“Just as I love watching young singers develop their artistry, I love watching an institution grow in ambition, reach, scope, and impact. I have been watching Classic Lyric Arts grow for a number of years and have heard nothing but enthusiasm."
Longtime CLA supporter and opera critic Meche Kroop is a fiery champion of emerging artists’ talent. Meche is the voice behind Voce di Meche, which publishes reviews with emphasis on young artists and small opera companies. She is also known for hosting numerous soirées featuring emerging NYC artists at her home in New York City, offering them opportunities to exercise their performance muscle.
Meche has been part of the CLA community since 2010. She often reviews CLA concerts in New York City, writing enthusiastically about our emerging singers and pianists. She is deeply passionate about supporting CLA artists, sponsoring several artists each year via the CLA Named Program Grant Initiative to attend one of the CLA programs, and hosting stylish soirées for CLA at her home. Her staunch support has placed her in the CLA Visionary Circle, our topmost giving tier of donors who have a lifetime giving of $50,000 and above.
“Just as I love watching young singers develop their artistry, I love watching an institution grow in ambition, reach, scope, and impact. I have been watching Classic Lyric Arts grow for a number of years and have heard nothing but enthusiasm." — Meche Kroop.
In 2025, Meche raised enough support to sponsor an artist in each of the Classic Lyric Arts summer programs – in France, Italy, and the Berkshires. The year prior, she sponsored four artists, including tenor Benjamin Truncale in attending CLA Berkshires.
A current student at Bard College Conservatory and an alum of the Juilliard School, Benjamin is looking forward to performing the roles of L’Amante in Menotti’s Amelia al Ballo and Gherardo in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi this season at Bard. He has also been a vocal fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival, where he performed the role of Le Petit Vieillard in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges. With Classic Lyric Arts, Benjamin performed in Mozart opera scenes as Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Tito in La clemenza di Tito, and Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. During his time at CLA Berkshires, Benjamin shared with us how his Named Program Grant impacted his CLA experience:
“It would not be possible for me to be here in these beautiful surroundings, studying this beautiful music by Mozart, and putting on these performances without the generosity of Meche Kroop and the Voce di Meche Artist Grant. I have had the experience of a lifetime working with the amazing faculty here at CLA Berkshires, and forging wonderful friendships and connections with my colleagues. This is time I wouldn’t trade for anything, and it’s been such a great opportunity to be here this summer. I love this music, and I love working with my fellow singers on staging the scenes from these amazing operas by Mozart.” – Benjamin Truncale.
The CLA team is deeply grateful to Meche for her inspiring support of emerging artists and her years of dedication to CLA.
In 2025, Classic Lyric Arts awarded $184,000 in Named Program Grants, which directly supported emerging artists across the four CLA programs. Sponsoring an artist via Named Program Grant is a direct way to make a meaningful impact on an artist’s career. Simply visit the Sponsor an Artist page on the CLA website to complete a short form and choose whether you would like to fund a full or partial sponsorship.
CLA artists are endlessly thankful for the support of our wonderful community of donors, and we cannot wait to see what transformative growth this year brings for our singers and pianists.