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| Number and Location of Companies |
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OPERA America serves the field of professional opera and related organizations. In the United States, it counts 114 professional companies in 43 states in its membership. It also serves 20 professional companies in 5 provinces in Canada, which are members of Opera.ca. Over half of these companies were established after 1970, and one quarter of the total were established since 1980, making the growth of opera throughout North America a relatively new phenomenon. In addition to its North American Membership, OPERA America works in partnership with Opera Europa to serve 94 affiliated companies in Europe as well as serving 5 additional companies from around the globe. (Source: OPERA America) |
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| Attendance |
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The National Endowment for the Arts reports that, in 2002, 6.6 million adults (3.2% of the adult population) attended at least one opera performance. (Source: National Endowment for the Arts) |
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| Number of Performances |
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In 2003-04, North America’s professional opera companies presented 2,798 performances of 587 fully-staged main season and festival productions. (Source: OPERA America) |
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Audience
Growth |
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Opera attendance rose steadily from 1982 to 2002. The U.S. opera audience grew by 35% between 1982 and 1992. This trend continued through 2002, when the opera audience grew by an additional 8.2%, representing the largest increase of all performing arts disciplines. (Source: National Endowment for the Arts) |
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Audience
Demographics |
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In comparison with other arts-goers, opera attenders are wealthier, the most highly educated, and tend to reside in the suburbs. Opera tends to attract more women (58%) than men. In 2002, 6.1% of the opera audience was Hispanic, 3.8% was African American, and 3.6% was Asian American and Native American. (Source: National Endowment for the Arts) |
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| Young Audiences |
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In 2002, 25.3% of the U.S. opera audience was under the age of 35 years old. (Source: National Endowment for the Arts) |
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Broadcast and
Recorded Media |
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The percentage of adults viewing or listening to opera via broadcast and recorded media remains higher than live attendance. In 2002, 37.6 million adults experienced opera on TV, video, radio, audio recordings, or via the Internet. (Source: National Endowment for the Arts) |
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| Participation |
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In 2002, 1.4 million adults personally participated in performing or creating opera. (Source: National Endowment for the Arts) |
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| Economic Impact |
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OPERA America and Opera.ca member companies had collective budgets of $735 million and employed over 20,000 people on a full-time and part-time basis in 2003-04. Including related expenditures by audience members and employees, opera is a multibillion dollar industry. (Source: OPERA America) |
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| Box Office Income |
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OPERA America and Opera.ca companies posted $284 million dollars in box office receipts for FY04. Box office income represents 38% of total operating income for all companies. (Source: OPERA America) |
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| Private Support |
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Private support of OPERA America companies in the United States totaled $380 million in FY04, representing 46% of the total income. (Source: OPERA America) |
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Federal Government
Support |
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Support from the National Endowment for the Arts fell from $1.2 million in FY03 to $1.05 million in FY04. NEA support represented 0.1% of all income reported by U.S. companies in 2003-04. Support from the Canada Council provided 8% of total income for Opera.ca companies, contributing 33% of all public support. (Source: OPERA America) |
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Education
Programs |
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The audience for education and community programs served by U.S. and Canadian companies during the 2003-2004 season totaled nearly 4 million people. (Source: OPERA America) |
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| New Works |
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In 2003-04, there were 14 world premieres in North America. Since 1990, almost 200 new operatic works have been produced by professional opera companies in North America. (Source: OPERA America) |
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| Most Frequently Produced Operas |
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The most frequently produced operas in the 2005-06 season were: The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Carmen, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, The Barber of Seville, La traviata, La Bohème, Rigoletto, and Don Giovanni. (Source: OPERA America) The most frequently produced North American operas in the 2005-06 season were: Porgy and Bess, Margaret Garner, Little Women, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Dead Man Walking, Filumena, Nixon in China, Susannah, and The Crucible. (Source: OPERA America) |
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For more information, please contact:
Public Affairs Department
OPERA America
330 Seventh Avenue, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212) 796-8620
www.operaamerica.org
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