What Beth Morrison Projects does

Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit contemporary opera and music-theatre producer founded in 2006 by Beth Morrison. The organization's core function is commissioning, developing, producing, and touring new opera-theatre and music-theatre works by living composers. Since founding, BMP has delivered more than 65 works by 52 composers, performed on 65 national and 18 international stages with 185 performances on five continents since 2018. The catalog includes the Pulitzer Prize-winning chamber operas Angel's Bone and PRISM and Grammy-nominated works Black Lodge, Adoration, and TRADE/Mary Motorhead.

BMP operates a portfolio of interconnected programs: the PROTOTYPE Festival (co-founded with HERE Arts Center in 2013, now solely produced by BMP), BMP: Next Gen (composer development), BMP: Producer Academy (8.5-week virtual training, $2,500 tuition, 1,200+ alumni across 17 countries), and the BMP: Songbook Collection (double-album, sheet music anthology, and commemorative book marking 20 years). Distribution occurs through co-productions with presenting institutions (LA Opera, Opera Philadelphia, National Sawdust, ASU Gammage, The Wallis), festival appearances (PROTOTYPE, OperaFest LA), and available-for-touring bookings.

Revenue is generated through ticket sales and touring fees, individual donations (including major gifts and co-commissioning at $10,000+), foundation and government grants (NYSCA, NYC DCA, NEA, New Music USA, Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation), Producer Academy tuition, and retail sales of albums, sheet music, and a coffee table book via Bright Shiny Things, Just A Theory, and Morcos Key. The organization maintains a bi-coastal presence with headquarters in Brooklyn and an office in Los Angeles, and is governed by a board chaired by Nancy Sanders with founder Beth Morrison serving as President and Creative Producer.

Name

Beth Morrison Projects

Legal name

Beth Morrison Projects

Website

https://bethmorrisonprojects.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Beth Morrison Projects is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that commissions, develops, produces, and tours new opera-theatre and music-theatre works by living composers, serving presenting institutions, audiences, and emerging artists via flagship programs including the PROTOTYPE Festival and Producer Academy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Opera & Music-Theatre Production

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Producers & Production Teams (MPAIAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), A&R / Artist Development Services (MPAIAGAL), Music Production & Composition (Songwriting, Recording, DJing) (EDAMAAAF)

Keywords

• Contemporary opera production
• Music theatre commissioning
• Opera-theatre works
• Performing arts production
• New works development

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales & Performance Revenue: Revenue from touring productions and performances at venues including National Sawdust, OPERAFEST LA, and co-presentations with opera companies and presenting institutions.
2. Donations & Fundraising: Individual donations, major giving ($10,000+ for co-commissioning opportunities), annual fund gifts, planned giving, stocks/QCDs, and donor-advised fund grants. Gifts provide unrestricted support for creative teams, production staff, and day-to-day operations.
3. Foundation & Government Grants: Support from New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, New Music USA, OPERA America grants, and Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation grants for women composers.
4. Producer Academy Tuition: The 8.5-week virtual Producer Academy program charges $2,500 tuition with a $500 deposit required upon acceptance. Payment plans and need-based financial aid/scholarships are available.
5. Album Sales & Publications: Sales of BMP: Songbook double-album (released on Bright Shiny Things label) in physical and digital formats, and sheet music anthologies published by Just A Theory.
6. Coffee Table Book Sales: Sales of commemorative retrospective book documenting 20 years of BMP's work, designed by Morcos Key, available for purchase through Bright Shiny Things.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Beth Morrison Projects commissions, develops, produces, and tours new opera-theatre and music-theatre works by living composers. Since 2006, the organization has brought over 65 works to 65 national and 18 international stages and supports artists with comprehensive production services from conception through touring. Its portfolio of named programs includes the PROTOTYPE Festival, BMP: Next Gen composer development program, BMP: Producer Academy training program, and BMP: Songbook Collection anthology of repertoire.

Product overview

Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) operates as a premier contemporary opera producer offering a portfolio of interconnected programs and services. The core offering is the commissioning, development, production, and touring of new opera-theatre and music-theatre works by living composers. Supporting this core mission are several named programs: the PROTOTYPE Festival (co-founded with HERE Arts Center in 2013), which serves as an annual showcase; BMP: Producer Academy, an educational training program for emerging producers; BMP: NEXT GEN, a composer development initiative; and BMP: SONGBOOK Collection, a commemorative anthology of repertoire from their 20-year history including recordings, sheet music, and a coffee table book. The organization also provides touring services for their available productions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PROTOTYPE Festival: Annual festival showcasing contemporary opera-theatre and music-theatre projects, co-founded with HERE Arts Center in 2013.
• BMP: Next Gen
• BMP: Producer Academy
• BMP: Songbook Collection

Products and services

• PROTOTYPE Festival An annual contemporary opera-theatre and music-theatre festival in New York showcasing groundbreaking new works by living composers over ten days each January, presented to audiences and industry presenters.
• BMP: Producer Academy An intensive 8.5-week all-virtual training program for emerging producers and arts administrators in the performing arts, offering mentorship, curriculum modules, and networking opportunities with $2,500 tuition.
• BMP: Next Gen A flagship program for early-career composers that empowers and inspires the next wave of visionary composers, singers, and artists through competition, commissions, and performance opportunities.
• BMP: Songbook Collection A two-volume anthology of 75 arias from 60+ operas commissioned by BMP over 20 years, including a double-album recording on Bright Shiny Things, sheet music anthology published by Just A Theory, and a commemorative coffee table book.
• Opera and Music-Theatre Works Production End-to-end commissioning, development, production, and touring of new opera-theatre and music-theatre works by living composers for opera companies and presenting institutions; since 2006 BMP has commissioned over 56 new works by 52 composers.
• Touring Services Available-for-touring distribution of BMP-produced works to opera companies and presenting organizations globally, including production history and presenter booking inquiries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pulitzer Prize-winning operas: Angel's Bone and PRISM
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• HERE Arts CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013In 2013, BMP and HERE Arts Center co-founded the PROTOTYPE Festival, which showcases contemporary opera-theatre and music-theatre projects over ten days each January. The festival has been called 'essential to the evolution of American opera' (The New Yorker), 'bracingly innovative... a point of reference' (The New York Times), and 'indispensable' (The New Yorker). BMP now serves as sole producer and presenter of PROTOTYPE.
• National SawdustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary New York venue partner for BMP performances including BMP: Next Gen competition performances and PROTOTYPE Festival events. Beth Morrison serves on National Sawdust's advisory board.
• VisionIntoArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer with BMP on The Old Man and the Sea opera by Paola Prestini. Longtime collaborator Jeffrey Zeigler has performed with VisionIntoArt since 2001.
• ASU GammagemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead commissioning support and co-producer of The Old Man and the Sea. Provided developmental residencies alongside MASS MoCA. West Coast presenting partner.
• Unison Media (Andrew Ousley)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPress representative handling all media inquiries for BMP and PROTOTYPE Festival.
• OperaFest LA ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-company festival including LA Opera, Long Beach Opera, Overtone Industries, Pacific OperaProject, REDCAT, Synchromy, The Industry, The Wallis, and USC. BMP presenting Jodie Landau: Performance of Self as part of the festival.
• Bright Shiny ThingsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecord label releasing BMP: Songbook double-album and physical merchandise (vinyl, coffee table books). Album produced by GRAMMY Award-winning producer Blanton Alspaugh.
• Just A TheoryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMusic publisher for BMP: Songbook Anthology, a two-volume collection of 75 arias from BMP's commissioned operas, published as piano-vocal reductions for singers, pianists, and educators.
• Morcos KeyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign studio responsible for layout and design of the commemorative retrospective coffee table book documenting twenty years of BMP's work.
• California Institute for the Arts (CalArts)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Black Lodge alongside BMP, HERE Arts Center, and REDCAT.
• REDCATminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Black Lodge and co-presenter for Jodie Landau: Performance of Self at OperaFest LA.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• VisionIntoArt: NY-based production company co-founded by Paola Prestini and Jeffrey Zeigler producing new opera and interdisciplinary music works. Comparable as a peer commissioning and touring contemporary opera with overlapping composer relationships (Prestini is a BMP-affiliated composer).
• National Sawdust: Brooklyn-based non-profit venue and presenter dedicated to contemporary and new classical music. Comparable as a peer institution commissioning and presenting new vocal and music-theatre works, and serves as BMP's primary NYC venue partner.
• HERE Arts Center: Co-founder of the PROTOTYPE Festival with BMP and a producer of new hybrid performing arts works in downtown NYC. Closely comparable as a peer producing/presenting experimental opera-theatre and music-theatre with overlapping artistic community.
• Long Beach Opera: Long Beach, California opera company recognized for producing contemporary and experimental opera works. Comparable as a peer in the contemporary American opera production space and an OperaFest LA consortium partner.

Broad incumbents

• Beth Morrison Projects collaborator: New York City Opera / VOX: Historic NYC opera company whose VOX: Contemporary American Opera Lab was previously led by Beth Morrison. Comparable given the direct lineage of its contemporary opera programming mission and Beth Morrison's prior role there.
• Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM): Major Brooklyn performing arts presenter with a Next Wave Festival that has historically premiered contemporary opera and music-theatre. Comparable as a peer presenting boundary-pushing contemporary opera, but with a much broader programming mandate.
• LA Opera: Major US opera company with an active new works initiative and an OperaFest LA consortium partner with BMP. Comparable as a peer presenting contemporary opera, though at much larger scale and with a broader traditional rep.
• OPERA America: National service organization for the opera field in the US, providing grants (including those funding BMP productions), advocacy, and industry convening. Directly comparable as a peer institution supporting contemporary opera commissioning and the broader opera ecosystem.

Regional players

• Opera Philadelphia: Major US opera company known for its innovative Festival O and new work commissions, including Black Lodge. Comparable as a peer commissioning and producing contemporary opera, primarily serving the Philadelphia region.

Emerging players

• On Site Opera: NY-based opera company producing site-specific and contemporary works. Comparable as an emerging peer in the contemporary American opera space with a smaller, more focused producing footprint than BMP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCr_3S-XLLlvN_xljRpNJd0A
• Facebookfacebook.com/bethmorrisonprojects
• Instagraminstagram.com/bethmorrisonprojects
• Xx.com/bmpopera
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/beth-morrison-projects-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Beth Morrison Projects