Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Francine Garber-Cohen, President of Regina Opera Company
4:46:53
·
117 sec
Francine Garber-Cohen, President of Regina Opera Company, testified about the importance of increased funding for arts organizations in New York City. She emphasized the need for a $75 million baseline in the FY2026 budget to support cultural institutions like Regina Opera, which provides affordable opera performances to Brooklyn residents.
- Regina Opera has been offering fully staged operas and concerts in Southwest Brooklyn for 55 years, serving thousands of residents, including many retirees and those on fixed incomes.
- Garber-Cohen stressed that flat funding is effectively a budget cut due to rising operating costs, and that arts funding has a direct economic impact on the city through artist wages and tourism.
- She highlighted the "high velocity" nature of arts funding, with money quickly circulating through the local economy via artist payments and business expenses.
Francine Garber-Cohen
4:46:53
Dear council members, I am Francine Garber Cohen, president and producer of the Regina Opera Company Incorporated located in Sunset Park.
4:47:04
For fifty five years, Regina Opera has offered year round fully staged operas and ticketed and free concerts in Southwest Brooklyn.
4:47:15
At these performances thousands of Brooklyn residents, many of them retirees are able to meet friends getting out of their house when many of these people live alone.
4:47:27
Regina Opera provides affordable entertainment for audiences who may not otherwise attend live opera performances.
4:47:36
Some are on fixed incomes and cannot afford tickets to the Metropolitan Opera.
4:47:42
But in order to provide these services, Regina Opera like other arts organizations needs increased support from New York City.
4:47:52
In order to have the funding we all need, we as a group asked for a baseline of $75,000,000 in fiscal year twenty twenty six.
4:48:03
Flat funding is really a cut since operating costs rise sharply each year.
4:48:10
As with most small art companies, we work with a small reserve fund.
4:48:17
As soon as funds are received they are spent.
4:48:20
These are high velocity dollars.
4:48:23
Money goes directly into the hands of the artists and staff who spends it immediately on rent, food, taxes and other necessities.
4:48:33
It also goes to theater owners and local businesses for upkeep.
4:48:38
The investment in the arts is an investment in New York City.
4:48:42
The arts brings in tourism which also has a huge economic impact on the New York City budget.
4:48:49
Thank you.