The Walton Family Foundation has announced a $34 million grant to Opera in the Ozarks (OIO) in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, to fund the development of a new theater complex.

The grant to OIO, an annual summer opera festival and training program established in 1950, will cover the cost of design and construction of the facility, which will include a 300-seat theater and guest lobby, a rehearsal hall, expanded costume and production shops, and practice rooms, as well as faculty housing with multi-unit cabins. The project is expected to be completed in 2025.

“For seven decades, artists have traveled to Opera in the Ozarks on their music education journey,” said Walmart heir and former foundation board member Jim Walton and his wife, Lynne. “A new theater continues this legacy by offering generations of future musicians and singers a new stage to showcase their talents.”

“A new theater will be transformational for our artists and audiences,” said OIO general director Nancy J. Preis. “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.”

(Photo credit: Opera of the Ozarks/Steve Shogren)