New Opera Organizations

Opera Companies formed in the US since 2000

NOTE: This is an old list, please view the updated list at this link: https://silpayamanant.wordpress.com/opera/opcos/opcos-since-2000/opcos-since-2000-us/

This is a list of Opera companies, organizations, and new music ensembles formed since 2000 which perform opera. See some of my preliminary remarks about this here, or the follow up here. Please feel free to comment below or email me (silpayamanant@gmail.com) for anything I might have missed or for any info that needs to be corrected. This is a work in progress.

*UPDATED January 23, 2015* (260 Organizations)

2000

Capital Opera Harrisburg (Harrisburg, PA) <<hstrial-dscott1.homestead.com/harrisburg/harrisburg>>
Columbia Musical Theater Society (New York, NY) <<blogs.cuit.columbia.edu/cmts>> <<www.facebook.com/ColumbiaMusicalTheatre>>
dell’Arte Opera Ensemble (New York, NY) <<www.dellarteopera.org>>
Heartland Opera Network (Columbus, OH) <<www.oac.state.oh.us/news/artsperspective/2003/apspring03/apspring03_2.htm>>
MORE (Manhattan Opera Repertory Ensemble) Opera (NY, New York) <<www.moreopera.com>>
Opera Coeur d’Alene (Coeur d’Alene, ID) <<www.operacda.org>>
Opera Company of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY) <<operabrooklyn.org>>
Pineda Lyric Opera Company (Scotch Plains, NJ) <<www.pinedalyric.com>>
Riverside Lyric Opera (Riverside, CA) <<www.riversidelyricopera.org>>
Salt Marsh Opera Company (Stonington, CT) <<www.saltmarshopera.org>>
Solo Opera (San Francisco, CA) <<www.soloopera.org>>
Wichita Grand Opera (Wichita, KS) <<www.wichitagrandopera.org>>
Youth Opera of South Jersey (Ocean City, NJ) <<www.youthopera.org>>

2001

AACC Opera (Arnold, MD) <<www.aacc.edu/studentlife/perfgroups>>
The A. J. Fletcher Opera Institute (Winston-Salem, NC) <<www.fletcheropera.com>> merger of National Opera Company with the University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Music’s graduate opera program
Concert Operetta Theater (Philadelphia, PA) <<www.concertoperetta.com>>
Downtown Opera (Long Beach, CA) <<http://downtownopera.com>> dead link, inactive? for info go here: <<www.csulb.edu/~mherman/DTOFrame2>>
Elgin Opera (Elgin, IL) <<www.elginopera.org>> dead link; closed in 2013 <<voices.suntimes.com/arts-entertainment/the-daily-sizzle/elgin-opera-folds-after-12-years>>; founded as Opera Professional Entertainers Repertoire Association (O.P.E.R.A.) in 2001.
Gotham Chamber Opera (New York, NY) <<www.gothamchamberopera.org>>
Harlem Opera Theater (New York, NY) <<www.harlemoperatheater.org>>
The Italian Opera Company of Chicago (Chicago, IL) <<italianoperachicago.com>>
Opera Theatre of Weston (Weston, VT) <<www.operatheatreofweston.com>>
New England Light Opera (Lexington, MA) <<www.newenglandlightopera.org>>
New Musical Theater of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) <<nmtsf.org>> formerly Not Quite Opera Productions
Palmetto Opera (Columbia, SC)
Pikes Peak Opera League (Colorado Springs, CO) <<www.operatheatreoftherockies.org/pikes-peak-opera-league>>
VOICExperience (Palm Harbor, FL) <<voicexperiencefoundation.com>>

2002

American Opera Theater (Washington D.C.) <<www.americanoperatheater.org>> no longer active
Bethesda Summer Music Festival (Bethesda, MD) <<www.aamsopera.com/bsmf>>
Capital Opera (Raleigh, NC) <<www.capitaloperaraleigh.org>> dead link, merged with Opera Company of North Carolina to form North Carolina Opera (2010)
Emerald City Opera (Steamboat Springs, CO) <<emeraldcityopera.com>>
Fort Worth Opera Studio (Fort Worth, TX) <<www.fwopera.org/About-Us/FWO-Studio>>
Lyric Opera of Los Angeles (South Pasadena, CA) <<www.lyricoperala.org>>
Opera New Jersey (Princeton, NJ) <<www.opera-nj.org>> dead link, closed
Opera Pacifica (West Olympia, WA) <<www.operapacifica.org>> dead link, no longer active?
Remarkable Theater Brigade (New York, NY) <<www.remarkabletheaterbrigade.com>>

2003

Connecticut Lyric Opera (New London, CT) <<ctlyricopera.org>>
Greater Worcester Opera (Rutland, MA) <<www.greaterworcesteropera.org>>
High Desert Opera (Grand Junction, CO) <<www.highdesertopera.org>>
Intermezzo: The New England Chamber Opera Series (Boston, MA) <<www.intermezzo-opera.org>> (disbanded 2014)
International Opera Theater (Philadelphia, PA) <<internationaloperatheater.org>>
Opera Boston (Boston, MA) <<www.operaboston.org>> closed in 2012
Opera Unlimited (Albuquerque, NM) <<opera-unlimited.com>>
Nevada Chamber Opera (Reno, NV) <<www.unr.edu/cla/music/ensembles/nevada_chamber_opera.htm>> University ensemble ???founding date
Repertory Opera Company (Pamona, CA) <<www.repertoryoperacompany.org>>
Soo Opera (Sault Ste. Marie, MI) <<www.sootheatre.org>>
Sounds of South Dakota (Sioux Falls, SD) <<www.soundsofsouthdakota.org>>
Skagit Opera (Mount Vernon, WA) <<skagitopera.org>>

2004

The American Center for Puccini Studies (Derwood, MD) <<www.pucciniamerica.org>>
Chelsea Opera (New York, NY) <<www.chelseaopera.org>>
Diamond Opera Theater (Hudson, NY) <<gwengould.com/diamond-opera-theater>> formerly Hudson Chamber Opera
East Village Opera Company (New York, NY) <<www.eastvillageoperacompany.com>> not active??
the Little Opera Theatre of New York (New York, NY) <<www.lotny.org>>
Living Opera (Garland, TX) <<ww2.thelivingopera.org>> link dead, closed in 2010: see following link for info <<go.dallasnews.com/news/2009/oct/01/living-opera-richardson-shut-down-permanently>>
Lyric Opera of the North (Duluth, MN) <<loonopera.com>>
Miami Lyric Opera (Miami, FL) <<miamilyricopera.org>>
Nickel City Opera (Buffalo, NY) <<www.nickelcityoperaco.com>>
Object Collection (New York, NY) <<objectcollection.us>>
Opera Company of Middlebury (Middlebury, VT) <<www.ocmvermont.org>>
Opera Exposures (New York, NY) <<operaexposures.org>>
Opera Western Reserve (Youngstown, OH) <<www.operawesternreserve.org>>
Underworld Productions Opera Ensemble (New York, NY) <<underworldprod.com>>

2005

Arlington Opera Ensemble (Arlington, VA) <<jenniferhosmer.com/aoe.asp>>
American Lyric Theater (New York, NY) <<www.altnyc.org>>
Boston Opera Collaborative (Boston, MA) <<www.bostonoperacollaborative.org>>
Brown Opera Productions (Providence, RI) <<www.brownoperaproductions.com>> dead link–inactive??; Facebook page <<www.facebook.com/pages/Brown-Opera-Productions/340495449390066>>
The Bostonian Opera & Concert Ensemble (Boston, MA) <<www.thebostonians.org>> ruling date is 2005, founding date unclear
Center Stage Opera (Reseda, CA) <<centerstageopera.org>>
Chatham Opera (Chatham, NJ) <<www.chathamopera.com>
Citywide Youth Opera (New York, NY) <<www.citywideyouthopera.org>>
Commonwealth Lyric Theater (Boston, MA) <<www.commonwealthlyrictheater.com>>
Duluth Festival Opera (Duluth, MN) <<www.dfopera.org>>
Green Mountain Opera Festival (Waitsfield, VT) <<www.greenmountainoperafestival.com>>
Loveland Opera Theatre (Loveland, CO) <<www.lovelandopera.org>>
Lyric Light Opera (Mount Vernon, WA) <<http://www.lyriclightopera.org>>
Lyric Opera Northwest (Seattle, WA) <<www.lonw.org>>
Mercury Opera Rochester (Rochester, NY) <<www.mercuryoperarochester.org>> merger of Opera Rochester, Rochester Opera Factory, and the Opera Theatre Guild of Rochester <<source>>
Opera Academy of California (San Francisco, CA) <<www.opera-academy.com>>
Opera Collective (New York, NY) <<www.operacollective.com>>
Opera Fairbanks (Fairbanks, AK) <<www.operafairbanks.org>>
Opera Leggera (Kingwood, TX) <<www.operaleggera.com>>
Opera on Tap (Brooklyn, NY; New Orleans, LA; Chicago, IL; Boston, MA; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Denton, TX; Atlanta, GA; Ann Arbor/ Ypsilanti, MI; Seattle, WA; The Twin Cities, MN) <<www.operaontap.org>>
Opera on the James (Lynchburg, VA) <<www.operaonthejames.org>>
Opera Theater Oregon (Portland, OR) <<operatheateror.wordpress.com>>
Phoenix Opera (Phoenix, AR) <<www.phoenixopera.org>>
The Princeton Festival (Princeton, NJ) <<www.princetonfestival.org>>
South Texas Lyric Opera (McAllen, TX) <<www.stlo.org>>
Young Opera Company of New England (North Reading, MA) <<operacompany.wix.com>>

2006

Beth Morrison Projects: Indie Opera and New Music (New York, NY) <<www.bethmorrisonprojects.org>>
Black Box Opera Theater (Seattle, WA) <<blackboxoperatheater.com>>
Boston Midsummer Opera (MA) <<www.bostonmidsummeropera.org>>
Eastside Lyric Theatre (Bellevue, WA) <<www.eastsidelyrictheatre.org>>
Light Opera of New York (LOONY) (New York, NY) <<www.lightoperaofnewyork.org>>
Maryland Concert Opera (Frederick, MD) <<marylandconcertopera.com>>
Opera Cabal (Chicago, IL) <<www.operacabal.com>>
Opera Cleveland (Cleveland, OH) <<www.clevelandopera.org>> closed 2010. Merger of Cleveland Opera and Lyric Opera Cleveland
Opera del West (Boston, MA) <<www.operadelwest.org>>
Opera Parallèle (San Francisco, CA) <<operaparallele.org>> (date???)
Opera Per Tutti (Chardon, OH) <<www.operapertutti.org>>
Opera Vista (Houston, TX) << operavista.org>> (folded???)
OperaSouth (Atlanta, GA) <<www.operasouth.net>>
Pennsylvania Lyric Opera Theater (Stroudsburg, PA) <<www.griceartists.com/PALOT.html>>
Puget Sound Opera (Seattle, WA) <<pugetsoundopera.com>>
Really Spicy Opera (Boston, MA) <<spicyopera.com>>
Rockford Operetta Party (Rockford, IL) <<rockfordoperettaparty.synthasite.com>>
Undercroft Opera (Pttsburgh, PA) <<www.undercroftopera.org>>

2007

Baltimore Rock Opera Society (Baltimore, MD) <<baltimorerockopera.org>>
Empire Opera (New York, NY) <<www.empireopera.org>>
Fremont Opera (Fremont, CA) <<sites.google.com/site/fremontopera/home>>
Guerilla Opera (Boston, MA) <<guerillaopera.com>>
Lone Star Lyric Theater Festival & Cabaret (Houston, TX) <<www.lonestarlyric.org>>
Loudonn Lyric Opera (Leesburg, VA) <<www.loudounlyricopera.com>>
MetroWest Opera (Boston, MA) <<metrowestopera.org>>
Opera Frontier (San Francisco, CA) <<operafrontier.org>>
Opera OGGI New York (New York, NY) <<www.operaogginy.info>>
OperaHub (Boston, MA) <<www.operahub.org>>
Pacific MusicWorks (Seattle, WA) <<www.pacificmusicworks.org>> formerly Pacific OperaWorks
Petite Opera Productions (Des Plaines, IL) <<www.petiteopera.org>>
Pineda Lyric Opera Company (Cranford, NJ) <<www.pinedalyric.com>>
Rhymes With Opera (Baltimore, MD & New York, NY) <<www.rhymeswithopera.org>>
Roundabout Opera for Kids: Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH) <<www.facebook.com/pages/Roundabout-Opera-for-Kids-Cincinnati/218111594984450>>
St. Petersburg Opera Company (St. Petersburg, FL) <<www.stpeteopera.org>>
Taos Opera Institute (Taos Ski Valley, NM) <<www.taosoi.org>>
Winter Opera St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) <<www.winteroperastl.org>>
Yale Baroque Opera Project (New Haven, CT) <<ybop.yale.edu>>

2008

The Bluegrass Opera (Lexington, KY) <<www.bluegrassopera.org>>
Boston Metro Opera (Boston, MA) <<www.bostonmetroopera.com>>
Charleston Chamber Opera (Charleston, SC) <<www.charlestonchamberopera.com>>
Different Voice Opera Project (Boston, MA)?? <<www.dvop.info>>
Grand Strand Opera Workshop (Myrtle Beach, SC) <<gsow.net>>
Hillhouse Opera Company (New Haven, CT) <<hillhouseoperacompany.org>>
Hubbard Hall Opera Theatre (Cambridge, NY) <<hubbardhall.org/opera>>
Los Angeles Metropolitan Opera (Los Angeles, CA) <<www.losangelesmet.com>>
Montana Lyric Opera (Missoula, MT) <<mtopera.wix.com>>
Open Opera (San Francisco, CA) <<www.openopera.net>>
Opera Bob (Minneapolis, MN) <<operabob.org>>
Opera Breve (New York, NY) <<www.operabreve.com>>
Opera Omnia (New York, NY) <<www.operaomnia.org>>
Opera Manhattan (Astoria, NY) <<www.facebook.com/OperaManhattan>>
San Francisco Parlor Opera (San Francisco, CA) <<sfparloropera.org>> inactive??
South Shore Opera Company (Chicago,IL) <<www.southshoreopera.org>>
Vashon Opera (Vashon, WA) <<www.vashonopera.org>>
Verismo Opera (Fairfield, CA) <<www.verismoopera.org>>

2009

Amore Opera (New York, NY) <<www.amoreopera.org>>
Apollo Opera (New York, NY) <<www.apolloopera.com>>
Baltimore Concert Opera (Baltimore, MD) <<www.baltimoreconcertopera.com>>
Candid Concert Opera (Chicago, IL) <<www.candidconcertopera.org>> <<www.facebook.com/pages/Candid-Concert-Opera>>
Chesapeake Chamber Opera (Baltimore, MD) <<>> (folded 2011?? <<source>>
The Figaro Project (Baltimore, MD) <<thefigaroproject.com>> on hiatus 2013-1014 season
Florida Opera Theater (Orlando, FL) <<floperatheatre.org>>
Fresco Opera Theatre (Madison, WI) <<www.frescooperatheatre.com>>
GLOW Lyric Theatre (Greenville, SC) <<www.glowlyric.com>> founded as Greenville Light Opera Works
Land of Enchantment Opera (Gallup, NM) <<landofenchantmentopera.com>>
Lawrence Opera Theatre (Lawrence, KS) <<www.lawrenceopera.org>>
Metropolis Opera Project (New York, NY) <<metropolisoperaproject.org>>
Morningside Opera (New York, NY) <<www.morningsideopera.com>>
Opera Dolce (New York, NY) <<www.operadolce.org>>
Opera Hispánica (New York, NY) <<operahispanica.org>>
Opera Project Carmel (Carmel, CA) <<www.operaprojectcarmel.org>>
operamission (New York, NY) <<operamission.org>>
Peach State Opera (Lawrenceville, GA) <<www.peachstateopera.org>>
Riverbend Opera Company (Arlington, VA) <<www.riverbendopera.com>>
Southern Arizona Opera Company (Tuscon, AZ) <<tucsonstage.blogspot.com/2008/12/tucson-southern-arizona-opera-company.html>>
Triangle Opera Studios (Durham, NC) <<triangleoperastudios.org>>
UrbanArias (Arlington, VA) <<www.urbanarias.org>>

2010

Augusta Opera (Augusta, GA) <<theaugustaopera.com>> dead link/inactive?, Facebook page <<www.facebook.com/pages/Augusta-Opera/159688714074296>>
Hartford Opera Theater (Hartford, CT) <<www.hartfordoperatheater.com>>
Haymarket Opera Company (Chicago, IL) <<haymarketopera.org>>
Hub Opera Ensemble (Hagerstown, MD) <<www.huboperaensemble.org>>
Kansas City Metro Opera (Kansas City, MO) <<www.kcmetroopera.com>>
Loon Opera Company (Bemidji, MN) <<loonoperacompany.com>>
The Microscopic Opera Company (Pittsburgh, PA) <<www.microscopicopera.org>>
Mill City Summer Opera (Minneapolis, MN) <<www.millcitysummeropera.org>>
North Carolina Opera (Raleigh, NC) <<www.ncopera.org>> formed from merger of The Opera Company of North Carolina and Capital Opera Raleigh
Opera Greenville (Greenville, SC) <<www.operagreenville.com>> redirects to <<www.greenvillelyricopera.com>> which is a dead link. Facebook page is here <<www.facebook.com/pages/The-Greenville-Opera/131894976824653>>
Opera Inter Alia (Chicago, IL) <<www.facebook.com/pages/Opera-Inter-Alia/116189795067618>> formerly “Opera Nite”
Opera Slavica (New York, NY) <<www.operaslavica.org>>
OPERAnauts (????) <<www.operanauts.net>> dead link/inactive? Facebook page <<www.facebook.com/ISeeYouTour>>
Poor Richard’s Opera (Philadelphia, PA) <<www.poorrichardsopera.org>>
Rocky Mountain Opera Company (Colorado Springs, CO) <<www.rockymountainoperacompany.com>> dead link; Facebook page: <<www.facebook.com/RockyMountainOperaCompany>>
Russian Opera Workshop (Philadelphia, PA) <<www.russianoperaworkshop.com>>
Southwest Virginia Opera Company (Wise, VA) <<www.facebook.com/TheSouthwestVirginiaSummerOperaCompany>> (UV at Wise organization)
UrbanArias (Arlington, VA) <<www.urbanarias.org>>
Verismo Opera Theater (Oak Park, IL) <<www.verismooperatheater.com>>
West Hudson Opera (Union City, NJ) <<www.westhudsonopera.com>>
The Wilbury Theatre Group (Providence, RI) <<www.thewilburygroup.org>>

2011

American Chamber Opera (Chicago, IL) <<americanchamberopera.org>>
Eastern Opera of New Jersey (Warren, NJ) <<www.easternopera.org>>
Experiments in Opera (New York, NY) <<experimentsinopera.com>>
The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Louisville (Louisville, KY) <<gsslou.com>>
Helios Early Opera (Boston, MA) <<www.heliosopera.com>>
The Industry (Los Angeles, CA) <<www.theindustryla.org>>
Intimate Opera of Indianapolis (Indianapolis, IN) <<www.intimateopera.org>>
Inverse Opera (Seattle, WA) <<www.theinverseopera.com>>
Little Opera (San Francisco, CA) <<littleopera.org>>
Lyric Opera Baltimore (Baltimore, MD) <<lyricoperahouse.com>>
Lyric Opera Virginia (Virginia Beach, VA) <<www.lyricoperavirginia.org>>
Minnesota Concert Opera (MN) <<www.mnconcertopera.org>>
NY Opera Exchange (New York, NY) <<www.nyoperaexchange.com>>
Opera Moderne (New York, NY) <<www.operamoderne.com>> founded???
Opera MODO (Detroit, MI) <<www.operamodo.com>>
Opera Project Columbus (Columbus, OH) <<www.operaprojectcolumbus.org>>
Opera Remix (Modesto, CA) <<operaremix.com>> (side project of Townsend Opera)
Pacific Opera Project (Los Angeles, CA) <<www.pacificoperaproject.com>>
Palisades Opera (Nyack, NY) <<www.palisadesopera.org>>
Thompson Street Opera Company (Louisville, KY) <<www.thompsonstreetopera.org>>
Utopia Opera (New York, NY) <<www.utopiaopera.org>>
Vespertine Opera Theater (Seattle, WA) <<www.vespertineopera.com>>

2012

The 9th Ward Opera Company (New Orleans, LA) <<ninthwardoperacompany.com>>
Boulder Opera Company (Boulder, CO) <<www.boulderoperacompany.com>>
Cincinnati Chamber Opera (Cincinnati, OH) <<www.cincinnatichamberopera.com>>
Connecticut Summer Opera (Woodbury, CT) <<www.ctsummeropera.org>>
Great Lakes Light Opera (Cleveland, OH) <<greatlakeslightopera.com>>
LoftOpera (New York, NY) <<www.loftopera.com>>
NEMPAC Opera Project (Boston, MA) <<www.nempacboston.org/opera-project>>
New Fangled Opera (New Orleans, LA) <<www.newfangledopera.org>>
North American New Opera Workshop (Cincinnati, OH) <<www.nanoworksopera.com>>
On Site Opera (New York, NY) <<www.osopera.org>>
One Ounce Opera (Austin, TX) <<oneounceopera.com>>
Opera Bend (Bend, OR) <<www.operabend.org>>
Opera Charleston (Charleston, SC) <<www.operacharlestonsc.org>>
Opera NEO (San Diego, California) <<www.operaneo.com>>
Opera Piccola San Antonio (San Antonio, TX) <<www.operapiccolasa.com>>
Opera San Antonio (San Antonio, TX) <<operasa.org>>
PROTOTYPE Festival (New York, NY) <<prototypefestival.org>>
Queen City Chamber Opera (Cincinnati, OH) <<queencitychamberopera.org>>
Redlands Opera Theatre (Redlands, CA) <<www.redlandsoperatheatre.com>>

2013

Ars Minerva (San Francisco, CA) <<www.arsminerva.org>>
Chamber Opera Players of LA (Los Angeles, CA) <<www.copola.org>>
Fire Island Opera Festival (Fire Island Pines, NY) <<fireislandopera.org>>
Golden Rose Opera Works – G.R.O.W. (Forest Hills, NY) <<www.bizapedia.com/ny/GOLDEN-ROSE-OPERA-WORKS-INCORPORATED>> no website yet, but incorporated in 2013
International Brazilian Opera Company (New York, NY & Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) <<brazilianopera.com>>
Maryland Lyric Opera (Upper Marlboro, MD) <<www.marylandlyricopera.org>>
MidAtlantic Opera Company (Morristown, NJ) <<www.midatlanticopera.org>>
Odyssey Opera (Boston, MA) <<www.odysseyopera.org>>
Opera Theatre of Montclair (Montclair, NJ) <<www.operamontclair.org>>
Opera Wyoming (Southwest, Wyoming)? <<www.operawyoming.org>>
Panopera (Brattleboro, VT) <<panopera.net>>
Resonance Works | Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA) <<www.resonanceworks.org>>
The Singers’ Theatre of Washington (Alexandria, VA) <<www.singerstheatre.com>>
Theater Plastique (New York, NY) <<theaterplastique.org>>
This Side Up Ensemble (Tallahassee, FL) <<www.thissideupensemble.com>>

2014

Chicago Fringe Opera (Chicago, IL) <<www.chicagofringeopera.com>> <<www.facebook.com/chicagofringeopera>>
Desert Opera (Palm Desert, CA) <<www.desertopera.org>>
Fresh Squeezed Opera Company (New York City, NY) <<www.freshsqueezedopera.com>>
Gulfshore Opera (Naples, FL) <<www.gulfshoreopera.org>> <<www.facebook.com/gulfshoreopera>>
Hartford Wagner Festival (Hartford, CT) <<wagnerct.com>>
Island City Opera (Alameda, CA) <<www.islandcityopera.org>>
Pittsburgh Verdi and Wagner Society (Pittsburgh, PA) <<www.pittsburghverdiwagner.com>>
Princeton Opera Alliance (Pinceton, NJ) <<www.princetonopera.org>>
Project Opera (Baton Rouge, LA) <<www.facebook.com/ProjectOperaLSU>> LSU Ensemble
Venture Opera (NYC, NY) <<www.ventureopera.com>> <<www.facebook.com/ventureopera>>

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Music Ensembles that Produce/Perform Operas