As a child, Betty Juárez and her siblings frequently listened to 12-inch records that her father collected. It was through those records that she was first exposed to the world of grand opera and classical music. This tradition extended with her grandparents, whom she would visit on Sundays. They would gather in the living room and enjoy one of her grandfather’s favorite LPs featuring Miliza Korjus.

“But I didn’t actually see a live opera until I was in college,” says Betty.

Betty’s attendance of Otello at the Shrine Auditorium set a new aural standard. “Seeing an opera live was far better than hearing it on old, scratchy records! So, I thought that attending operas would be something to look forward to and enjoy when I grew up.”

As part of the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival, Los Angeles was visited by London’s Royal Opera. “That’s when Nick was introduced to opera. So, when LA Opera was formed two years later, we signed up and have been subscribers ever since.”

Betty and Nick have been attending LA Opera as subscribers from the very first season. “There have been so many wonderful operas in the last 38 years that it is impossible to select 20 [favorites], much less one.”

In addition to being subscribers, Betty and Nick are generous donors to LA Opera.

When asked why they provide support through tax-deductible donations, Betty and Nick said “tickets don’t even come close to covering the costs of staging an opera; we all need to do our part….[every gift] will make a difference.”

Additionally, Betty and Nick are happy to support Hispanics for LA Opera (HLAO) because of its outreach efforts to the Latino community in Southern California.

“We belong to HLAO, which has presented many enjoyable events, luncheons and award ceremonies. We would like to give a shout-out to Alicia Garcia Clark, Ed Clark, Mónica Gutiérrez Roper, and Trevor Roper for all their efforts in keeping the organization alive and thriving.”

LA Opera is grateful to the Juárez family for the many ways in which they support the company, and we hope that their story serves as inspiration for others to help fund this beautiful art form.

Encouraging others who might be considering making a charitable contribution to LA Opera, Betty says, “Somebody’s got to do it. Who will do it if you don’t? If you love opera and can afford it, then you should do it!”

Thank you, Betty and Nick.