What Shreveport Opera does

Shreveport Opera is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization founded in July 1949 in Shreveport, Louisiana, currently operating in its 78th season. The company produces three professional mainstage opera productions annually at venues including RiverView Theater and Shreveport Little Theatre, programming a mix of traditional and contemporary works performed in English, Italian, and Spanish. Its 78-year operating history includes performances by legendary artists such as Beverly Sills, Franco Corelli, Leontyne Price, Sherrill Milnes, Renée Fleming, and Greer Grimsley, establishing a notable brand legacy among regional opera companies in the United States.

Beyond mainstage productions, Shreveport Opera operates the Shreveport Opera Xpress (SOX) education and outreach program, which tours children's operas and Operatizers concerts to K-12 schools, senior centers, and community venues across Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas, reaching approximately 30,000 students and adults annually at 100+ schools. The company also runs a Resident Artist Program that trains four emerging professional singers and one pianist each season. The organization is led by General & Artistic Director Alan E. Hicks, D.M.A., supported by a four-person staff and a Board of Directors.

The business model is funded through six diversified revenue streams: ticket sales (approximately 25% of the operating budget), individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, planned giving, and stock/equity donations. Institutional funders include the National Endowment for the Arts, Louisiana Division of the Arts (via Shreveport Regional Arts Council), Community Foundation of North Louisiana, and the City of Shreveport. The company maintains no proprietary technology platform, relying instead on the third-party Tix.com ticketing platform for ticket distribution. Sets and costumes for productions are sourced from Papermoon Opera Productions.

Name

Shreveport Opera

Legal name

Shreveport Opera

Website

https://shreveportopera.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shreveport Opera is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1949 that produces three annual professional opera productions in Shreveport, Louisiana, and runs the SOX education outreach program reaching 30,000+ students across Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Opera

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Musical Groups and Artists (711130)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Opera & Operetta (MPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

Keywords

• Professional opera productions
• Performing arts education
• Opera outreach programs
• Musical theater productions
• Community arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Shreveport

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from mainstage opera productions and special events. Ticket sales represent approximately 25% of the operating budget according to the organization.
2. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individual supporters, with recognition on website, in programs, and projected above stage at shows.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate donors receive recognition on website, in programs, projected above stage, on donor board at shows and SOX programs. Event-specific sponsorships include advertisement recognition.
4. Foundation Grants: Support from foundations including Louisiana Division of the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Shreveport Regional Arts Council, and others.
5. Planned Giving: Legacy or estate giving arrangements including wills and trust maturations that provide long-term financial security for the organization.
6. Stock Donations: Accepts donations of stock, shares, equities, bonds, and energy rights.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Shreveport Opera is a nonprofit professional opera company that produces mainstage opera and musical theater productions and delivers educational outreach through its Shreveport Opera Xpress (SOX) program to schools and community groups. It also runs a Resident Artist Program, children's operas, and an Operatizers concert series serving the Shreveport-Bossier City region.

Product overview

Shreveport Opera is a nonprofit performing arts organization offering a unified portfolio of services centered on professional opera productions and arts education. The core offerings include three annual mainstage productions at local theaters, supplemented by the Shreveport Opera Xpress (SOX) education and outreach program featuring children's operas and community concerts. The Resident Artist Program provides training for emerging professionals. Supporting services include special fundraising events and audition programs. Together, these offerings serve approximately 30,000 students and adults annually across the Ark-La-Tex region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mainstage Opera Productions Approximately three professional mainstage opera productions performed each season for the Shreveport-Bossier City public, including works such as Hansel & Gretel, Susannah, and Viva la Mamma!. Tickets are sold to individual consumers and the season is staged at partner venues.
• Shreveport Opera Xpress (SOX) Education Program Curriculum-based opera education and outreach program delivered to K-12 schools, senior centers, and community groups across the Shreveport region, reaching over 30,000 students and adults annually. Designed for institutional buyers such as schools and community centers.
• Resident Artist Program Program that brings young professional opera singers and artists into the company for a season, providing performance opportunities and professional development while supporting mainstage and outreach productions.
• Children's Operas Short opera productions created for young audiences, including works such as Eat Right and Move! and Songs of a Nation, performed for families and school groups.
• Operatizers Concert Series Recurring concert series of operatic performances for the local community, typically hosted at partner venues such as East Ridge Country Club.
• Special Events (Music of the Night, Fall Opera Night, Spring Opera Night) Ticketed seasonal showcase and fundraising events produced by Shreveport Opera, including Music of the Night, Fall Opera Night, and Spring Opera Night, used to engage patrons and supplement operating revenue.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches 30,000 students and adults annually through SOX program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

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

• Papermoon Opera ProductionscoreOthersProvides sets and costumes for Shreveport Opera productions. Featured as the sets and costumes provider for Hansel & Gretel production.
• Tix.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial ticketing platform for all Shreveport Opera performances. Handles ticket sales for mainstage productions, special events, and donations.
• Caddo Parish SchoolsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner that receives SOX program performances for student enrichment.
• Shreveport-Bossier Opera GuildmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDedicated guild of opera supporters that provides ongoing organizational support and community advocacy.
• East Ridge Country ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for special events including Fall Opera Night and Spring Opera Night where patrons dine and meet cast members.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dallas Opera: Long-running Texas-based opera company performing masterworks of the operatic canon. Sits in overlapping regional audience and corporate-sponsor pool that Shreveport Opera draws from for subscribers and donors.
• Houston Grand Opera: Major U.S. opera company operating within the same Texarkana/Gulf regional catchment that includes Shreveport. Larger and more established, but overlaps on classic/mainstream repertoire and Resident Artist training programs.

Regional players

• Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra: Regional classical arts organization in Louisiana that competes for the same statewide arts grants (Louisiana Division of the Arts, SRAC) and corporate sponsors. Comparable scale and nonprofit operating model.

Direct peers

• Pensacola Opera: Long-standing regional opera company producing a mainstage season plus touring educational outreach to schools. Closely mirrors Shreveport's combination of ticketed mainstage productions and school-based children's opera programming.
• OperaLouisville: Mid-size regional opera company producing a mainstage season with Resident Artist/young artist programming. Comparable in scale, nonprofit funding model, and producing-company role in its market.
• Shreveport Symphony Orchestra: Classical performing-arts organization based in Shreveport sharing the same donor pool, venues, and Board community. Directly competes for corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and season subscribers in the same city.
• Knoxville Opera: Mid-size regional opera producing company offering mainstage productions and education/outreach in a mid-sized metro. Comparable in nonprofit operating model and reliance on mixed ticket/donation revenue.
• New Orleans Opera: Regional opera company also based in Louisiana producing multiple mainstage productions annually with an educational/outreach component. Directly comparable in scope, geography, and nonprofit funding model.
• Opera Tampa: Regional opera producing company in the Southeast U.S. with mainstage season and educational outreach. Comparable in producing-pipeline scale and reliance on ticket sales, grants, and donations.
• Mobile Opera: Gulf South regional opera company producing a small annual season with educational components. Comparable in producing-pipeline scale and tier of community it serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shreveport-opera

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Shreveport Opera