Portland Opera
Portland Opera is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1964 that presents a season of professional opera productions in Portland, Oregon, and operates community education, venue rental, and production rental programs serving regional audiences, schools, and corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1964
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Portland Opera does
Portland Opera Association, Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 1964 and headquartered at the World Trade Center 2 in downtown Portland, Oregon. The company presents a season of typically three productions — a large-scale traditional opera, a smaller chamber opera, and a concert — performed at venues including Keller Auditorium, Newmark Theatre, and the Hampton Opera Center, with a per-service, part-time orchestra represented by AFM Local 99. The artistic leadership includes Artistic Director Alfrelynn Roberts, Music Director Damien Geter, and Grammy-winning Artistic Ambassador Karen Slack.
The organization's product portfolio extends well beyond mainstage opera. Revenue and audience development streams include the Opera a la Cart mobile performance program (parks, festivals, wineries), Portland Opera to Go school and community tours, a Broadway in Portland partnership for touring Broadway productions, Production Rentals (full shows and costume/set-only rentals to other opera companies), and World Trade Center venue rentals (200-seat theatre, outdoor plaza, event spaces). Community engagement is supported by 150+ active volunteers contributing approximately 5,000 hours per season.
Commercially, Portland Opera generates revenue from six identifiable streams: ticket sales, season subscriptions (with a 15% discount), donations and fundraising, production rentals, venue rentals, and the Broadway in Portland partnership. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with direct box-office and online sales supplemented by digital marketing across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok. The organization adopted a Cultural Equity Plan in 2020-2021 in consultation with Equity Quotient and signed the Black Opera Alliance Pledge, and is currently operating under an Interim General Director while running an active 'Keep Portland Operatic' emergency fundraising campaign.
Portland Opera firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Portland Opera
- Legal name
- Portland Opera Association, Inc.
- Website
- https://portlandopera.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1964
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Portland Opera is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1964 that presents a season of professional opera productions in Portland, Oregon, and operates community education, venue rental, and production rental programs serving regional audiences, schools, and corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Portland Opera industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts / Opera
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL)
Keywords
Where Portland Opera is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Portland Opera business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Individual tickets for opera performances at venues including Keller Auditorium and Newmark Theatre. Revenue from single tickets and subscription packages.
- Season Subscriptions: Subscription options with 15% discount on individual tickets. Custom packages built for subscribers with benefits and savings.
- Donations & Fundraising: Emergency fundraising campaigns (Keep Portland Operatic), individual donations, major gifts, corporate sponsorships, and grants. Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
- Production Rentals: Full scenery and costume rentals available for other opera companies and theatrical productions. Includes full productions like The Magic Flute, Madama Butterfly, Sweeney Todd, and costumes only for Aida, La Traviata, Tosca.
- Venue Rentals: World Trade Center 2 space rentals including 200-seat theatre, Sky Bridge event space, outdoor plaza (11,000+ sq ft), meeting rooms, and commercial kitchen. Hosts board retreats, performances, company parties, weddings, proms.
- Broadway in Portland: Partnership managing Broadway touring productions in Portland with local marketing, PR, and subscriber services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Season Subscription Packages |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Portland Opera product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Portland Opera produces, presents, and markets live opera performances at major Portland venues including Keller Auditorium, Newmark Theatre, and Hampton Opera Center, featuring professional singers, chorus, and the Portland Opera Orchestra. Beyond mainstage productions, the company operates the mobile Opera a la Cart program, the Portland Opera to Go educational tour, the Broadway in Portland touring series, production rentals of sets and costumes to peer companies, and venue rentals of the World Trade Center 2 facility, supported by season subscriptions and donor fundraising.
Product overview
Portland Opera is a performing arts organization presenting opera as a unified portfolio of interconnected programs. Core offerings include mainstage opera performances at major Portland venues and the Portland Opera Orchestra. The portfolio encompasses Broadway in Portland (touring Broadway partnership), Opera a la Cart (mobile outdoor performances), Portland Opera to Go (educational tours for young audiences), Production Rentals (renting sets and costumes to other organizations), and World Trade Center venue rentals. Community engagement is supported through volunteer programs, season subscriptions, and accessibility services including audio description and live captions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mainstage Opera Performances Full-scale opera productions performed at major Portland venues including Keller Auditorium, Newmark Theatre, and Hampton Opera Center, featuring professional singers, the Portland Opera Chorus, and the Portland Opera Orchestra. A typical season includes three productions: one large-scale traditional opera, one chamber opera, and one concert.
- Season Subscriptions Subscription packages offering a 15% discount on tickets versus individual performance pricing, with custom package creation including built-in savings and subscriber benefits for the season.
- Opera a la Cart Mobile opera stage program that performs free outdoor concerts at city parks, neighborhood festivals, street fairs, wineries, and public events throughout the Portland metro area and region during summer months.
- Portland Opera to Go School and community tour program bringing opera performances to young audiences, featuring scenery, props, and costumes. Touring productions include Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, The Barber of Seville, The Elixir of Love, Beatrice, and Shizue: An American Story, with curriculum materials for classrooms.
- Broadway in Portland Partnership that brings touring Broadway productions to Portland, managed locally by Portland Opera with marketing, public relations, and subscriber services.
- Production Rentals Rental program allowing other organizations to rent Portland Opera's full productions, costumes only, or sets only. Full productions include Central Park Five, The Magic Flute, Madama Butterfly, Sweeney Todd, and Pagliacci/Carmina Burana. Costumes available for Aida, Candide, La Traviata, Tosca, and The Marriage of Figaro. Sets only available for Pirates of Penzance and La Boheme.
- World Trade Center Venue Rentals Event venue rentals at the downtown World Trade Center 2 facility overlooking the Willamette River. Spaces include a 200-seat proscenium theatre, Sky Bridge event space, outdoor plaza of 11,000+ sq ft, meeting rooms, and a commercial kitchen, suitable for board retreats, performances, company parties, weddings, proms, and private events.
- Volunteer Program Community volunteer program engaging 150+ active volunteers contributing 5,000+ hours per season across roles including Light-Walkers (stage stand-ins), Ushers, Greeters, Will Call support, and Supernumeraries (non-singing performers).
Quantifiable outcome
- 150+ active volunteers contributing 5,000+ hours per season
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Portland Opera
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Portland Opera technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Portland Opera partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Portland Cherry Bombs FCnotableGroundbreaking matchday partnership bringing live opera performances to women's soccer matches at Portland venues. Partnership aims to transform the atmosphere of women's soccer in Portland through cultural programming, reaching new audiences and creating unique fan experiences.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Portland Opera competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Minnesota Opera: Mid-sized American regional opera company with a full mainstage season, education/outreach programming, and a similar mix of ticket, subscription, and contributed revenue—closely comparable scale and structure.
- Opera Colorado: Mid-sized U.S. regional opera company producing a season of traditional and contemporary productions with comparable audience-development and education programs—directly comparable operating model and scale.
- Seattle Opera: Fellow Pacific Northwest regional opera company of similar size and mission, presenting a multi-production season with educational outreach and comparable repertory focus; most direct geographic and structural analog to Portland Opera.
- Oregon Symphony: Portland-based peer performing arts institution sharing the same donor pool, venues, and patron base, with comparable subscription, education, and rental revenue models—closest local market competitor for arts dollars.
- Pacific Northwest Ballet: Seattle-based regional ballet company of comparable scale and operating model (subscription season, education programs, venue rentals, donor-driven nonprofit)—shares the same structural economics as a mid-sized regional performing arts nonprofit.
- Lyric Opera of Kansas City: Regional opera company producing a classical/mainstream repertory season with comparable education and community engagement programs—structurally analogous to Portland Opera.
Regional players
- Vancouver Opera: Cross-border Canadian regional opera company serving a Pacific Northwest-adjacent market with a similar season structure and educational outreach; comparable in scope but operates in a different country.
Broad incumbents
- Houston Grand Opera: One of the largest U.S. regional opera companies with a substantially larger budget, full resident orchestra, and broader programming; serves as a benchmark for what Portland Opera could scale into operationally.
- Portland'5 Centers for the Arts: Operator of the Keller Auditorium and Newmark Theatre—the two primary venues Portland Opera uses for mainstage productions; functions as both venue partner and broader competitor for performing arts audiences in Portland.
Others
- Pacific Northwest Theatre Associates: Portland-based performing arts service organization and trade group connecting regional companies; tangentially comparable as an ecosystem participant supporting Portland Opera's production rentals and cross-company coordination.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Portland Opera social profiles
Digital presencePortland Opera compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Portland Opera financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Portland Opera leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles24 records
Portland Opera subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Portland Opera funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Portland 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 Portland Opera
What does Portland Opera do?
Portland Opera produces, presents, and markets live opera performances at major Portland venues including Keller Auditorium, Newmark Theatre, and Hampton Opera Center, featuring professional singers, chorus, and the Portland Opera Orchestra. Beyond mainstage productions, the company operates the mobile Opera a la Cart program, the Portland Opera to Go educational tour, the Broadway in Portland touring series, production rentals of sets and costumes to peer companies, and venue rentals of the World Trade Center 2 facility, supported by season subscriptions and donor fundraising.
Is Portland Opera a public or private company?
Portland Opera is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Portland Opera founded?
Portland Opera was founded in 1964. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Portland Opera based?
Portland Opera is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Portland Opera make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are season Subscriptions, donations & Fundraising, production Rentals, venue Rentals and broadway in Portland.
Who are Portland Opera's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Seattle Opera, Oregon Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Vancouver Opera is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Houston Grand Opera and Portland'5 Centers for the Arts. Pacific Northwest Theatre Associates is listed as an others.
Does Portland Opera have an API?
No public API is recorded for Portland Opera.
What industry is Portland Opera in?
Portland Opera's product category is Performing Arts / Opera. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAB, Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies, with a secondary code of THAJAFAB, Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts. Its NAICS code is 711110 and its SIC code is 7900.