Norfolk State University is located in the center of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, an area rich in cultural resources. The Chrysler Museum of Art at Norfolk is one of the country's finest art museums with a comprhensive historical collection of work from around the world. Norfolk is home to the Virginia Opera, a regional opera company with an international reputation for staging new operas; the Virginia Symphony, under the direction of Joanne Faletta; and the Virginia Stage Company, one of only three professional Actor's Equity theatres in the state. The area also includes three important regional art centers affiliated with the Virgina Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond: the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts in Virginia Beach, the Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Newport News, and the Portmouth Museums. Besides these institutions a number of other arts organizations thrive here including the Southeastern Virginia Arts Association, the Tidewater Artist's Association, the Tidewater Classical Guitar Society, the Tidewater Performing Arts Society, the Norfolk Chamber Consort, and the Tidewater Ballet.
