May 2012: OPERAnauts project is approved for fiscal sponsorship with Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization in New York.
February 2013: Friends of OPERAnauts begin the fundraising effort with a series of small group dinners at a local restaurant. Guests enjoy live music mini-concerts by flamenco guitar and classical accordion soloists.
May 2013: OPERAnauts Program Director, Jean Claude Chiyuka is guest presenter at the screening of award-winning documentary “Kinshasa Symphony” at the Newark Museum of Art. The pre-screening reception is hosted by the Bank of America and guests enjoy live music by players of New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
June 2013: High school junior, Vid Raturi gives a short presentation on violence in Congo (DRC) and with her parents hosts a fundraiser reception after a matinee performance of “Into the Woods” at McCarter Theatre.
August 2013: OPERAnauts principal performers are engaged in a Summer Opera Program at Monroe Village sponsored by the Springpoint Foundation. Opera cast members from Chicago, Edmonton, Raleigh, Wilmington, Princeton gathered for this week-long residency where senior residents attended open rehearsals, a concert performance, and a presentation on design.
August 2013: Thanks to 30 generous donors, OPERAnauts successfully accomplishes their first goal. The premiere of La Petite Carmen at Le Poisson Rouge, Bleecker Street, New York, and it streams live from the venue.
December 2013: OPERAnauts incorporate and register in New Jersey as a non-profit corporation with an advisory Board of Trustees.
March 2014: Thanks to our generous donors, Trinity Church staff and local sponsors – McCaffery’s, Adams Party Rental, Princeton Friends of Music and Princeton Community T.V. OPERAnauts successfully accomplishes their second goal. The premiere of FANDANGO! (music by Mozart) arranged for wind quintet by Craig Levesque. A marimba was added to the original music score to create a cultural bridge for children.
July 2014: OPERAnauts Youth is formed. A small group of high school students decide to organize after viewing a home screening of the documentary, “Kinshasa Symphony.” Their goals include raising awareness with their peers and parents about music-related issues in Congo.
Upcoming:
October 2014: “Rock the Congo” Indiegogo Campaign Launch Party to raise funds towards the end goal, Carmen in Congo.