Portland Opera Secures Wildhorse Foundation Grant for POGO: THE CROWN MAKER

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The funding will support the Portland-based opera company's new work as it moves toward production.

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Portland Opera Association has received a grant from the Wildhorse Foundation for the Portland Opera To Go school tour of The Crown Maker.

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For thirty years Portland Opera To Go has toured throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington with youth operas, providing thousands of school-aged and community audiences with high quality, fully staged live performances. This year we are thrilled to announce that we will be at Umatilla County's McKay Creek Elementary, Washington Elementary and Hermiston High School for performances of The Crown Maker, thanks in part to a $10,000 grant from the Wildhorse Foundation.

Each year Portland Opera to Go (POGO) performs 50-minute versions of operas for students. These operas are sung in English, or English and Spanish as bilingual productions. Some favorite past productions include The Elixir of Love, Hansel and Gretel, and La Bohème. Portland Opera to Go continues to commission original works for their 'Our Oregon' series. These productions, including Beatrice and Shizue: An American Story, highlight the stories of unsung women in Oregon history. The Crown Maker, chronicling the life of Mexican American artist, healer and activist Eva Castellanoz, is the third installment in this series.

POGO travels over 5,000 miles throughout the region to spark the imaginations of students, educators, and teachers. So far, more than 300,000 people have engaged with Portland Opera To Go.

'The children loved it…It never ceases to amaze me how well the children engage... And it does my heart good to see [them] enjoy it so much...By allowing the children to interact, you give them a voice' - An educator from Eastern Oregon

Performances take place in school gyms, libraries, cafeterias, classrooms, and community centers, all with full costumes and portable scenery. Integrated in-class workshops are available as part of the POGO experience, along with teacher guides highlighting curricular connections aligned with state standards.

Portland Opera believes that the arts are an essential part of every student's development. Our POGO program focuses on schools with economic and geographic barriers to accessing performing arts experiences. Over 50% of schools visited are Title I schools in rural communities. We have shared POGO performances in Oregon and Washington—and have also brought the works to audiences from Idaho, California, and Nevada.

'Portland Opera To Go is unique in the Northwest for the breadth of its reach and the depth of its engagement…We can go to places that no other arts organization is currently going—and it is due to the generous support of organizations like the Wildhorse Foundation,' says Alexis Hamilton, Associate Director of Education Outreach for Portland Opera.

Each year, the Wildhorse Foundation makes grants to eligible nonprofit, government, and Tribal organizations within the homeland area of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla people. Also eligible for funding are Tribal government agencies or Native American charitable organizations with their base of operations within Oregon, as well as national or regional Indian organizations.

The Wildhorse Foundation has awarded a total of over $20 million in grant funding since its establishment in 2001. Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis with deadlines of January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.

For more information, visit the Foundation's website at www.thewildhorsefoundation.com .

Portland Opera's mission is to gather and inspire audiences, artists, and collaborators to create shared opera experiences that enliven and connect us all, enhancing the cultural landscape of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Portland Opera To Go is a vital component of this mission. The next installment of the 'Our Oregon' project in 2028 will center the life of Charlene Willing McManis and examine the Indian Relocation Program in Oregon.

The fund reflects the commitment of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to take a proactive, positive role in the well-being of the community. Funds derived from a percentage of revenues from Wildhorse Resort & Casino are managed and distributed by a Board of Directors comprised of community leaders and representatives of the CTUIR.

Nominate your favorite local productions and performers before the deadline on October 31, 2026.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwopera/article/POGO-THE-CROWN-MAKER-Receives-Wildhorse-Foundation-Grant-at-Portland-Opera-20260923)._