Light Opera of New Jersey

What Light Opera of New Jersey does

Light Opera of New Jersey (LONJ) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit regional performing arts organization founded in 1995 and headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. The company produces full-scale performances of opera, operetta, and musical theater — spanning Gilbert & Sullivan, classic operas, and Broadway-style musical theater — featuring professional singer-actors accompanied by orchestral musicians, often in collaboration with the Central Jersey Symphony Orchestra. LONJ performs primarily at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) and the Sieminski Theater at Fellowship Cultural Arts Center, with additional programming at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Union County PAC, and other regional venues across New Jersey.

The organization's product portfolio includes its mainstage theatrical productions alongside four sub-programs: Youth in Arts (youth education and pre-professional showcase), Savoy Faire (a Gilbert & Sullivan community outreach ensemble performing at libraries, schools, and senior centers), Opera for All (a grant-funded accessibility initiative providing free tickets to underserved audiences), and Friends of Light Opera (the FOLO donor/mailing-list community). LONJ produces 2-4 mainstage productions per season plus workshops, cabarets, and concerts, offering ticketed performances typically priced $20-$45 with student and early-bird discounts, as well as free outdoor programming.

LONJ's revenue model is a typical non-profit performing arts mix: ticket sales (one-time transaction revenue, tiered by seating), donations from individuals, and grants from institutional funders including the National Endowment for the Arts, Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, and the Green Family Foundation. The organization is led by Artistic Director/Executive Director Jason C. Tramm with General Manager David Nussenbaum and Operations Manager Denise Szabo, under governance of a Board of Trustees chaired by co-founder William Corson alongside co-founder Lauran Fulton Corson.

Name

Light Opera of New Jersey

Legal name

Light Opera of New Jersey

Website

https://lightoperaofnewjersey.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Light Opera of New Jersey is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1995 that produces full-scale opera, operetta, and musical theater performances with professional singer-actors and orchestral musicians at multiple New Jersey venues, serving regional general audiences, youth performers, and underserved communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Live Theater

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

akta.pro primary industry

Opera & Operetta (MPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

Keywords

• Live theatrical performances
• Opera and operetta
• Musical theater productions
• Youth arts education
• Community outreach programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Basking Ridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales to performances at various venues across New Jersey. Tickets are sold online, by phone, and at venue box offices with tiered pricing based on seating.
2. Donations and Grants: 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supported by donations, grants from National Endowment for the Arts, Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, and Green Family Foundation.
3. Volunteer and Community Support: Volunteer-driven organization producing full-scale productions with support from community members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Light Opera of New Jersey produces and presents live, full-scale theatrical performances of opera, operetta, and musical theater featuring professional singer-actors and orchestral musicians. The company operates at multiple New Jersey venues and runs complementary programs including Youth in Arts education, Savoy Faire community outreach ensemble, and Opera for All free ticket program for underserved audiences.

Product overview

Light Opera of New Jersey (LONJ) is a premier regional music theater and light opera company founded in 1995, offering a portfolio of live theatrical productions spanning musical theater, opera, and operetta genres. The company performs full-scale productions led by exceptional singer-actors and orchestral musicians, primarily at the South Orange Performing Arts Center and Sieminski Theater venues. Beyond its core performance offerings, LONJ operates complementary programs including Youth in Arts for youth education, Savoy Faire for community outreach, Opera for All for accessibility, and Friends of Light Opera membership. The company is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Theatrical Productions Full-scale opera, operetta, and musical theater productions performed with orchestral accompaniment, featuring professional singer-actors and orchestral musicians. Presented at multiple New Jersey venues including SOPAC and Sieminski Theater for general public audiences.
• Savoy Faire Gilbert & Sullivan ensemble outreach program featuring artists from LONJ performing at libraries, schools, senior centers, and community fundraisers. Provides accessible LONJ performances to community audiences across New Jersey.
• Youth in Arts Youth education and engagement program fostering young talent in musical theater and opera performance, including the Basking In Light pre-professional showcase. Led by the Shari Loe Youth-in-Art Director.
• Opera for All Accessibility initiative providing free tickets to qualified individuals for professional theater performances, originally funded by National Endowment for the Arts and currently supported by Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission and Green Family Foundation.
• Friends of Light Opera (FOLO) Mailing list and community membership program for receiving updates on LONJ events and performances.

Quantifiable outcome

• Light Opera of New Jersey has never disappointed in 20 years of reviewing productions.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Central Jersey Symphony OrchestracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLONJ collaborates with Central Jersey Symphony Orchestra (CJSO) for orchestral accompaniment of productions. CJSO was founded in 1970 and joins LONJ for semi-staged productions featuring professional singers alongside the orchestra.
• South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC)coreOthersSOPAC is a primary venue for LONJ performances, hosting mainstage productions at 1 SOPAC Way, South Orange, NJ 07079. Many productions are presented at this cultural arts center.
• Sieminski Theater at Fellowship Cultural Arts CentercoreOthersLocated on Fellowship Village campus in Basking Ridge, NJ. Sieminski Theater is a primary performance venue for LONJ, easily accessible from routes 78 and 287.
• St. Mark's Episcopal ChurchminorOthersHistoric venue at 140 South Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ. Previously home venue for LONJ productions including The Gondoliers and September Song fundraiser.
• Morristown Unitarian Universalist FellowshipminorOthersPerformance venue for Amahl and the Night Visitors 2026 at 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960.
• Union County PACminorOthersPerformance venue in Rahway, New Jersey for select productions like Barber of Seville 2024.
• Music Theatre International (MTI)coreOthersMTI provides authorized performance materials for musical theater productions including Hunchback of Notre Dame, A Little Night Music, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
• TAMS-WITMARK MUSIC LIBRARYminorOthersLicensing partner for The Mystery of Edwin Drood, providing authorized performance materials.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Paper Mill Playhouse: Tony Award-winning regional theater in Millburn, NJ producing musicals and plays. Both operate as regional NJ performing arts companies serving overlapping audiences, though Paper Mill is significantly larger and operates its own venue while LONJ partners with multiple venues.
• McCarter Theatre Center: Princeton-based regional theater presenting opera, theater, and dance with professional companies. Comparable as a NJ-based presenter of opera and musical theater productions, though at substantially larger scale and with its own venue.
• New Jersey Symphony Orchestra: Statewide professional symphony orchestra based in Newark. Comparable as a NJ performing arts institution; LONJ's Director of Outreach also works in subscription sales for NJ Symphony.

Direct peers

• Two River Theater: Regional theater company in Red Bank, NJ producing plays, musicals, and educational programs. Comparable as a NJ-based nonprofit regional theater with similar funding model (grants, donations, tickets) and educational outreach.
• New Jersey Repertory Company: Professional regional theater company in Long Branch, NJ producing plays and musicals. Comparable as a small NJ-based nonprofit professional theater with similar funding and audience model.
• George Street Playhouse: Regional theater in New Brunswick, NJ producing plays and musicals with educational outreach. Comparable as a NJ nonprofit professional theater with similar season-based production model and educational programming.
• New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players: NY-based G&S repertory company producing Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. Directly comparable as a light opera/G&S specialty company; LONJ co-founder William Corson was a former NYGASP member.
• Arden Theatre Company: Philadelphia-based regional theater producing musicals, plays, and children's programming. Comparable as a mid-sized regional theater with educational outreach and similar nonprofit funding model.

Others

• Central Jersey Symphony Orchestra: NJ-based symphony orchestra that partners with LONJ for orchestral accompaniment. Comparable as a NJ regional performing arts nonprofit with similar funding model (grants, donations, tickets).

Regional players

• Ridgewood Symphony: NJ-based community symphony orchestra in Ridgewood. Comparable as a NJ regional performing arts nonprofit; LONJ's General Manager previously led this organization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFX7jq2t81NMei_pJ0COmZw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/light-opera-of-new-jersey-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Light Opera of New Jersey