Name

West Edge Opera

Website

https://westedgeopera.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Opera / Performing Arts

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (71119), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Opera & Operetta (MPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Theater & Performing Arts Ticketing (HSACALAC)

Keywords

• Opera performances
• Summer opera festival
• New opera commissions
• Performing arts nonprofit
• Contemporary opera productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Single tickets and subscription packages for the annual summer festival season, with tickets sold through tix.com.
2. Individual Donations & Contributions: Philanthropic donations from individuals, including a Legacy Circle planned giving program and general fund donations.
3. Institutional Grants: Funding from foundations and government arts agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, Zellerbach Foundation, and others, to support commissioning and operations.
4. Aperture Membership Program: Monthly subscription/membership program where patrons pay to follow the development of new operas through produced video content.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

West Edge Opera produces an annual summer festival of opera performances at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center, alongside year-round programs that commission and develop new operas (Aperture, Snapshot, and Commissions). The company sells single tickets and subscriptions through tix.com, supplemented by individual donations, an Aperture membership program, and grants from foundations and government arts agencies.

Product overview

West Edge Opera is a California-based opera company offering a single unified product: its annual summer festival featuring multiple opera productions. The company operates several interconnected programs for developing and showcasing opera: the Aperture online commissioning program for new works, the Snapshot annual showcase of works-in-progress, and the Commissions program for developing full-length operas from inception to world premiere. Supporting offerings include an Audition Portal for artist access and a Press Room for media engagement. The company was founded in 1979 as Berkeley Opera and rebranded as West Edge Opera in 2014, now in its 47th season.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Aperture: An online commissioning and development program for new operas launched during the pandemic, featuring eight operas in development.
• Snapshot
• Bulrusher
• Dolores
• Claude & Marcel

Products and services

• Summer Festival Annual summer opera festival held at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center featuring multiple opera productions performed over several weeks; the company's flagship offering for Bay Area audiences.
• Turn of the Screw (2026 Production) Production of Britten's Turn of the Screw featured in the 2026 summer festival season at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center.
• Rinaldo (2026 Production) Production of Handel's Rinaldo featured in the 2026 summer festival season at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center.
• American Apollo (2026 Production) Production of American Apollo by Geter and Palmer featured in the 2026 summer festival season at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center.
• Aperture Online commissioning and development program for new operas, launched during the pandemic, with eight operas in development featuring diverse creative teams. Patrons access content through a monthly subscription/membership model.
• Snapshot Annual showcase of operatic works-in-progress, providing composers and librettists with institutional support at the earliest stage of creation through workshop performances with world-class vocalists and instrumentalists, in collaboration with Earplay New Music Chamber Ensemble.
• Commissions Program Program for commissioning and developing new full-length operas from conception through world premiere, including Bulrusher (2024), Dolores (2025), and Claude & Marcel (2027).
• Bulrusher (World Premiere) First complete length opera commissioned and developed by West Edge Opera, with world premiere by Nathaniel Stookey and Eisa Davis at the 2024 West Edge Festival in Oakland, CA.
• Dolores (World Premiere) Second complete length opera commissioned by West Edge Opera, with world premiere by Nicolás Lell Benavides and Marella Martin Koch, in partnership with BroadStage, Opera Southwest, San Diego Opera, and Campo Santo.
• Claude & Marcel (World Premiere) Third complete length opera commissioned by West Edge Opera, with world premiere by Alyssa Weinberg and Stephanie Fleischmann. Includes an orchestral preview performance at SFMOMA's Wattis Theater in August 2026.
• The School for Girls Who Lost Everything in the Fire (Commission) Newly commissioned opera by composer Ryan Suleiman and librettist Cristina Friès, announced 6/26/2026 as part of West Edge Opera's ongoing commissions program.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SFMOMA's Wattis TheaterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026SFMOMA's Wattis Theater is listed as the venue for an orchestral preview performance of Claude & Marcel in August 2026, as part of the opera's development timeline.
• The Chan National Queer Arts CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023The Chan National Queer Arts Center in San Francisco hosted a libretto workshop for Claude & Marcel in September 2024, led by director Elkhanah Pulitzer.
• BroadStage (Santa Monica)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021BroadStage in Santa Monica is listed as a partner for the opera Dolores, alongside Opera Southwest, San Diego Opera, and Campo Santo at The Magic Theatre. These organizations serve as co-producing or developmental partners for the commissioned work.
• Opera SouthwestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Opera Southwest is a partner in the Dolores opera commission, one of several regional opera companies collaborating on the development and production of this new work.
• San Diego OperacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021San Diego Opera is a partner in the Dolores opera commission, contributing to the collaborative development of this new opera about Dolores Huerta.
• Campo Santo at The Magic TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Campo Santo at The Magic Theatre in San Francisco is a partner for Dolores, having been involved in early libretto readings with actors from Campo Santo led by Sean San Jose in January 2022.
• Cincinnati Opera's Opera Fusion: New WorksminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Cincinnati Opera's Opera Fusion: New Works program, supported by The Mellon Foundation and partnered with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, hosted partial piano-vocal workshops for Bulrusher in 2021 and a complete workshop in 2024.
• Oakland Theater ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Oakland Theater Project hosted an early libretto reading for Bulrusher in October 2020, led by dramaturg Leigh Rondon-Davis and General Director Mark Streshinsky.
• Earplay (San Francisco-based New Music Chamber Ensemble)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNAPSHOT is a collaboration between West Edge Opera and Earplay New Music Chamber Ensemble, a San Francisco-based new music group. The partnership provides world-class vocalists and instrumentalists for workshops and public performances of new operas-in-progress.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Opera Southwest: Albuquerque-based regional opera company that co-produced Dolores with West Edge Opera. Directly comparable as a mid-sized, contemporary-focused opera company producing new and innovative works with similar production scale.
• PROTOTYPE Festival: New York-based annual opera and music-theater festival focused on contemporary and experimental works. Direct peer in the contemporary opera development space with a similar commissioning and showcase model.
• Beth Morrison Projects: New York-based producer specializing in commissioning and developing new opera and music-theater works. Direct peer in the contemporary/new opera commissioning ecosystem, sharing many of the same composers and creators.
• Earplay: San Francisco-based contemporary music chamber ensemble that co-produces the SNAPSHOT showcase with West Edge. Direct peer in the Bay Area new music ecosystem with shared artistic mandate and audience.

Broad incumbents

• San Diego Opera: Established regional opera company co-producing Dolores with West Edge. Comparable as a peer opera company with broader programming scope and larger institutional scale, sharing donor and artist pools in the western US.
• San Francisco Opera: Major regional opera company operating in the same Bay Area market as West Edge Opera. Compares as a larger incumbent with a full season, established venue (War Memorial Opera House), and substantially greater budget, competing for audiences, donors, and artists.
• LA Opera: Major West Coast opera company and broad incumbent in the same California opera ecosystem. Compares as a larger institution with broader programming and resources, competing for major donor support and guest artists.

Regional players

• Cincinnati Opera: Mid-sized regional opera company whose Opera Fusion: New Works program co-developed Bulrusher with West Edge. Comparable as a regional opera company investing in new works development.
• BroadStage: Santa Monica-based presenting venue that co-produced Dolores with West Edge. Comparable as a regional performing arts presenter that partners with opera companies on new works development.

Emerging players

• Oakland Theater Project: Oakland-based theater company that hosted an early libretto reading for Bulrusher. Comparable as a small local arts organization collaborating with West Edge in new works development and sharing the East Bay creative community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/westedgeopera

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 West Edge Opera