Cultural Center at the Opera House — Attraction in Havre de Grace

Disappointed in the Leadership and Lack of Integrity

While the Opera House may appear to be a shining example of local culture on the outside, my experience has shown it to be a prime example of what’s wrong with arts administration in our city. This venue has become less about the arts and more about politics, favoritism, and backdoor dealings.

What’s most frustrating is the obvious favoritism shown by City leadership—especially the Mayor—toward the Opera House and STAR Centre. It's hard not to notice how quickly and consistently resources, event promotion, and public support flow to them, even while other local venues like The State Theater have been left fighting for basic infrastructure and fairness. When grant money is held up for years and basic permits are delayed—only to be fast-tracked elsewhere—it raises serious questions.

The Mayor’s continued public support of the Opera House, while other venues face retaliation for speaking out, creates the appearance of a system where staying silent or loyal gets you rewarded. Whether it’s an actual bribe or not, the optics are bad—and it looks like political favoritism at best, or abuse of office at worst.

The arts should never be used as a political tool, yet that’s exactly what seems to be happening here. Until the City addresses the clear imbalance in how venues are treated and the leadership at the Opera House and STAR Centre is held to account, I won’t be stepping foot in this venue again—and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who believes in fairness, free expression, or genuine...

This is a great historic location that stages great performances for the local community and beyond. I went to see the David and Ginger Hildebrand concert for the upcoming arrival of Lafayette in the 200th anniversary of the return of the last Major General of the Continental Army still alive by 1825. the stage was on the second floor, and one cannot come away from this and not know how historic and meaningful this place means to the community of Havre de Grace (me being from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania). The staff were friendly, and guided me to where I needed to go. In terms of the concert itself, David and Ginger Hildebrand are some of the best performers of colonial music in the country. As previous heads of the Colonial Music Institute, they compiled various tunes and lyrics to perform authentic pieces in the anniversary of Lafayette's arrival to Havre de Grace on July 29, 1825. Their experience as educators definitely were on display during this performance, not hesitating to answer questions from the audience, and making us all understand the importance of music in our understandings of the political, social, and religious history of Early America. Overall, I recommend both the Cultural Center as well as David and Ginger Hildebrand for a better appreciation of American culture throughout the almost 250 years we have...

Went to see School of Rock! Not only was the talent amazing but the facility itself is gorgeous! Its such a cozy building you wouldn't even know it's there. Once you get inside you're greeted with all the historical decor your heart can take with a beautifully designed mainstage that makes you feel like you are in one of the premier Opera houses in the world. Great lighting, comfy seats, no weird smells, great sound and acoustics. An all around amazing venue. The concessions were nice and quaint for seeing a small theatrical production. My only negative was when the show was over, leaving the building gets bottlenecked pretty bad for a short period of time. So if you're not good with large crowds you may want to stay in your seat for an extra...