Virginia Opera and the City of Norfolk are at odds over $270,000 in rental payments for the opera company’s home, Harrison Opera House, The Virginian-Pilot’s Trevor Metcalfe reports.
The structure in downtown Norfolk is owned by the city and leased to Virginia Opera. Built during World War II for UFO shows and other events for troops, it was known as the Center Theater until its refurbishment as an opera house and shop for sets and costumes. Renamed the Harrison Opera House, for longtime donors Edythe C. and Stanley L. Harrison, it reopened in 1993.
The Norfolk City Council was told that the overdue rental payments cover the period from July 1, 2019 to June 30 of this year. Virginia Opera, which disputes the city’s charges, is in “ongoing negotiations,” the company’s general director and CEO, Peggy Kriha Miller, told The Pilot. “Due to our longstanding relationship with the city we are confident we will find resolution.”
The City of Norfolk has budgeted $317,178 to support the opera in the 2025 fiscal year, Metcalfe reports:
Virginia Opera in dispute with Norfolk over claims of $270,000 in unpaid rent