Program areas at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
the filene center venue is located on federal property and Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and the national park service partner in providing concert and performance programming within the park. the filene center at Wolf Trap is the only national park dedicated to presenting the Performing Arts. From late may to early september almost 380,000 patrons at 67 performances were in attendance at shows that included pop, rock, musical theater, symphony & film, dance, opera, and more with an average ticket price of $70. the filene center has the second largest theatrical stage in the country; seats 7,028, nearly 4,000 of which are covered with open sides and views of the tall trees and rolling hills in the park. the remainder of the seating is uncovered on a sloping lawn where patrons can bring picnics to enjoy before & during performances. the barns at Wolf Trap presents approximately 84 performances from october to early may at our 382 seat indoor venue. Almost 30,000 patrons enjoy legendary artists and exciting up-and-coming talents in a diverse array of musical genres with an average ticket price of $48. the theater was built from two restored 18th century barns and was a gift from our founder, catherine filene shouse.
Wolf Trap opera (wto), created in 1971, is a highly regarded residency program for opera singers. It offers emerging artists one of the best training and Performing experiences in the nation. Our primary tier of filene artists has completed advanced degrees and are already established singers on the verge of professional careers; studio artists are talented student singers considering a career in the field. Alumni have gone on to careers Performing with some of the leading opera companies in the world. Wto provides both career guidance and a chance to polish skills needed to advance to the next level and offers an opportunity for our nation's most talented young performers to experience the demands of a professional career in the Performing Arts. Highly acclaimed performances are held at both the filene center and the barns. In 2023, Wolf Trap opera mounted highly successful productions of handel's semele, gounod's faust, and mozart's don giovanni. Performances of semele and faust were captured for delayed streaming.
Each year, Wolf Trap education delivers high quality arts-learning experiences to 95,000 children and adults, locally, nationally, and internationally. At the heart of Wolf Trap's education outreach for more than four decades, the Wolf Trap institute for early learning through the Arts (institute) is recognized nationally as a model for incorporating the Performing Arts into early childhood curricula. Conducting early childhood education through Arts integration in 28 states and the district of columbia, including 25 Wolf Trap institute affiliate sites across the us and in singapore, the institute provides direct services to children birth through 6 years of age and multiplies its impact through professional development for early childhood educators, parents, and caregivers. the institute seeks to address two primary concerns: (1) the learning and development of children who live in economically disadvantaged circumstances; and (2) access to effective professional development for teachers who work with these children. By integrating Performing Arts strategies into early childhood standards-based instruction, the institute enhances children's cognitive, physical, and social/emotional development, as well as language and literacy, science, technology, engineering, and math (stem) skills development. During the summer of 2023, Wolf Trap education served 16,661 children, parents, and other caregivers through Wolf Trap children's theatre-in-the-woods (ctitw). Building on four decades as a beloved community institution, this program comprises seven weeks of performances with nationally acclaimed professional musicians, actors, and dancers at an outdoor venue situated in the woods near the filene center at Wolf Trap national park for the Performing Arts. This unique, family-friendly venue offers the perfect environment for lively adventures in music, dance, theater, and puppetry. Wolf Trap's field trip program offered free performances for nearly 2,000 students and teachers participating in the institute residency program. Wolf Trap education also manages the organization's internship and apprenticeship program, a highly competitive program consistently ranked among the nation's best. Valuing a commitment to diversity and the power of the Arts to change society, Wolf Trap broadens access and entry into the Arts management profession by offering multicultural and economic diversity initiatives as a part of the internship and apprenticeship program. In 2023, the Foundation hired 53 interns and apprentices to work in departments across the organization. Wolf Trap education annually acknowledges and awards the work and achievements of eight outstanding Performing Arts teachers from school districts in the dc/md/va metro area through grants for high school Performing Arts teachers.