Pacific Opera Project
Pacific Opera Project is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit founded in 2011 that produces accessible, English-language reimaginings of opera at non-traditional venues across LA, combined with youth education programs, free community touring, and a YouTube streaming archive.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Pacific Opera Project does
Pacific Opera Project (POP) is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit opera company founded in 2011 by Artistic Director Josh Shaw that produces accessible, English-language reimaginings of classical and contemporary operas at non-traditional venues across the Los Angeles area — including The Ford Amphitheatre, El Portal Theatre, Heritage Square Museum, Descanso Gardens, Forest Lawn, the Highland Park Ebell Club, breweries, parks, and libraries. The company's product portfolio centers on mainstage opera productions (a 2026-2027 season that includes The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the US premiere of Il Fortunato Inganno, Sweeney Todd, Handel's Mess-Cider Singalong, La Rondine, and Cruzar la Cara de la Luna), a free YouTube archive of 80+ past productions, the POPeracast podcast on iHeartRadio and Apple Podcasts, and a recently launched POP HQ venue rental business at 125 South Avenue 57, Highland Park ($450/day or hourly rates).
POP operates an education division that includes in-school residencies, free student field trips to dress rehearsals, the POP Youth Chorus for grades 4-12, and a free touring production ('Superflute' — a 90s-video-game reimagining of The Magic Flute) that visits Pasadena Library branches and Northeast LA schools. The organization generates revenue through a diversified mix of ticket and subscription sales (via the Arts People platform), individual and corporate donations (POP in! program, website donations, NeonCRM-managed supporter list), production sponsorships, education grants (e.g., Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation funding Superflute), and venue rental income. POP has executed strategic partnerships including a co-commission of the contemporary opera 'I Can't Breathe' with Marble City Opera, Opera Columbus, and Cleveland Opera Theater, and a co-production of H.M.S. Pinafore with Opera Las Vegas.
Pacific Opera Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pacific Opera Project
- Legal name
- Pacific Opera Project
- Website
- https://pacificoperaproject.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Pacific Opera Project is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit founded in 2011 that produces accessible, English-language reimaginings of opera at non-traditional venues across LA, combined with youth education programs, free community touring, and a YouTube streaming archive.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pacific Opera Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts — Opera
- NAICS
- Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)
Keywords
Where Pacific Opera Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pacific Opera Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Revenue from individual show tickets and season subscription packages for live opera performances at various LA venues.
- Donations and Fundraising: The company actively solicits donations through its website and offers a POP in! Program for supporter engagement.
- Venue Rental (POP HQ): POP HQ at 125 South Avenue 57, Highland Park is rented to the public for rehearsals, small performances, recordings, and film shoots. Rates are $450/day, $100/hr for under 4 hours, $75/hr for 4+ hours.
- Sponsorships: Individual and corporate sponsors fund specific productions, including lead sponsors and co-sponsors for various shows.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | POP HQ Full Day Rental |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | POP HQ Partial Day (Under 4 hours) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | POP HQ Half Day (4+ hours) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels9 records
Pacific Opera Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pacific Opera Project (POP) produces and presents live opera performances at diverse Los Angeles venues, reimagining classical works in contemporary settings (e.g., La Boheme in breweries, Barber of Seville in Hollywood). It also operates education and community programs including in-school residencies, free student field trips, a POP Youth Chorus for grades 4-12, and a free touring production (Superflute) at libraries and schools across Northeast Los Angeles. Supporting revenue and engagement offerings include season subscription packages, the POP in! membership program, a podcast (POPeracast), a free YouTube streaming archive, and POP HQ venue rental in Highland Park.
Product overview
Pacific Opera Project (POP) is a Los Angeles-based opera company that reimagines the adventure of opera through accessible, affordable, and entertaining productions. The company's product portfolio centers on mainstage opera productions featuring modern reimaginations of classical and contemporary works, offered both live at various venues and free online via their YouTube archive. Supporting the core productions, POP operates an education division including in-school residencies, free student field trips, a youth chorus program, and touring productions like the free 'Superflute' show. Additional offerings include the POPeracast podcast providing behind-the-scenes content, venue rental services at POP HQ (a 33x41 ft space in Highland Park), subscription packages for the season, and a POP in! membership program. The company emphasizes accessibility through English supertitles, affordable pricing, diverse venues, and community engagement programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mainstage Opera Productions Full-scale opera productions presented at various venues across Los Angeles (Ford Amphitheatre, El Portal Theatre, Heritage Square Museum, Descanso Gardens, Forest Lawn, Aratani Theatre), featuring reimagined classical and contemporary operas with modern interpretations and English supertitles. Sold to the general public via tickets and subscriptions.
- 2026-2027 Season Subscription Season subscription package offering discounted access to multiple opera productions in the 2026-2027 season, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Il Fortunato Inganno, Sweeney Todd, Handel's Mess-Cider Singalong, La Rondine, and Cruzar la Cara de la Luna. Sold to individual consumers and families.
- POP Livestream Archive Free video archive of past POP opera productions available for streaming on the POP YouTube channel, allowing global audiences to watch full-length productions at no cost.
- POPeracast Podcast The exclusive insider podcast on all things Pacific Opera Project, hosted by Jennifer Miller and produced by Rob Webb, featuring musical selections and interviews with cast and crew. Distributed on iHeartRadio and Apple iTunes.
- POP HQ Rental Rental venue at 125 South Avenue 57, Highland Park, CA 90042 — a 33x41 foot historic Westcoast Prairie style space for rehearsals, small performances, recordings, and film shoots. Includes a baby grand piano, two bathrooms, WiFi, heating/AC, 30 music stands, and 100 chairs. Priced at $450/day, $100/hr (under 4 hours), or $75/hr (4+ hours). Fully wheelchair accessible.
- Superflute Touring Production Free 60-minute touring production of Mozart's The Magic Flute reimagined as 'Superflute' — a 90s video game-themed English-language opera ideal for ages 4 and up. Tours to libraries across Northeast Los Angeles (La Pintoresca, Linda Vista, Lamanda, Jefferson branches in 2026) and schools at no cost to attendees. Adapted libretto by Josh Shaw, E. Scott Levin, and Anthony Whitson-Martini.
- POP Youth Chorus Youth chorus program welcoming singers in grades 4-12 of all experience levels to participate in POP productions. Singers attend all rehearsals and performances. Currently casting for Zorro (April-May 2026).
- Free Student Field Trip Free daytime dress rehearsal tickets for K-12 school groups to attend opera performances. Currently offering free tickets to Il Fortunato Inganno US premiere at Garibaldina MB Society on September 3, 2026. Recommended for grades 4-12.
- POP in! Program Membership/engagement program providing supporters with special benefits and access to Pacific Opera Project productions and events.
- In-School Residencies Educational programs that bring opera into K-12 schools through in-person residencies, engaging students with music and theater.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80+ productions produced since 2011
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Pacific Opera Project
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Pacific Opera Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Pacific Opera Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation (GLAEF)coreGLAEF provided funding for the Superflute (Magic Flute) touring production that performs at libraries and schools across Northeast LA, making opera accessible to youth at no cost.
- Descanso GardenscorePOP partnered with Descanso Gardens for outdoor performances of Into the Woods and Hansel and Gretel. Approximately 500 seats per night were available, with productions offered free with garden admission.
- City of West HollywoodminorCity of West Hollywood partnered with POP for Hansel and Gretel performances at King's Road Park, providing free opera in the park for three encore weekends.
- Opera Las VegascoreOpera Las Vegas co-produced H.M.S. Pinafore with POP. The production opened in Las Vegas (June 6 & 8) before traveling to Los Angeles. Opera Las Vegas Music Director Josh Horsch conducted.
- Marble City OperacoreCo-commissioner of 'I Can't Breathe' opera with POP, Opera Columbus, and Cleveland Opera Theater. The opera was conceived and commissioned by Marble City Opera founder Kathryn Frady.
- Opera ColumbuscoreCo-commissioner of 'I Can't Breathe' opera with POP, Marble City Opera, and Cleveland Opera Theater.
- Cleveland Opera TheatercoreCo-commissioner of 'I Can't Breathe' opera with POP, Marble City Opera, and Opera Columbus.
- Low-sight organizations (various)minorPOP partnered with low-sight organizations for the Iolanta production to encourage awareness and provide accessibility accommodations including braille programs for low-sighted audience members.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pacific Opera Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- On Site Opera: A New York-based company that performs opera in non-traditional venues such as museums, gardens, and historic houses. Closely matches POP's venue-diverse, immersive staging philosophy and small-company scale, making it a strong operational and conceptual peer.
- Long Beach Opera: A fellow Southern California small opera company known for innovative, unconventional stagings of rare and contemporary works. Shares POP's experimental, non-traditional approach to opera but operates in Long Beach rather than central LA, making it the closest direct peer in philosophy.
- Heartbeat Opera: A New York-based small opera company that reimagines canonical works for modern audiences through innovative translations, settings, and venue choices. Mirrors POP's mission of breaking down barriers of cost, language, and convention, making it a closely comparable direct peer in approach and scale.
- Opera Columbus: A regional opera company in Columbus, Ohio, also a co-commissioner of 'I Can't Breathe' with POP. Operates at a similar small-scale nonprofit tier and shares POP's interest in commissioning new works and contemporary reimaginings.
- Cleveland Opera Theater: A Cleveland-based small opera company co-commissioning partner of POP. Comparable in scale and orientation toward modern and contemporary opera productions for regional audiences.
- Marble City Opera: A Knoxville-based small opera company that co-commissioned 'I Can't Breathe' with POP. Comparable in scale and nonprofit structure, focused on producing contemporary and innovative opera in a regional market.
- Opera Las Vegas: A small opera company in Las Vegas that has co-produced with POP (H.M.S. Pinafore). Operates in a similar small-scale, regional nonprofit model with comparable production cadence and audience-development ambitions in a different metro.
Broad incumbents
- LA Opera: The largest and most established opera company in Los Angeles, presenting traditional mainstage productions at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. POP directly competes for the same LA opera audience and donor pool but operates at a much smaller scale and with a more populist, English-language, venue-diverse approach.
- New York City Opera: A historically significant US opera company that, like POP, has pursued populist and accessible productions of classic repertoire. Operates at a larger scale but shares an artistic mission of making opera relevant and accessible to broader audiences.
- San Francisco Opera: One of the largest and oldest opera companies in the United States. While POP is a small grassroots company and SFO is a major institution, both serve the West Coast opera ecosystem and compete for some overlapping audiences, donors, and touring talent.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pacific Opera Project social profiles
Digital presencePacific Opera Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pacific Opera Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Pacific Opera Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pacific Opera Project 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 Pacific Opera Project
What does Pacific Opera Project do?
Pacific Opera Project (POP) produces and presents live opera performances at diverse Los Angeles venues, reimagining classical works in contemporary settings (e.g., La Boheme in breweries, Barber of Seville in Hollywood). It also operates education and community programs including in-school residencies, free student field trips, a POP Youth Chorus for grades 4-12, and a free touring production (Superflute) at libraries and schools across Northeast Los Angeles. Supporting revenue and engagement offerings include season subscription packages, the POP in! membership program, a podcast (POPeracast), a free YouTube streaming archive, and POP HQ venue rental in Highland Park.
Is Pacific Opera Project a public or private company?
Pacific Opera Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Pacific Opera Project founded?
Pacific Opera Project was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Pacific Opera Project based?
Pacific Opera Project is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pacific Opera Project make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are donations and Fundraising, venue Rental (POP HQ) and sponsorships.
Who are Pacific Opera Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are On Site Opera, Long Beach Opera, Heartbeat Opera, Opera Columbus, Cleveland Opera Theater, Marble City Opera and Opera Las Vegas. Broad incumbents are LA Opera, New York City Opera and San Francisco Opera.
Does Pacific Opera Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pacific Opera Project.
What industry is Pacific Opera Project in?
Pacific Opera Project's product category is Performing Arts — Opera. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAH, Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama), with a secondary code of THAJAFAB, Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts. Its NAICS code is 7111 and its SIC code is 7900.