The Walton Family Foundation has awarded a $34 million grant to fund the design and construction of a new facility for Opera in the Ozarks, the foundation announced in a news release, saying the new theater will help the Eureka Springs-based opera program “to attract the best of a new generation of aspiring singers and musicians.”

“For seven decades, artists have traveled to Opera in the Ozarks on their music education journey,” Jim and Lynne Walton said in a news release about the grant. “A new theater continues this legacy by offering generations of future musicians and singers a new stage to showcase their talents.”

The new theater will seat 300 and will preserve the intimate audience experience of the existing facility, the news release said. It also will maintain a strong connection with the natural surroundings, enhancing patron comfort with improved production capabilities for artists and designers.

“A new theater will be transformational for our artists and audiences,” Nancy J. Preis, general director of Opera in the Ozarks, said in the release. “It will offer artists a stage worthy of their talents. Our new home will also be a welcoming space for audiences to enjoy an intimate and high-quality performance.”

Opera in the Ozarks started as a summer camp in 1950, providing students from a variety of backgrounds access to music education. The program evolved into a music mecca attracting students from across the globe.

Alumni of Opera in the Ozarks include notable stars Latonia Moore, Leona Mitchell and Mark Delavan. All have performed at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera House. Distinguished alumni also have performed on international stages in Vienna, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

“Opera in the Ozarks was the first place where I was able to sing leading roles. I learned what was needed as an opera singer in preparation, rehearsal and on stage,” said Justin Burgess, 2017-2018 Opera in the Ozarks alumnus and current student at Cafritz Young Artists at Washington National Opera. “A new theater will give students the opportunity to build roles and perform on a stage comparable to what the future holds for them.”

In addition to the new theater, the facility will feature a lobby for guests and an expanded costume shop. The project also includes new faculty housing with multi-unit cabins.

Construction begins this month and the project is scheduled to be completed in mid-2025.