Shape the Future of Opera

For 15 years, Opera Parallèle has delivered bold, boundary-pushing productions on lean budgets—powered by a passionate community of supporters like you. Today, we stand as a national leader in contemporary opera and a creative force in San Francisco’s cultural renaissance.

To fuel this momentum, we launched the $4 million Opera Parallèle Impact Campaign (OPIC)—a bold initiative to expand our artistic reach, strengthen our infrastructure, and secure a sustainable future.

With over $3.1 million already raised, your support can help push us across the finish line. Be part of the next chapter in opera’s evolution.

Make an Impact Today

Help Us Reach the Summit

What OPIC Makes Possible

Increasing OP’s Artistic Impact

Reach wider audiences in the Bay Area and beyond by creating modern opera of the highest artistic standards—many of which will be co-productions or productions that will tour nationally or internationally

Wider influence in the field of contemporary opera, helping to shape its future, building the canon, and what the art form has to offer to diverse audiences now

Growing OP’s Infrastructure

Invest in our biggest resource—people—by recruiting and retaining a right-sized staff of top talent that complements our artistic excellence by paying competitive wages and benefits, utilizing systems and technologies that help the company maximize efficiency and effectiveness.

Creating Financial Stability

OPIC creates the long-term financial stability necessary to allow OP to move away from scarcity to become more planful, more consistent, and even more creative. This financial stability will allow OP to do long-range planning to smooth out the inevitable bumps that come with making art.

Increasing OP’s Artistic Impact

Reach wider audiences in the Bay Area and beyond by creating modern opera of the highest artistic standards—many of which will be co-productions or productions that will tour nationally or internationally

Wider influence in the field of contemporary opera, helping to shape its future, building the canon, and what the art form has to offer to diverse audiences now

Growing OP’s Infrastructure

Invest in our biggest resource—people—by recruiting and retaining a right-sized staff of top talent that complements our artistic excellence by paying competitive wages and benefits, utilizing systems and technologies that help the company maximize efficiency and effectiveness.

Creating Financial Stability

OPIC creates the long-term financial stability necessary to allow OP to move away from scarcity to become more planful, more consistent, and even more creative. This financial stability will allow OP to do long-range planning to smooth out the inevitable bumps that come with making art.

Opera Parallèle Is Thriving—and Ready to Scale

While many arts organizations are fighting for survival, Opera Parallèle is thriving. When the pandemic forced many opera companies to go dark, OP adapted—creating the groundbreaking Everest: A Graphic Novel Opera, now an award-winning film that deploys advanced technology to introduce new audiences to contemporary opera worldwide.

Today, OP is poised for its next bold leap. With the opera world finally recognizing what we’ve championed all along—that contemporary opera is the key to reaching broader, more diverse audiences—OP is leading the charge. In fact, for the first time in history, modern operas are outpacing classics on major stages. And no one delivers contemporary opera like Opera Parallèle.

Our board has launched a bold strategic plan to build on this momentum. Stronger, more diverse, and fully committed, they’re joined by a skilled and passionate team driving record-breaking ticket sales and expanded reach.

Now is our moment to scale—and shape the future of opera.

Progress to Date:

A portion of the $3 million+ in OPIC funding raised to date is already being deployed, with results that fully validate the theories advanced in the campaign planning.

Proof Point #1 - Progress on Increasing OP’s Impact & Creating Financial Stability

Strategic campaign investments have already secured 13 new co-commissioning, co-producing, and presenting partnerships for FY25 and FY26—surpassing the total number of external collaborations in the company’s entire history (previously 10). These partnerships have generated nearly $380,000 to date, establishing a significant new revenue stream and fueling future growth.

Proof Point #2 - Progress on Increasing OP’s Artistic Impact and Brand

Since the inception of OPIC, there has been significant progress on these 7 qualitative outcomes that measure increases in OP’s artistic impact and brand.

These outcomes will continue to be measured throughout the campaign and well after.

Proof Point #3 - Growing OP’s Infrastructure & Building Financial Stability

Success in the quiet phase of the campaign raised more than 75% of the campaign goal and allowed for new key staffing to increase organizational stability and create new efficiencies.

Thank you to our Charter Donors

$250K+
Norby Anderson
Donna Dubinsky & Len Shustek
Bob Ellis

$25K+
Jane Hartley
Lisa Lindelef
Bernice Lindstrom
Peggy Otum & Andrew Price

$1M+
Gordon Getty

$100K+
Fred Levin, The Shenson Foundation
Martha Peak Rochelle
Jerry Roth & Ray Jenks
Jack & Betty Schafer

$10K+
Michèle & Larry Corash
Marylene Delbourg-Delphis
Louise Fox
Jo Giessler
Marcia Lazer
Jeff Mattlin & Alexa Fitzpatrick
Simin Naaseh & Farhang Ostadan
Nancy Petrisko & Don Beckham
Robert Ripps & Steven Spector

$50K+
Pitch & Catherine Johnson
Nicole Paiement & Brian Staufenbiel

Up to $9,999
Malekeh Amini
Kip Cranna
Joseph & Bette Hirsch
Steven Lei
John Roevekamp & Lisa Jill Freeman
Michael & Gini Savage
Tony Shayne
Jee Young You & Paul Alsdorf