Staff reports
Friday, October 30, 2015 9:01 am

ROCHESTER - The Board of Directors of the Rochester Opera House announce on Thursday that Liberty Mutual Insurance will sponsor the 2015/16 Arts & Education Series. This is the fifth year that the company has supported the program.

Representing Liberty Mutual, John McKenna, senior vice president, recently presented the $5,000 sponsorship to ROH Executive Director, Anthony Ejarque.

Each year, the Arts & Education Series presents thought-provoking programming to thousands of students, who arrive by the busload and enjoy shows that not only entertain, but also enhance curriculum in literature and in history. The Rochester Opera House is especially committed to providing access to the performing arts for children and students of all ages.

"We greatly thank Liberty Mutual Insurance and all of our sponsors, who are invested in securing the future of this century-old historic theater," said Ejarque. "With this continuing support we have been able to expand our programs devoted to children and families, such as the Summer Theatre Camp."

McKenna, a Rochester native and resident, expressed the sentiments of the Rochester Opera House board, staff and volunteers, "This theater is a cornerstone of the type of city that I, that all of us, should be proud to call home, a city that we will continue to build and grow and a city that someday we will proudly turn over to our children."

In business since 1912, and headquartered in Boston, Liberty Mutual is a diversified insurer with operations in 30 countries around the world. The company is the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2013 direct premium written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

The Rochester Opera House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built within City Hall in 1908 by Rochester native and architect George Gilman Adams. The theater is the last remaining of its kind with a mechanism that raises and levels the auditorium floor.