Opera Naples receives $1 million gift from David & Cecile Wang Trust

August 18, 2020  Major Donation

Naples, FL — August 17, 2020 — Opera Naples Board Chairman Wendy Needham announces    that Opera Naples has received a $1 million gift from the David I.J. Wang Trust. “We are deeply grateful for this incredibly generous gift from the Wang Trust,” says Needham. “It is a very significant step forward in the advancement of our goal to build the Opera Naples endowment fund. A strong endowment fund will ensure our continued presentation of outstanding opera productions and educational programs that serve our community and further the cultural development of our region.”

Jerry Goldberg, former Opera Naples board chairman and current board member, notes that David and Cecile Wang have been long-time friends and supporters of Opera Naples. “The Wangs are our largest cumulative donors,” notes Goldberg. “Our relationship goes back to before their original gift of $500,000 in 2012 for the first phase of construction of what is today the Wang Opera Center. In those early days, I enjoyed and valued David’s mentoring as we developed the strategic plan for Opera Naples. His passing this year was a great loss to all of us but his legacy lives on. His leadership and his great generosity can be witnessed throughout our community, and will continue to have impact on future generations.”

According to Cecile Wang, “David and I have always been proud to support Opera Naples. We became involved in its early beginnings, and the outstanding productions presented at the Wang Opera Center have brought joy to many. David’s favorite saying was always ’Non nobes solum,’ a Latin motto meaning ’not for ourselves alone.’” 

Opera Naples is a non-profit professional opera company known for excellence and innovation in presenting quality opera, musical performances, and educational and community engagement programs. Since 2006, Opera Naples has been bringing internationally acclaimed artists to Naples to perform in some of the world’s most beloved operas. Opera Naples has become firmly established as the city’s opera company, and is an important part of the cultural life of the Southwest Florida region. For information visit operanaples.org or call (239) 963-9050.