Soprano Dale Franzen, Director of The Broad Stage, performance during the Santa Monica College Associates 27th Annual Membership Celebration on Thursday, September 11, 2008. After a 20-year career as a professional opera singer (lyric soprano), Dale's career transitioned into a leadership role in arts education. While teaching voice at Santa Monica College, she designed its Opera Workshop program, and organized many successful master classes featuring leading opera stars and theater directors. For the last six years Dale has held the position of Director of the Madison Project of Santa Monica College, a $40 million dollar visual and performing arts center that broke ground in 2005. and will celebrate its gran opening on Saturday, September 20, 2008. She created the Madison Project Performance Series for Santa Monica College, which presents high-level performing arts and educational outreach programs to the college and surrounding community, serving over 10,000 attendees annually. Its mission is to promote multi-ethnic, diverse young artists, as well as established artists, in all facets of the performing arts. In addition, its focus is to promote international cultural understanding. This highly acclaimed series has honored Valery Gergiev, of the Kirov Opera, as well as legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne. Through The Performance Series, she has produced such performances by Jeffery Kahane and soloists from the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, world artist singer Lila Downs, soloists from the Kirov Opera, the Rosetti String Quartet and African musician Prince Diabaté, among many others. She is also responsible for creating the Madison Project’s “Youth Opera Camp” (a partnership with Los Angeles Opera, under the direction of Placido Domingo), now in it’s fifth year. The camp is designed to introduce community and underserved youth to the world of opera. In addition, collaborating under the guidance of renowned actor Dustin Hoffman, the Madison Project plans to have a professional theater company in residence. Her community work includes coordinating events and benefit performances, with a variety of advocacy groups working for the environment, children's fair housing, cancer education, holocaust education, and the development and promotion of educational arts programs for children and young adults. In her spare time she likes to study hula, sing Irish ballads and eat dark chocolate. She is married, has three children and lives in Los Angeles.