Special project: Company Artist Model
Emily Margevich, Gerard Moon, Toni Marie Palmertree, and Dane Suarez, inaugural Operadelaware company artists. photo by Meghan NEwberry.
IMPACT
This model hasn’t just transformed lives—it’s amplified our impact. With Company Artists, we’ve more than doubled the number of performances we offer, expanded across all three counties of the First State, and strengthened OperaDelaware’s role as a vital cultural force. Providing an artistic home empowers the Company Artists to build community, advocate for the arts, and showcase Delaware as a state that champions creativity and innovation.
Emily Margevich as Musetta in La bohème. photo by joe del tufo.
INITIAL FUNDING
With critical visionary support from the Longwood Foundation and additional funding from the Presser Foundation, OperaDelaware launched a two-year pilot program of the Company Artist Model in the fall of 2024. Four Company Artists joined in the inaugural class: sopranos Emily Margevich and Toni Marie Palmertree, tenor Dane Suarez, and baritone Gerard Moon. While models exist in America that focus largely on talent development for “young artists” (Young Artist Programs), OperaDelaware’s intentional choice to value creatives for what they can do on and off stage stands as a unique model for a changing workforce.
Baritone Gerard Moon as schaunard in la bohème. photo by joe del tufo.
INVESTING IN OUR WORKFORCE
At OperaDelaware, we’re redefining what it means to build a sustainable career in the arts. Our groundbreaking Company Artist model flips the “starving artist” stereotype on its head by providing professional freelance performers with full-time employment—including salary, benefits, and a housing stipend—while investing in their growth as both artists and administrators. These dynamic artists perform on stages across the country and bring that excellence home to Delaware, where they are deeply embedded in the life of our company: contributing to artistic planning, education, development, marketing, and statewide community engagement.
Toni marie palmertree as mimì in la bohème. Photo by Joe del tufo.
Artists are entrepreneurs. They are savvy, creative problem solvers. As Delaware invests in creatives, the creative workforce will reinvest in Delaware through entertainment, education, and access, ultimately improving the quality of life for all Delawareans.
soprano emily margevich teaches a fun and engaging “opera class” to eager students at a local elementary school.
WHY OPERADELAWARE?
Delaware has always represented innovation and creativity. At OperaDelaware, our size allows us to be agile and responsive—bold enough to try something new, and rooted enough to see it through. After 80 years, OperaDelaware has cemented its reputation as an opera company that punches above our weight class. We’ve established partnerships with Dogfish Head Brewery, Schwartz Center for the Arts, and the Red Clay Consolidated School District. Trust and partnerships take time to build, and OperaDelaware has been laying the groundwork for nearly a century.
Dane Suarez as The Duke in Rigoletto. Photo by Joe del tufo.