takes lively operatic repertoire to elderly persons in convalescent and retirement homes. The Opera for Schools and Opera for Senior Citizens programs are music education and enrichment series presented in the Philadelphia and Montgomery County regions. These community outreach programs are specifically designed to address the unique aspects of performing and interacting with students of all ages as well as residents and attendees of retirement life communities and nursing homes. These programs actively engage audiences while further contributing to their cultural/educational development and quality of life experience. The levels of care for the Opera for Seniors presentations include independent living, assisted living and nursing care.

Opera North's Artists-In-Concert Program is a commitment to present young artists in diverse settings such as community and education outreach programming, concerts and operatic productions to further enhance their performance opportunities, skills and public visibility. Another crucial aspect of Opera North's Artist-In-Concert activities is to provide for its audiences and young artists the means to create an exceptional performance experience. This has been accomplished in part by combining the talents of the Artists-In-Concert performers with the talents of established international performers for Opera North presentations. These presentations include Opera North's Annual Black History Month Celebration and Spring Concert Recital. As a result these presentations have generated increased audience attendance and the number of performing artists participating in these programs. Examples of international artists participating in Opera North presentations include: original "Cook, Dixon & Young" star Rodrick Dixon; Carmen Balthrop of the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco, Houston and Santa Fe opera companies; jazz sensation Gerald Veasley; Indra Thomas, a former Artists-in-Concert-Series participant who made her solo debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 2001 in the role of Aida; Diane Monroe, classical and jazz violin soloist who appeared in the movie Music of The Heart starring Meryl Streep; Dr. Kay G. Roberts, international conductor and educator; South African percussionist Mogauwane Mahoele; and international choreographer and music-staging director Mercedes Ellington and the art work of David C. Driskell. Painter David C. Driskell received the Presidential Medal from William Jefferson Clinton in December 2000 as a National Endowment for the Humanities recipient.

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The appointment of composer Leslie Burrs as Executive and Artistic Director has brought even more excitement to Opera North. Leslie Burrs is an internationally recognized composer, educator, and performing flute soloist. The concert version of his acclaimed American opera Vanqui attracted a highly diverse audience to the famed Prince Music Theater in December 2003. It evidences our continuing growth in artistic excellence and steadfast focus upon our mission to broaden, deepen and inspire African-American cultural participation in opera. A fully staged production of Vanqui was presented in May 2005 at the Prince Music Theater. This production is an example of Opera North identifying and securing funding opportunities from such prestigious grant-giving organizations as the National Endowment for the Arts and The Philadelphia Music Project, an Artistic Initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

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The target audiences of our Opera in the Schools and Youth Guild programs are those minority, inner city, middle and secondary education students of the School District of Philadelphia's public schools and parochial schools with largely economically disadvantaged population(s). Opera for Seniors program targets those residential care facilities which lack ancillary services, e.g., on-site music therapy programs or limited budgets to allow for residents to attend outside events. These underserved populations are also target populations for public performances. Opera North's public performances are usually attended by a seventy-eight percent African American audience representing wide ranges of income levels. The opera company determined productions of non-traditional opera presentations intensified audience development for the communities in which it serves.

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Opera North's recent productions and educational programs have been supported, in part, by The William Penn Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Philadelphia Music Project an Artistic Initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Lomax Family Foundation, Connelly Foundation, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Margaret G. Jacobs Charitable Trust, Lincoln Financial Group Foundation, PNC Bank, Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Keystone Mercy Healthcare, Caroline J. Sanders Trust Wachovia Bank, Citizens Bank, PECO Energy, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation and the associated guilds of Opera North.