Madison Opera
Madison Opera is a non-profit professional opera company in Madison, Wisconsin, producing three mainstage operas annually at the Overture Center for the Arts, the free Opera in the Park concert, and education programs for students, seniors, and emerging artists.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1961
- HeadquartersMadison, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Madison Opera does
Madison Opera is a non-profit professional opera company founded in 1961 and headquartered at the Margaret C. Winchester Madison Opera Center (335 W. Mifflin Street, Madison, Wisconsin). As a resident organization of the Overture Center for the Arts, it produces three fully-staged mainstage operas each season (performed in Overture Hall and the Capitol Theater), the free annual Opera in the Park outdoor concert in Garner Park, and an extensive slate of educational and community programs including Student Matinees, the High School Apprentice Program, the Production Assistant Program, and the Studio Artist Program. The company serves general opera audiences across Wisconsin (over 10,000 mainstage attendees annually), students (subsidized at $5 per student), seniors at retirement communities, individual donors across tiered giving levels, and corporate sponsors, with operational reach extended by digital previews and a Wisconsin Public Radio broadcast partnership.
The company's revenue model is a diversified mix typical of mid-sized American regional opera companies. Earned revenue from ticket sales, group sales, student rush, gift certificates, playbill advertising, and facility rentals is supplemented by individual donations (tiered from $1 Partner to $10,000+ Stanke Platinum Circle), corporate sponsorships starting at $5,000, planned giving vehicles (bequests, charitable gift annuities, IRA rollovers, charitable remainder unitrusts), and an active $4 million Endowment Campaign intended to cover 20% of the annual operating budget. Ticket sales cover less than 25% of production costs, with each mainstage opera costing over $600,000 and Opera in the Park exceeding $300,000 annually; the operating model is therefore structurally dependent on philanthropic and endowment support. Each production involves over 200 paid artists and crew, and the company maintains ongoing artistic collaborations with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Youth Choirs, Kanopy Dance, and Opera for the Young, as well as institutional membership in OPERA America.
Madison Opera firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Madison Opera
- Legal name
- Madison Opera
- Website
- https://madisonopera.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1961
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Madison Opera is a non-profit professional opera company in Madison, Wisconsin, producing three mainstage operas annually at the Overture Center for the Arts, the free Opera in the Park concert, and education programs for students, seniors, and emerging artists.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Madison Opera industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts / Opera
- NAICS
- Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Opera & Operetta (MPAGABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)
Keywords
Where Madison Opera is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Madison
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Madison Opera business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Season subscriptions and single tickets to opera productions. Ticket revenue covers less than 25% of production costs.
- Individual Donations: Annual fund donations from individuals with tiered recognition benefits from Partner ($1) to Stanke Platinum and Grand Circles ($10,000+).
- Corporate Sponsorships: Business sponsorships starting at $5,000 supporting productions, Opera in the Park, or education programs with custom promotional benefits.
- Endowment Campaign: Long-term fundraising campaign to build endowment, goal of $4 million to cover 20% of annual budget.
- Planned Giving: Legacy gifts including bequests, charitable gift annuities, IRA rollovers, and charitable remainder unitrusts.
- Playbill Advertising: Advertising opportunities in playbills reaching over 15,000 people per season.
- Facility Rentals: Madison Opera Center available for rent for rehearsals, receptions, meetings, and community programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Full Season Subscription - Norma + Postcard from Morocco + Carmen |
| Subscription | Annual | Overture Hall Only - Norma + Carmen |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Capitol Theater - Postcard from Morocco |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Student Rush Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Student Matinee Tickets |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Group Discounts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels12 records
Madison Opera product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Madison Opera produces and presents professional opera productions, typically three mainstage works each season performed at the Overture Center for the Performing Arts. It also presents the annual free outdoor Opera in the Park concert and runs an extensive slate of education and community engagement programs including student matinees, apprentice and studio artist training, and pre-performance lectures.
Product overview
Madison Opera is a non-profit professional opera company that operates as a single unified performing arts organization with its main offerings being three annual mainstage opera productions at the Overture Center for the Arts, the free outdoor concert series Opera in the Park, and an array of education and engagement programs including the Studio Artist Program, Student Matinee, High School Apprentice Program, and Production Assistant Program. Educational offerings also include Opera Up Close, Digital Previews, Pre-Opera Talks, Community Previews, Opera Talk with Kathryn Smith, and Studio Artist Recitals. The company is a resident organization of the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin, celebrating its 64th year.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mainstage Opera Productions
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 10,000 audience members annually attend three mainstage productions
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Madison Opera
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Madison Opera technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Madison Opera partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Overture Center for the ArtscoreMadison Opera is a resident organization of the Overture Center for the Arts, performing in Overture Hall and the Capitol Theater. The state-of-the-art civic cultural center opened in 2004 and was designed by architect Cesar Pelli.
- Madison Symphony OrchestracoreMadison Symphony Orchestra provides orchestral accompaniment for Madison Opera productions and Opera in the Park concerts, collaborating on major performances including world premieres.
- Madison Youth ChoirsmajorCollaborative performances with Madison Youth Choirs for opera productions requiring choral and youth ensemble work.
- Kanopy DancemajorKanopy Dance Company collaborates on productions including Maria de Buenos Aires and Trouble in Tahiti/The Seven Deadly Sins, providing choreography and dancers.
- Opera for the YoungmajorScott Gendel serves as Music Director for Opera for the Young, connecting Madison Opera to broader educational outreach in the region.
- Opera AmericamajorMadison Opera is a proud professional company member of Opera America, the national service organization for opera.
- Wisconsin Public RadiominorWisconsin Public Radio will broadcast Everlasting Faint opera on June 13, 2026, extending reach beyond live audiences.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Madison Opera competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lyric Opera of Kansas City: Regional professional opera company of similar scale producing a mainstage season with educational programming in the Midwest. Comparable operating model, ticket pricing structure, and reliance on donations to cover the majority of production costs.
- Glimmerglass Festival: Small-scale professional opera festival producing a focused summer season with Young Artists Program. Comparable in scale, mix of classic and American repertoire, and educational programming — Madison Opera's Studio Artists have performed at Glimmerglass.
- Cincinnati Opera: Midwest-based regional professional opera company with a summer festival format and educational programming. Comparable nonprofit structure, donor-dependent economics, and community programming akin to Opera in the Park.
- Arizona Opera: Regional professional opera company producing 3-4 mainstage productions per season across multiple cities in Arizona, with similar education and community engagement programming. Comparable nonprofit funding model, scale, and reliance on individual/corporate donors.
- Opera Theatre of Saint Louis: Regional professional opera company known for innovative programming and new American work commissioning — directly comparable in mission emphasis on contemporary repertoire commissioning alongside classic works, and similar scale/production budget.
- Utah Opera: Salt Lake City-based regional professional opera company producing a mainstage season with companion educational and outreach programs. Comparable scale, regional market positioning, nonprofit structure, and repertoire mix spanning classical to contemporary works.
- Florentine Opera Company: Milwaukee-based professional opera company and the other of only two professional grand opera companies in Wisconsin. Directly comparable by geography, mission, scale (regional opera with 3-4 productions per season), and nonprofit funding model — and uniquely the only direct in-state competitor for talent, audiences, and donors.
- Minnesota Opera: St. Paul-based regional professional opera company producing a multi-production mainstage season with educational programming. Comparable in scale, nonprofit funding model (ticket revenue covering minority of costs), Midwest audience base, and repertoire mix spanning classical to contemporary American opera.
Broad incumbents
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: One of the largest opera companies in North America, based in the Upper Midwest. While operating at a much larger scale than Madison Opera, it shares similar repertoire philosophy, regional Midwest audience base, and has influenced talent flowing to Madison (e.g., conductors, singers crossing between companies).
Others
- Madison Symphony Orchestra: Madison-based performing arts nonprofit and core strategic partner that provides orchestral accompaniment for Madison Opera productions and co-performs Opera in the Park. Not a competitor but a deep ecosystem partner — comparable in nonprofit governance and donor base.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Madison Opera social profiles
Digital presenceMadison Opera financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Madison Opera leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Madison Opera funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Madison Opera 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 Madison Opera
What does Madison Opera do?
Madison Opera produces and presents professional opera productions, typically three mainstage works each season performed at the Overture Center for the Performing Arts. It also presents the annual free outdoor Opera in the Park concert and runs an extensive slate of education and community engagement programs including student matinees, apprentice and studio artist training, and pre-performance lectures.
Is Madison Opera a public or private company?
Madison Opera is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Madison Opera founded?
Madison Opera was founded in 1961. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Madison Opera based?
Madison Opera is headquartered in Madison, United States, in the North America region.
How does Madison Opera make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations, corporate Sponsorships, endowment Campaign, planned Giving, playbill Advertising and facility Rentals.
Who are Madison Opera's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Glimmerglass Festival, Cincinnati Opera, Arizona Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Utah Opera, Florentine Opera Company and Minnesota Opera. Lyric Opera of Chicago is listed as a broad incumbent. Madison Symphony Orchestra is listed as an others.
Does Madison Opera have an API?
No public API is recorded for Madison Opera.
What industry is Madison Opera in?
Madison Opera's product category is Performing Arts / Opera. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAF, Opera & Operetta, with a secondary code of MPAGABAM, Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking). Its NAICS code is 7111 and its SIC code is 7900.