Palm Beach Opera
Palm Beach Opera is a 501(c)(3) professional opera company founded in 1961 and headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, that presents mainstage productions at the Kravis Center while training emerging singers and delivering free arts education across South Florida.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1961
- HeadquartersWest Palm Beach, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Palm Beach Opera does
Palm Beach Opera is a 501(c)(3) professional opera company incorporated in Florida and founded in 1961, headquartered at 425 24th Street in West Palm Beach following its 2021 acquisition of an 18,000 square-foot facility in the Northwood neighborhood. The company produces three fully-staged mainstage productions per season — titles announced for 2027 include Aida, The Barber of Seville, and Pagliacci — performed at Dreyfoos Hall within the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, and supplements these with secondary programming at venues such as the National Croquet Center, the Royal Poinciana Chapel's Sea Gull Cottage, the Norton Museum of Art, and the Crest Theatre in Delray Beach. Its product surface spans mainstage opera, season subscriptions and premium packages (Lunch & Learn at $420/series, Opening Night Dinner, Gold Circle at $1,000+ annual giving), artist training through the Laufer Young Artists Program, Apprentice Artist Program and PBO Studio, children's opera education, and community engagement partnerships with nonprofits, schools, and healthcare facilities.
The business model combines earned revenue from ticket sales (single tickets start at $25 for mainstage operas and $20 for select productions) and recurring season subscriptions (a 10% discount versus single tickets) with contributed revenue from individual giving, the Encore Circle, Co-Producer Society, corporate investment, planned giving, and a major annual gala hosted at The Breakers Palm Beach. Free tickets and digital recitals are distributed through community and healthcare partners, including The Lord's Place, YMCA, Alzheimer's Community Care, and Palm Beach Habilitation Center, reaching 20,000+ individuals annually through education programming.
The company is governed by an independent Board of Directors (Chairman David Genser), led by General & Artistic Director David Walker, and holds a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency since 2019 and Charity Navigator's four-star rating. Membership affiliations include OPERA America and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. The organization has no disclosed proprietary technology stack beyond a Salesforce-based ticketing platform, no AI/ML systems in evidence, and no subsidiaries or M&A history; capital structure consists of nonprofit grants, including a renewed $1 million, five-year gift from the Edward H. Benenson Foundation in 2018 and a $50,000 NEA CARES Act award in 2020.
Palm Beach Opera firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Palm Beach Opera
- Legal name
- Palm Beach Opera, Inc.
- Website
- https://pbopera.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1961
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Palm Beach Opera is a 501(c)(3) professional opera company founded in 1961 and headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, that presents mainstage productions at the Kravis Center while training emerging singers and delivering free arts education across South Florida.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Palm Beach Opera industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Opera & Performing Arts
- NAICS
- Other Performing Arts Companies (71119), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Opera & Operetta (MPAGABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)
Keywords
Where Palm Beach Opera is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Palm Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Palm Beach Opera business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Palm Beach Opera generates revenue through single ticket sales for mainstage opera performances at the Kravis Center, with tickets starting at $20-$25 for mainstage operas.
- Season Subscriptions: Annual season subscriptions include one ticket to each of the three mainstage opera performances, offering priority seating and savings compared to single ticket prices (10% discount).
- Premium Packages: Lunch & Learn packages at $420 per person for the series or $155 per single ticket, and Opening Night Dinner packages for subscribers.
- Individual Giving & Donations: Donor programs including Individual Giving, Encore Circle, Gold Circle (minimum $1,000 annually), Co-Producer Society, Corporate Investment, and Planned Giving.
- Annual Gala: The company's largest fundraising event featuring prominent opera artists, held annually at The Breakers Palm Beach.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Season Subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Lunch & Learn Package |
| Subscription | Annual | Opening Night Dinner |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Tickets - Mainstage |
| Subscription | Annual | Gold Circle Access |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Tickets - Die Fledermaus |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Palm Beach Opera product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Palm Beach Opera is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 1961 that produces staged opera performances at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. The company also runs artist training programs (Laufer Young Artists, Apprentice Artists, and PBO Studio) and delivers educational and community engagement programs for children and adults.
Product overview
Palm Beach Opera is a professional opera company presenting mainstage performances at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. The organization's core offering consists of fully staged opera productions (Mainstage Opera Performances) supplemented by artist training programs (Laufer Young Artists Program, Apprentice Artists Program, PBO Studio), educational initiatives (Children's Opera Education, Community Engagement Programs), and enhanced experiences (Season Subscriptions, Lunch & Learn, Opening Night Dinner, Salon Series). The company also hosts major fundraising events (Annual Galas) and operates a major donor program (Co-Producer Society). Founded in 1961, PBO has a production archive dating back to 1961-1962 season.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mainstage Opera Performances
- Season Subscriptions
- Lunch & Learn
- Opening Night Dinner
- Annual Galas
- Salon Series
- PBO Studio
- Children's Opera Education Programs
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,700+ audience members served at first large-scale live opera in the nation since pandemic (2021)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Palm Beach Opera
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Palm Beach Opera technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Palm Beach Opera partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.
- Center for Creative EducationminorPalm Beach Opera purchased the former Center for Creative Education facility at 425 24th St. in West Palm Beach's Northwood neighborhood, marking a significant real estate partnership and expansion.
- YMCA (West Palm Beach)minorPartner for digital recital series 'An die Musik' bringing opera performances to YMCA facilities for community engagement.
- Alzheimer's Community CareminorPartner receiving digital opera performances to bring music to individuals with Alzheimer's and their caregivers.
- Palm Beach Habilitation CenterminorLong-term care facility partner receiving digital opera performances for residents.
- Whole VibesminorMusic therapy organization collaborating on the Inter-Ability Chorus program for adults with disabilities.
- Els Center for ExcellenceminorEducational facility hosting the Inter-Ability Chorus program and hosting Concerts in the Classroom for students with disabilities.
- The Lord's PlaceminorPalm Beach Opera brings ANIMA program and Story Time Series to The Lord's Place family campus, supporting homeless individuals and families through opera programming.
- OPERA AmericacorePalm Beach Opera is a proud member of OPERA America, the national service organization for opera in the United States, supporting the opera industry's standards and professional development.
- Cultural Council of Palm Beach CountycorePalm Beach Opera is a member of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, supporting the local arts community and receiving promotional and organizational support.
- The Breakers Palm BeachflagshipThe Breakers Palm Beach is the venue for Palm Beach Opera's annual gala, the company's largest fundraising event, hosting exclusive performances by internationally renowned artists.
- Norton Museum of ArtminorVenue partner for outdoor performances including 'Dido and Aeneas' at the Sculpture Garden and 'I Capuleti e i Montecchi'.
- Crest Theatre at Old School Square (Delray Beach)minorVenue for 'Hansel and Gretel' performances starring the company's resident artists, expanding reach into Delray Beach community.
- iTHINK Financial AmphitheatrecoreSouth Florida Fairgrounds venue for the 2021 outdoor festival, enabling the company's groundbreaking return to large-scale live opera performances.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Palm Beach Opera competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Houston Grand Opera: Houston Grand Opera is a large, well-established regional opera company with a more extensive season, broader educational reach, and significant endowment — operating in the same category but at materially greater scale than PBO.
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the largest opera companies in North America with a substantially larger budget, longer season, and bigger donor base; it serves as a key destination employer for PBO alumni and represents the upper-tier benchmark in the same performing arts category.
- Seattle Opera: Seattle Opera is a large, long-established regional opera company with full mainstage seasons, an in-house ring cycle focus, and robust education programming — comparable in mission but broader in scope and budget than PBO.
Direct peers
- Florida Grand Opera: Florida Grand Opera is the only other professional opera company based in Florida, serving the Miami-Dade market with a comparable mix of mainstage productions, education programs, and donor-driven nonprofit funding — making it the most directly comparable peer to Palm Beach Opera in scope, size, and repertoire.
- Minnesota Opera: Minnesota Opera operates as a mid-sized regional company with mainstage and education programming of comparable scope to PBO, and shares a similar mix of subscription, single-ticket, and donor-driven revenue streams.
- San Diego Opera: San Diego Opera is a West Coast regional opera company with a similar season structure (3–4 mainstage productions), comparable artist training initiatives, and the same nonprofit/501(c)(3) operating model supported heavily by subscriptions and philanthropy.
- Cincinnati Opera: Cincinnati Opera is a mid-sized American regional opera company with a similar 3-production summer festival model, comparable education and community programs, and an identical reliance on contributed income from individual and foundation donors.
- Atlanta Opera: Atlanta Opera is a mid-sized regional opera company of comparable scale and budget to PBO, with parallel offerings in mainstage productions, young artist training, and community engagement, and a similar donor- and subscription-driven revenue model.
- Virginia Opera: Virginia Opera is a similarly sized regional opera company with a comparable 3-production mainstage season, robust education/outreach initiatives, and an analogous nonprofit funding model built on donations, sponsorships, and ticket sales.
- Opera Theatre of Saint Louis: Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is a comparably scaled, similarly donor-driven regional opera company known for new works, artist training (Gerdine Young Artists), and a festival-style mainstage season that closely mirrors PBO's programming model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Palm Beach Opera social profiles
Digital presencePalm Beach Opera financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Palm Beach Opera leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Palm Beach Opera funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Palm Beach Opera M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Palm Beach Opera
What does Palm Beach Opera do?
Palm Beach Opera is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 1961 that produces staged opera performances at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. The company also runs artist training programs (Laufer Young Artists, Apprentice Artists, and PBO Studio) and delivers educational and community engagement programs for children and adults.
Is Palm Beach Opera a public or private company?
Palm Beach Opera is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Palm Beach Opera founded?
Palm Beach Opera was founded in 1961. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Palm Beach Opera based?
Palm Beach Opera is headquartered in West Palm Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does Palm Beach Opera make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are season Subscriptions, premium Packages, individual Giving & Donations and annual Gala.
Who are Palm Beach Opera's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Seattle Opera. Direct peers are Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, San Diego Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Atlanta Opera, Virginia Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.
Does Palm Beach Opera have an API?
No public API is recorded for Palm Beach Opera.
What industry is Palm Beach Opera in?
Palm Beach Opera's product category is Opera & Performing Arts. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAF, Opera & Operetta, with a secondary code of THAJAFAB, Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts. Its NAICS code is 71119.