Sarasota Opera

What Sarasota Opera does

Sarasota Opera Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional opera company headquartered at the historic 1926 Sarasota Opera House in Sarasota, Florida. The organization produces a four-opera Winter Opera Festival (January–March), a Fall Season, and an expanding summer series of HD screenings, classic films, and tribute band concerts, serving a regional patron base across the Florida Gulf Coast. Core operations are anchored in the 1,119-seat William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre and complemented by venue rental spaces, the Steinwachs Artist Residences (30 artist-housing apartments), and one of North America's largest opera costume and set rental libraries (50,000+ costumes across 135 productions), the latter generated significant B2B rental revenue from peer opera companies and theaters nationwide. Underlying infrastructure consists of conventional theater technology — HD film projection, professional lighting and sound, and digital ticketing systems accessed via a free mobile app — with no proprietary AI or software platform of note.

The business model blends earned and contributed revenue across four streams: (1) ticket sales via subscriptions, single tickets, group sales, and the Opera Lovers Weeks package, (2) B2B rental of the Opera House facility and of theatrical sets and costumes, (3) individual and corporate philanthropy including the Opera Club and Legacy Society, and (4) grants and public funding from regional foundations (Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Selby Foundation, Community Foundation, The Patterson Foundation, Manatee Community Foundation) and federal sources (NEA). An artist development pipeline — Youth Opera, Summer Camp, Vocal Academy, Apprentice Artists, and Studio Artists programs — feeds into Principal Artist engagements. Customer segments are diversified across individual opera patrons, students and young artists, corporate/private event clients, peer opera companies and theaters, and the general public. Recent material developments include the December 2025 departure of longtime Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi after 44 years, the 2026 centennial of the Opera House, and ongoing execution of a $40 million Comprehensive Campaign launched in 2019.

Name

Sarasota Opera

Legal name

Sarasota Opera Association, Inc.

Website

https://sarasotaopera.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sarasota Opera is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional opera company producing a four-opera Winter Festival and summer film/concert series at the historic 1926 Sarasota Opera House, serving Florida Gulf Coast patrons and operating a national costume and set rental business for peer opera companies and theaters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Opera Production

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

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)

Keywords

• Live opera performance
• Performing arts education
• Opera house venue rental
• Theatrical costume rental
• Youth vocal training

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single tickets, subscriptions, and group sales for opera performances, concerts, and special events including classic movies, HD screenings, and tribute band concerts
2. Venue and Production Rentals: Rental income from the Sarasota Opera House facilities including the William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre, grand atrium, courtyards, and meeting spaces. Also includes rental of theatrical sets and costumes to other opera companies
3. Individual and Corporate Giving: Philanthropic contributions from individuals including the Opera Club, Legacy Society planned giving, and corporate/foundation support through sponsorship and partnership programs
4. Grants and Public Funding: Government and foundation grants supporting operations, education outreach, and capital projects such as the NEA grant for Susannah production and Selby Foundation grants for piano purchases

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sarasota Opera Association, Inc. is a non-profit professional opera company producing live mainstage opera performances during its annual Winter Opera Festival and Fall Season at the historic 1,119-seat Sarasota Opera House. Beyond productions, it operates a full ecosystem of education and training programs (Youth Opera, Summer Camp, Vocal Academy, Studio and Apprentice Artist programs), rents its venue and one of North America's largest costume and set collections to other companies, and runs ancillary programming including summer film screenings and tribute band concerts.

Product overview

Sarasota Opera is a performing arts organization offering a comprehensive portfolio centered on live opera productions. The core offering consists of mainstage opera performances during Winter Opera Festival (January-March) and Fall Season, complemented by extensive education programs including Sarasota Youth Opera, Summer Camp, Vocal Academy, and professional development through Apprentice and Studio Artists programs. The company provides venue rental services for its historic Sarasota Opera House (1,119-seat William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre) and adjoining event spaces. Additional revenue streams include one of North America's largest costume rental collections (50,000+ costumes), set rentals for various productions, Steinwachs Artist Residences for visiting artists, and patron-facing digital services including a mobile app and podcast. Summer programming features film series (Classic Movies and HD screenings) and tribute band concerts. The company serves opera enthusiasts through subscriptions, group sales, and Opera Lovers Weeks packages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sarasota Youth Opera: Youth opera education and performance program
• DaCapo Society
• Steinwachs Artist Residences

Products and services

• Live Opera Performances (Winter Opera Festival and Fall Season) Mainstage opera productions presented during the annual Winter Opera Festival (January-March) and Fall Season, featuring classic and contemporary opera repertoire performed by professional singers and orchestra in the 1,119-seat William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre.
• Sarasota Youth Opera Program
• Summer Opera Camp
• Sarasota Opera Vocal Academy
• Studio Artists Program
• Apprentice Artists Program
• Venue Rental Services
• Costume Rental
• Set Rental
• Steinwachs Artist Residences
• Sarasota Opera App
• Summer Series (Classic Movies at the Opera House, HD at the Opera House, Classic Tribute Bands)
• Opera Lovers Weeks Package allowing opera enthusiasts to attend all four operas of the Winter Opera Festival over 3-4 days (e.g., March 3-14, 2027) with a 10% savings on tickets.
• Behind the Blue Curtain / At Home Podcast

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Floridacentral Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 20252026 App Sponsor for the Sarasota Opera mobile application
• The BayminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership for Opera at the Bay outdoor screening events, bringing opera performances to The Bay location in April and May 2025 and 2026

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Pittsburgh Opera: Mid-size U.S. regional opera company producing a multi-opera season with comparable repertoire mix, artist development programs, and reliance on contributed income. Closely comparable in budget scale and operational scope.
• Nashville Opera: Tennessee-based regional opera company presenting a mainstage season of comparable scope, with parallel education and community programs. Similar mix of ticket revenue and contributed income.
• Palm Beach Opera: Florida-based regional opera company producing a mainstage season with similar scope and patron demographics. Comparable in scale, programming model, and reliance on subscriptions and contributed income.
• Michigan Opera Theatre: Detroit-based regional opera company with comparable season structure, education/outreach programs, and patron-base profile. Useful comparable for understanding ticket, subscription, and earned-income economics.
• Florida Grand Opera: Miami-based regional opera company producing a multi-opera season with comparable repertoire and audience size. Already a documented customer of Sarasota Opera's costume rental business, making it both a peer and a B2B counterparty.
• Opera Tampa: Tampa-based regional opera company presenting mainstage productions in the same Florida market. Also a documented customer of Sarasota Opera's costume rentals, sharing operational scale and repertoire overlap.
• Kentucky Opera: Louisville-based regional opera company with similar season structure and production scale. A documented customer of Sarasota Opera's costume rentals, reinforcing direct operational comparability.

Broad incumbents

• Santa Fe Opera: Nationally prominent U.S. opera company operating on a larger scale and with stronger international brand recognition. Comparable in repertoire ambition but with a substantially bigger budget, endowment, and summer-festival model.
• Lyric Opera of Chicago: One of the largest U.S. opera companies with a significantly larger budget, endowment, and season scope. Useful benchmark for production scale, fundraising capacity, and artist-tier economics.
• The Metropolitan Opera: The largest U.S. opera company, operating a full season at Lincoln Center and globally distributed via The Met: Live in HD. Sets the ceiling for production scale, brand reach, and digital distribution — relevant context for Sarasota's HD programming ambitions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sarasotaopera

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Sarasota Opera