The Opera Club of The Villages was established to present live musical performances, operas, and concerts to Villagers. Meetings are held the fourth Thursday of each month at Laurel Manor Recreation Center from September through May. In 1997, the Opera Club founded the Harold S. Schwartz Music Scholarship Program to honor the founder of The Villages. The goal was to encourage and support students who plan a career in music by awarding scholarships to applicants in Marion, Lake and Sumter Counties. Over $600,000 in scholarship money has been awarded to 95 students. Our major source of income is our “Three Tenors Plus One” concert scheduled for February 11, 2023 to be presented at The Sharon Performing Arts Center.

During the school year, our Scholarship Committee sends applications to schools in the Tri-County area. Students applying must be seniors with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. They must be planning to major or minor in music education or performance in college. The student must complete the application and submit it with two letters of recommendation. In the past, qualified applicants were invited to audition in April at Laurel Manor. Scholarship auditions are adjudicated by professional judges. 

In 2022, 4 Scholarships, valued at up to $12,000, $10,000, $8,000 and $4,000 were awarded. Four Study Grant  awards of $1,000 each were also awarded. Listen to the winners HERE....

The Oscar Feliu Award is given annually to a student at The Villages Charter High School who consistently demonstrated outstanding contributions to and participation in the music program. The $3,000 award is in memory of Oscar Feliu, one of the founders of the Opera Club.

The Opera Club of the Villages is a 501(c)(3) Corporation 

Mailing address : PO Box 1228, The Villages ,Fl 32158

Learn more by visiting our Support Us page.