More scholarships, variety, education among Watson’s future hopes
By Eric Valentine
Sun Valley Opera has found its new lead performer—administratively, that is. The organization announced this week that it has promoted Robyn A. Watson to the nonprofit’s executive director role.
Formerly the director of Development and Events for Sun Valley Opera, Ms. Watson takes over for Mary Jo Helmeke, who retired on Aug. 1. Both positions are considered part-time, meaning Watson will take on both in a full-time capacity.
“I’m doin’ it all now,” Watson quipped. “It’s more responsibility, but there’s also a business efficiency to doing it this way.”
Originally from Oklahoma, Robyn moved to Los Angeles to finish university, where she became an interior designer, and later a television and film producer for 20th Century Fox. She moved to Hailey in 2006 to be the director of development for the Wood River Land Trust and has been a full-time resident since.
Watson said she will be meeting with the board of directors shortly to present some ideas for going forward. Among them, an effort to appeal to a broader and younger audience;
specifically, K-12 youth who she’d like to expose to in-class music lessons and performances by the full variety of vocalists who perform here.
“I really want to promote how we have a broad base of vocal talent that performs here,” Watson said. “It’s key to engage kids early with a wide variety of music.”
Watson also said she will be expanding scholarship programs for Sun Valley Opera. For instance, the Thomas S. Perakos Family Cares Foundation will award $5,000 per year for four years to Wood River Valley graduates seeking a college education in the arts. Raine Filbert, who is a vocal arts major at the University of Puget Sound, was recently named the award’s first recipient.
Sun Valley Opera presents concerts in venues throughout the Valley: at the Sun Valley Pavilion, the Argyros Performing Arts Center, the Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood and the Sun Valley Community School Theater. In addition, Sun Valley Opera sponsors the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD at the Bigwood4 Cinemas in Hailey.
The Sun Valley Opera’s 2019 SummerFest will conclude Sept. 1 with a Country Cookout and Concert by Brandon Lay at River Grove Ranch north of Hailey.
For more information about the Summer and Winter Festival programming or to become involved as a sponsor, donor or volunteer, please contact Robyn Watson at Rwatson.SVO@gmail.com or (208) 726-0991.