Opera Western Reserve
Opera Western Reserve is a Youngstown, Ohio nonprofit that produces fully staged opera with professional orchestra and singers, serving audiences across Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania through main stage, alternative venue, and youth educational programming.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersYoungstown, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Opera Western Reserve does
Opera Western Reserve (OWR) is a nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 2004 and headquartered in Youngstown, Ohio, that produces fully staged opera productions with professional orchestra, chorus, and singers. The organization operates as a regional opera company serving audiences across Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, with its primary venue at the Edward W. Powers Auditorium in the DeYor Performing Arts Center. In 2026, OWR is entering its twenty-second season of fully staged costumed productions.
OWR's core offerings include main stage opera productions (recent and upcoming works include Gounod's Faust in September 2025 and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci in September 2026), an Emerging Artists Program that provides professional development and performance opportunities for early-career opera singers, alternative venue programming at non-traditional settings such as Penguin City Brewing Company intended to reach new audiences, and youth educational outreach including touring children's operas and mini-mainstage presentations in the tri-county region. Productions span established repertoire (Pagliacci, Faust, Carmen, La Traviata, Poulenc's The Voice) and incorporate contemporary staging elements (e.g., a steampunk-inspired Faust).
OWR is sustained through a hybrid nonprofit revenue model combining transactional ticket sales (general admission $15 to $87 with VIP table packages up to $300), recurring individual giving across tiered donor levels with Giving Tuesday matching, corporate underwriting and sponsorships across tiers, and event-based fundraising including the annual Fore! The Arts Golf Classic, which raised $62,350 in 2025 and is targeting $100,000 in 2026. OWR is part of the YourArts collective alongside Stambaugh Auditorium, the Youngstown Playhouse, and the Youngstown Symphony Society, sharing box office infrastructure and joint fundraising. Leadership includes General Director Scott Skiba and Music Director Susan Davenny Wyner; the organization operates with 11-50 employees.
Opera Western Reserve firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Opera Western Reserve
- Legal name
- Opera Western Reserve
- Website
- https://operawesternreserve.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Opera Western Reserve is a Youngstown, Ohio nonprofit that produces fully staged opera with professional orchestra and singers, serving audiences across Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania through main stage, alternative venue, and youth educational programming.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Opera Western Reserve industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts / Opera Services
- NAICS
- Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Opera & Operetta (MPAGABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)
Keywords
Where Opera Western Reserve is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Youngstown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Opera Western Reserve business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Revenue from opera performances at the DeYor Performing Arts Center and alternative venues, with general admission and VIP table packages available.
- Individual Giving: Donations from individual supporters at various levels (Friend, Supporter, Contributor, Donor, Sustainer, Benefactor, Presenter), with Giving Tuesday matching campaigns.
- Corporate Sponsorship and Underwriting: Corporate sponsorships for productions including program book ads, VIP event invitations, and complementary tickets at various sponsorship tiers.
- Golf Classic Fundraising Event: Annual Fore! The Arts Golf Classic benefiting Opera Western Reserve and other YourArts collective organizations, with team and sponsorship packages.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Voice at Penguin City Brewing Company - General Admission |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pagliacci at DeYor Performing Arts Center |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fore! The Arts Golf Classic Sponsorship Tiers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Opera Western Reserve product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Opera Western Reserve is a regional opera company that presents fully staged costumed opera productions with professional orchestra, chorus, and singers. The company operates main stage productions at the DeYor Performing Arts Center's Edward W. Powers Auditorium in Youngstown, Ohio, alongside alternative venue performances, an Emerging Artists Program for early-career opera singers, and youth/community educational outreach programming.
Product overview
Opera Western Reserve is a regional opera company presenting fully staged costumed productions with professional orchestra, chorus, and singers. The organization operates a core program of main stage productions at DeYor Performing Arts Center in Youngstown, Ohio, complemented by an Emerging Artists Program for professional development, alternative venue performances at local establishments, and youth educational outreach including touring children's operas and mini-mainstage presentations for young audiences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Main Stage Opera Productions
- Alternative Venue Opera Programming
- Emerging Artists Program
- Youth and Educational Outreach Productions
- Fore! The Arts Golf Classic Fundraising Event
Companies that use Opera Western Reserve
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Opera Western Reserve technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Opera Western Reserve partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Penguin City Brewing CompanycorePenguin City Brewing Company hosts alternative venue opera programming, presenting performances in their taproom. This partnership allows Opera Western Reserve to reach new audiences in an informal, accessible setting while providing a unique venue experience for patrons.
- Stambaugh AuditoriumcoreOpera Western Reserve debuted at Stambaugh Auditorium in 2004. The organizations collaborate under the YourArts collective along with The Youngstown Playhouse and Youngstown Symphony Society for shared programming and fundraising events like the Fore! The Arts Golf Classic.
- The Youngstown PlayhousecorePartner in the YourArts collective, collaborating on shared fundraising initiatives including the Fore! The Arts Golf Classic which benefits both organizations.
- Youngstown Symphony SocietycorePartner in the YourArts collective, collaborating on shared fundraising initiatives including the Fore! The Arts Golf Classic.
- Youngstown Country ClubminorVenue for the annual Fore! The Arts Golf Classic, the collective golf outing benefiting YourArts organizations including Opera Western Reserve.
- DeYor Performing Arts CentercorePrimary performance venue for Opera Western Reserve's main stage productions, located at 1000 5th Avenue, Youngstown. The Edward W. Powers Auditorium hosts fully staged opera productions with orchestra and chorus.
- Jimmy's Italian SpecialtiesminorProvides charcuterie boards for VIP table packages at alternative venue performances, enhancing the event experience.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Opera Western Reserve competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Toledo Opera: Regional opera company serving Northwest Ohio with professional main stage productions and education programs, comparable in scale, regional Midwestern character, and opera-focused mission.
- Akron Lyric Opera Theatre: Ohio-based regional opera company producing staged opera performances with educational outreach, directly comparable in mission, Ohio geography, and small-to-mid scale regional opera operations.
- Opera Philadelphia: Mid-Atlantic regional opera company known for innovative programming including non-traditional venue performances, comparable in producing fully staged works and pushing audience development beyond traditional opera house settings.
- Cincinnati Opera: Ohio regional opera company presenting summer festival productions, comparable as a fellow Ohio-based professional opera organization with similar repertory-driven programming model.
- Pittsburgh Opera: Regional opera company serving the greater Pittsburgh area with fully staged productions and education programs, directly comparable in scale and regional orientation and overlapping geographic reach into Western Pennsylvania.
- Michigan Opera Theatre: Regional opera company based in Detroit presenting fully staged productions with orchestra and chorus, comparable in scale, Midwestern regional footprint, and production-driven operating model.
Emerging players
- On Site Opera: New York-based opera company specializing in performances in non-traditional venues such as bars, clubs, and intimate spaces, comparable as an emerging player pushing the alternative venue programming concept Opera Western Reserve is pioneering at Penguin City.
- Heartbeat Opera: Emerging opera company producing innovative and accessible new productions, comparable as an emerging player experimenting with opera format and venue expansion that overlaps with OWR's alternative venue strategy.
Broad incumbents
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: Major American opera company presenting large-scale productions at a dedicated opera house, broadly comparable as an established opera institution producing mainstream and innovative repertoire but at significantly larger scale.
Others
- Youngstown Symphony Society: Symphony orchestra sharing the YourArts collective and benefiting from the same Fore! The Arts Golf Classic fundraising, comparable as a fellow YourArts partner organization whose orchestral musicians and patrons overlap directly with Opera Western Reserve.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Opera Western Reserve social profiles
Digital presenceOpera Western Reserve financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Opera Western Reserve leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Opera Western Reserve funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Opera Western Reserve 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 Opera Western Reserve
What does Opera Western Reserve do?
Opera Western Reserve is a regional opera company that presents fully staged costumed opera productions with professional orchestra, chorus, and singers. The company operates main stage productions at the DeYor Performing Arts Center's Edward W. Powers Auditorium in Youngstown, Ohio, alongside alternative venue performances, an Emerging Artists Program for early-career opera singers, and youth/community educational outreach programming.
Is Opera Western Reserve a public or private company?
Opera Western Reserve is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Opera Western Reserve founded?
Opera Western Reserve was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Opera Western Reserve based?
Opera Western Reserve is headquartered in Youngstown, United States, in the North America region.
How does Opera Western Reserve make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are individual Giving, corporate Sponsorship and Underwriting and golf Classic Fundraising Event.
Who are Opera Western Reserve's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Toledo Opera, Akron Lyric Opera Theatre, Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, Pittsburgh Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre. Emerging players are On Site Opera and Heartbeat Opera. Lyric Opera of Chicago is listed as a broad incumbent. Youngstown Symphony Society is listed as an others.
Does Opera Western Reserve have an API?
No public API is recorded for Opera Western Reserve.
What industry is Opera Western Reserve in?
Opera Western Reserve's product category is Performing Arts / Opera Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAF, Opera & Operetta, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAB, Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music). Its NAICS code is 711130.