What OPERA America does

OPERA America Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts service organization founded in 1970 and headquartered at the National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, New York City. The organization leads and serves the U.S. opera field, representing more than 200 opera companies, 500 institutions, and 3,500 individual members including administrators, artists, trustees, educators, and opera appreciators. Its product portfolio centers on member-facing programs: the Opera America Magazine (with 50 years of archives and an Oral History Project), the OA Onstage digital content platform, the National Opera Calendar of performances, the Opera Passport cross-company discount program, grants and awards funding programs, leadership and artist development curricula, the annual Opera Conference (the world's largest gathering of opera professionals), regional meetings and webinars, and industry databases. The National Opera Center itself functions as a revenue-generating facility, renting performance, rehearsal, recording, audition, and event spaces to the performing arts community in New York City.

The organization's business model is a hybrid of recurring membership dues, philanthropic donations, facility rental income, and program fees (notably Opera Passport and conference attendance). GTM is community-led rather than sales-led: members are acquired through the network itself, the conference, regional meetings, and the magazine. Distribution is direct via the website, email, and social channels, with no public pricing for membership tiers. There is no venture or institutional investment; OPERA America is independent and board-governed.

The operating environment is structurally constrained: the broader U.S. nonprofit opera market contracted from 2019-2023, with a 21% drop in ticket sales and a 22% drop in ticket revenue across roughly 600 opera companies, and an increasing share of member budgets (about 19% in 2023, down from approximately 25% in 2019) coming from philanthropy. OPERA America has responded with defensive modernization (digital content, international partnerships with Opera Canada, Opera Europa, and Opera Latinoamericano, and audience-development research) rather than aggressive commercial expansion, consistent with its nonprofit mandate.

Name

OPERA America

Legal name

OPERA America Inc.

Website

https://operaamerica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

OPERA America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit service organization founded in 1970 that represents more than 200 U.S. opera companies and 3,500 individual members, delivering membership programs, publications, grants, conferences, and a New York City performing arts facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Services

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Opera & Operetta (MPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Opera industry services
• Arts service organization
• Performing arts membership
• Opera company support
• Arts education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Individual and organizational membership fees provide core operational support. Austin Opera is cited as one of more than 200 companies and 3,500 individuals that make up the national membership.
2. Donations and Support: The organization relies on philanthropy which provided approximately 19% of budgets for member opera companies in 2023.
3. National Opera Center Rentals: Rental revenue from the National Opera Center in New York City, offering performance spaces, rehearsal rooms, recording studios, and event spaces for the performing arts community.
4. Opera Passport Program: Discount program for opera attendees providing value to members while generating program revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OPERA America is a national nonprofit arts service organization that supports the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera. It provides programs and services to more than 200 opera companies, 500 institutions, and 3,500 individual members, including publications, grants, professional development, advocacy, conferences, and rental of the National Opera Center in New York City.

Product overview

OPERA America is a nonprofit arts service organization that leads and serves the American opera community, supporting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera. The organization operates as a membership-based association offering a portfolio of programs and services including Opera America Magazine as its flagship publication, the National Opera Center as a rental facility in New York City for performances and rehearsals, the Opera Passport discount membership program, annual Opera Conference as the world's largest gathering of opera professionals, Grants & Awards funding programs, Leadership Development and Artist Development professional programs, Industry Databases for research and member directories, and the National Opera Calendar for event listings. These offerings collectively serve opera companies, artists, administrators, trustees, educators, and appreciators across the American opera field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Opera America Magazine The flagship publication of OPERA America covering the American opera field, featuring articles, resources, and content about opera productions and industry trends.
• National Opera Center A communal facility in New York City offering rental spaces for recitals, rehearsals, recordings, auditions, performances, and events for the opera and performing arts community.
• Opera Passport A discount program providing members reduced-cost access to opera performances across member companies.
• Opera Conference The world's largest annual gathering of opera administrators, artists, trustees, and advocates, with the host company rotating each year.
• Grants & Awards Financial support programs for opera companies and artists within the American opera community.
• Leadership Development Programs designed to develop future leaders within the opera industry, including governance and executive training.
• Artist Development Resources and programs supporting the professional growth of opera singers, conductors, directors, and other performing artists.
• Industry Databases Comprehensive databases providing industry data, member directories, and research resources for the opera community.
• National Opera Calendar A searchable calendar listing opera performances and events across member companies nationwide.
• OA Onstage Digital content platform featuring recordings, oral histories, and multimedia resources about opera.
• Oral History Project Preserved oral histories documenting the voices and experiences of significant figures in American opera.

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Opera CanadaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational opera partner organization featured in OPERA America's partner logos, representing cross-border collaboration in the opera community.
• Opera EuropaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean opera association partnership providing international networking and collaboration opportunities for the American opera community.
• Opera Latinoamericano (Opera Latin America)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLatin American opera association partnership expanding OPERA America's international reach and collaborative network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Americans for the Arts: Larger national nonprofit advocating broadly for the arts across all disciplines, overlapping with OPERA America's advocacy and education missions but covering all art forms rather than specializing in opera.
• National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA): Membership organization of state and jurisdictional arts agencies that funds and supports public arts funding — adjacent policy and funding role comparable to OPERA America's advocacy mission but at the public-sector level.

Regional players

• Opera Europa: European opera service and membership association that serves as the European counterpart to OPERA America — same discipline-specific service organization model, comparable programming, but geographically distinct.
• New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA): Regional nonprofit arts organization funding and supporting artists and organizations across New England — comparable in funding, convening, and advocacy roles to OPERA America but bounded by geography and not discipline-specific.
• Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation: Regional nonprofit arts funder serving the mid-Atlantic United States with grants and programs — comparable to OPERA America's grants and convening functions but limited to a specific geographic region and broader arts disciplines.

Direct peers

• Theatre Communications Group (TCG): National service organization for the American theatre, offering membership, advocacy, grants, conferences, and publications to theatre companies and artists — closely parallel to OPERA America's role in the opera field.
• Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP): National service organization for performing arts presenters, managers, and agents, hosting the annual APAP|NYC conference — directly comparable as a convening and membership body serving the broader performing arts ecosystem.
• Dance/USA: National service organization for the professional dance field, providing membership, advocacy, research, and convening services to dance companies and artists — comparable nonprofit service structure serving a performing arts discipline.
• Chorus America: National service organization for the choral field, providing advocacy, professional development, research, and convening for choruses and choral professionals — analogous service-organization model in an adjacent vocal performing art.
• League of American Orchestras: National service organization for the American orchestral field, directly analogous to OPERA America in structure, membership model, advocacy role, and programming for orchestras, musicians, administrators, and trustees.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/49872/admin
• Xx.com/operaamerica
• Facebookfacebook.com/operaamerica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 OPERA America