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Ausrine Stundyte as Cio-Cio-San, Elizabeth Janes as Butterfly’s child and Sarah Larsen as Suzuki in Seattle Opera's production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Photo by Elise Bakketun.
Quick Opera Facts 2009-2010
Number and Location of Companies OPERA America serves the opera field in its broadest dimension, supporting the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera. In the United States, it counts 119 professional companies in 42 states in its membership. It also serves 17 professional companies in five 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 91 affiliated companies in Europe, as well as serving four additional companies from around the globe. (Source: OPERA America)
Attendance Over 4.3 million people attended a live performance at one of OPERA America’s Professional Company Members in 2009, including education and outreach programs, and festivals.
Number of Productions In 2009-2010, OPERA America’s Professional Company Members in North America are presenting 449 fully staged main season and festival productions.
Audience
Demographics		 In 2008, the median age of the opera attendee was 48, one year older than in 2002. In 2008, 5.2% of adults with a Bachelor's or higher degree attended an opera performance. (Source: National Endowment for the Arts)
Broadcast and
Recorded Media		 The percentage of adults viewing or listening to opera via broadcast and recorded media remains higher than live attendance. In 2008, 11 million adults, or 4.9% of the population, viewed or listened to an opera broadcast or recording. (Source: National Endowment for the Arts)
Economic Impact Currently, North American opera companies have over 55,000 full-time and part-time employees. The collective expenses of American and Canadian opera companies for 2008-2009 were $896 million, and the collective revenue was $623 million. (Source: OPERA America)
Box Office Income OPERA America and Opera.ca companies posted $305 million dollars in box office receipts for FY09. Box office income represents 44% of total operating income for all companies. (Source: OPERA America)
Private Support Private support of OPERA America companies in the United States totaled $369 million in FY09, representing 52% of the total income. (Source: OPERA America)
Government
Support		 Total government support for American opera companies in FY09 amounted to $17.7 million. Of that, about $6.4 million came from state funding sources.
New Works In the calendar years of 2009 and 2010, OPERA America members are involved with 51 world premieres. Since 1990, over 400 new operatic works have been produced by professional opera companies in North America. (Source: OPERA America)
Most Frequently Produced
Operas		 The most frequently produced operas in the 2009-2010 season were: The Marriage of Figaro, La bohème, Carmen, Tosca, La traviata, Madame Butterfly, The Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel, The Elixir of Love and Don Giovanni.

The most frequently produced North American operas in the 2009-2010 season were: George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, John Adams’s Nixon in China, Lewis Spratlan’s Life is a Dream, Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers and Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. (Source: OPERA America)
For more information, please contact:
Patricia Kiernan Johnson
OPERA America
330 Seventh Avenue, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212) 796-8620
www.operaamerica.org

Spring 2013 Magazine Issue
  • Letter from the President/CEO
  • Of One: The Quest for Asian Fusion in the Opera House
  • Vancouver: Where Nature Nurtures Art
  • Inheriting the Wind
  • My First Time
Contact Us
330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001
P 212-796-8620 • F 212-796-8621
Info@operaamerica.org • Directions
From Airport:
The easiest way to reach the OPERA America offices is to get a cab at the airport. Cost is $40-45
(not including tip).
  • JFK - Take the AirTrain ($5 - approx. 15 minutes) to the Jamaica Street Station and transfer to the Long Island Railroad (LIRR). Take the LIRR to Penn Station ($12 - approx. 35 minutes). See Penn Station directions below.
  • LaGuardia - Take the M60 Bus to the Hoyt Ave/31st Street. Get on the or Train and take that to 42nd/Times Square Station. Follow the Times Square Station directions below.
  • Newark - Take the New Jersey Transit train to Penn Station ($15 - approx. 45 min). See the Penn Station Directions below.

From Penn Station/Madison Square Garden:
Leave the station through the 7th Avenue/33rd Street exit and walk south for four blocks. The building is on
the right hand side.

From Grand Central Station:
Take the Train to the 42nd/Times Square station and transfer to the Train.
Take the Train to the 28th Street stop and walk north on 7th Avenue.
The building is on the same block as the train stop.

From 42nd Street/Times Square:
Take the Train to the 28th Street stop and walk north on 7th Avenue.
The building is on the same block as the train stop.

For more detailed directions, most up-to-date pricing or to specify a different starting location, please visit the
MTA Web site.