ACADEMY OF SACRED DRAMA LTD

What ACADEMY OF SACRED DRAMA LTD does

The Academy of Sacred Drama, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 2014 by baroque violinist Jeremy Rhizor in Croton Falls, New York. The organization revives neglected Italian- and Latin-language Baroque oratorios and cantatas by producing scholarly musical editions and translations of 17th- and 18th-century sacred drama manuscripts, then performing them as staged musical dramas with period-instrument ensembles and classical mime movement direction. Over eleven years, the Academy has revived sixteen Broadway-length Italian-Baroque oratorios and operates the Sacred Drama Journal (now archived on Substack). Its audience consists of classical and early music enthusiasts, cultural and religious arts patrons, and concert-goers in the New York metro area, served through performances at Village Hall at St. James Church (North Salem) and St. Vincent Ferrer Church (Manhattan).

The Academy generates revenue through three primary streams: ticket sales priced at $15-60 per seat (sold online via Lu.ma and at the door), an annual membership subscription program with donation components, and tax-deductible contributions processed through Givebutter under its 501(c)(3) status (EIN 82-1758160). A cast-sponsorship program provides an additional transaction-based revenue stream. Distribution is regional, concentrated in Westchester County and Manhattan, with marketing conducted through the organization's website, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), the Substack journal, and earned media coverage in publications including the New York Times, New York Classical Review, National Catholic Reporter, and The Magazine of Early Music America.

Operationally, the Academy is led by Artistic Director Jeremy Rhizor, Board Chair and Treasurer Lawrence Holodak (former J.P. Morgan Chase Managing Director), Movement Director Tony Lopresti (New York Pantomime Theatre alumnus), and Sacred Drama Journal Editor-in-Chief Kate Bresee. The organization is member-supported and independently operated with no parent company, private equity backing, or institutional funding rounds disclosed. It maintains no proprietary software platform, app, or API; its technology footprint is limited to standard event ticketing, donation, content publishing, and social media tools.

Name

ACADEMY OF SACRED DRAMA LTD

Legal name

Academy of Sacred Drama, Ltd.

Website

https://sacreddrama.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Academy of Sacred Drama is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that revives neglected Italian and Latin Baroque oratorios and cantatas through staged period-instrument performances and scholarly editions, serving classical music enthusiasts in the New York metro area with tickets, memberships, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts — Early Music & Sacred Drama

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Opera & Operetta (MPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG)

Keywords

• Baroque oratorio productions
• Sacred music performances
• Period instrument ensembles
• Early music revival
• Historical performance arts

Headquarters

HQ city

White Plains

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Performance Tickets: Revenue from ticket sales for oratorio performances. Events are priced at $15-60 per ticket with both advance online sales and at-the-door purchases available.
2. Membership Program: The Academy is a membership organization offering subscription benefits and membership tiers that include donations.
3. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, facilitated through the organization's 501(c)(3) status. EIN 82-1758160.
4. Cast Sponsorships: Sponsorships available for individual cast members of productions, allowing supporters to credit specific performers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Academy of Sacred Drama presents Baroque oratorios and cantatas as staged sacred dramas for live audiences, combining period-instrument ensembles, vocal soloists, and classical mime-based movement direction. It creates scholarly editions and translations of neglected 17th- and 18th-century Italian and Latin Baroque manuscripts, reviving masterworks from the oratorio and cantata repertoire beyond the well-known Handel and Bach works, and sells tickets to its productions while supporting the work through memberships and donations.

Product overview

The Academy of Sacred Drama is a performing arts organization that presents Baroque oratorios and cantatas drawn from Biblical tales and the lives of saints. The core offering consists of full-scale musical dramatic productions featuring vocal soloists, instrumental ensembles, and movement direction. Supporting offerings include the Sacred Drama Journal (now archived on Substack) and a membership program. The Academy creates editions and translations of Baroque manuscripts, aiming to revive the neglected repertoire of sacred drama as a modern alternative to Broadway productions. They have revived sixteen Italian-Baroque oratorios since their founding in 2014.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sacred Drama Journal: A publication of the Academy of Sacred Drama consisting of translations and scholarly articles related to sacred drama. It was a print and digital publication that is now archived on Substack.

Products and services

• Oratorio Performances Large-scale musical dramas featuring sacred stories from the Judeo-Christian tradition, combining poetic verse, classical references, and musical settings with vocal soloists and Baroque-instrument ensembles, presented as staged productions with classical mime movement direction. For live audiences in North Salem, NY and New York City.
• Cantata Performances Sacred cantata performances in concert, smaller-scale Baroque musical works drawn from Biblical tales and the lives of saints. For live audiences attending Academy events.
• Membership Program Membership offering subscription benefits and a donation component for supporters of the Academy, with membership tiers available through an online form. For individuals who want recurring engagement with and financial support for the organization.
• Teodosia: An Alt-Valentine Oratorio Staged performance of Alessandro Scarlatti's Il martirio di Santa Teodosia, an Italian-Baroque oratorio about a saint who embraces martyrdom. Features cast members and an instrumental ensemble of Baroque strings and harpsichord, with music direction by Jeremy Rhizor and movement direction by Tony Lopresti. Tied to Valentine's Day performances.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Boston Early Music Festival: BEMF is a leading North American presenter of Baroque opera and oratorio with full staged productions of rare repertoire, comparable to the Academy's mission of reviving neglected Baroque dramatic works for live performance.
• Ars Lyrica Houston: Ars Lyrica Houston is a period-instrument ensemble presenting Baroque opera, oratorio, and sacred music with dramatic staging, directly paralleling the Academy's integration of scholarly editions and theatrical performance of Baroque vocal works.
• Clarion Music Society: Clarion Music Society is a New York-based Baroque orchestra and choir that performs 17th- and 18th-century repertoire including sacred works, sharing the Academy's regional NY base, period-instrument approach, and focus on pre-Classical sacred music.
• Catacoustic Consort: Catacoustic Consort is an early-music ensemble specializing in rarely performed 17th- and 18th-century vocal repertoire, comparable to the Academy's niche focus on neglected Baroque oratorio and cantata repertoire.
• Seraphic Fire: Seraphic Fire is a Miami-based professional vocal ensemble that performs a wide range of sacred choral and early music repertoire including Baroque sacred works, sharing the Academy's emphasis on Judeo-Christian sacred repertoire and choral/orchestral presentation.
• Apollo's Fire: Apollo's Fire is a Cleveland-based period-instrument Baroque ensemble that combines scholarly editions with theatrical staging of Baroque vocal works — directly comparable to the Academy's combination of period instruments, scholarly research, and dramatic interpretation of Baroque sacred repertoire.
• Trinity Baroque Orchestra: Trinity Baroque Orchestra is a NYC-based period-instrument ensemble that presents Baroque sacred and orchestral works in concert, comparable to the Academy's NY performance footprint and period-instrument performance practice.
• New York Baroque Incorporated: NYBI is a period-instrument ensemble in the New York region performing Baroque vocal and instrumental repertoire, sharing the Academy's regional NY base and period-performance approach to Baroque sacred music.

Broad incumbents

• Handel and Haydn Society: Handel and Haydn Society is a much larger and longer-established Boston-based Baroque and Classical period-institution presenting Handel Messiah and broader early-music programming, providing a benchmark for the audience segment the Academy targets with its more specialized Italian/Latin repertoire.

Emerging players

• Festival Musica sull'Acqua: Festival Musica sull'Acqua is an Italian festival on Lake Como where Academy Movement Director Tony Lopresti serves as Mime Director, presenting Baroque music with theatrical staging — sharing the Academy's integration of period music and classical mime movement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sacreddrama
• Facebookfacebook.com/academyofsacreddrama
• Instagraminstagram.com/sacreddrama
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academy-of-sacred-drama-ltd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 ACADEMY OF SACRED DRAMA LTD