Opera Reading Project

Ensure a Vibrant Future for Opera Reading Project! 

Opera Reading Project is a professional career development tool for singers. Our mission is to foster artistry for vocal performers and audiences through holistic vocal arts education, storytelling and human connection.

Join Us! ORP is growing and blooming. This past season, we performed for nearly 1000 audience members, we offered professional development training to 300 singers and learners, and we employed over 30 artists and performers to teach, collaborate and perform. We rely on the immense talent of our amazing artistic staff and guest partners to facilitate these activities. Now, with some incredibly exciting new artistic ideas sprouting for 2024-25, our needs to meet our mission are expanding. 

Help us reach our GTTM Day goal of $5,000!

$5000 will help us cover program costs for our '24-'25 season, including:

• Professional and artistic development classes with expert teachers and clinicians like Lara Bolton and Celeste Marie Johnson
• Opera Readings with public performances: Transformations (November 2024) and Pagliacci + Alice Tierney (June 2025)
• Artist fees and space rentals for new experimental programing, coming in Spring 2025!

New in 2024-25: Pay-What-You-Can Tuition Model

In keeping with our strategic goal of reducing financial barriers to participation, ORP has implemented a new pay-what-you-can tuition model for the season, with several levels of financial contribution. ORP’s tuition levels are already very reasonable and offer excellent value for the high quality, MN-based experience that singers currently get in the reading process. But we also know that we can’t make assumptions about where singers’ financial needs truly lie, so we have put the decision in their hands to make the most informed decision for themselves and their finances. This is a critical step towards increasing the accessibility of ORP's educational offerings to as many artists in our community as possible, and we need your help to make sure we can continue to provide our programming at reduced tuition, and eventually eliminate it altogether! 

About Opera Reading Project

Opera Reading Project (ORP) was founded in 2018 as a local hub for high-quality/low-cost opera training and arts connection. Our more than 30 community events and 20 opera readings since then have engaged hundreds of participants and patrons. We are a resource to benefit the singers and music educators of Minnesota as well as Twin Cities audiences, especially those seeking affordable artistic enrichment. 

ORP’s programming focuses on process, not product, and enables a safe space for artistic risk-taking and vocal discovery. We offer multiple opportunities for singers to musically prepare and polish an opera to professional standards, culminating in a concert-style public performance or a peer-to-peer reading. Our IDEA Fellowship is a development and leadership program for MN-based singers of color. IDEA is our first step to building representation in opera performance and administration. Additionally, we offer masterclasses, diction classes, mock auditions, and mental health awareness events. These programs are open to both opera singers and opera fans.

Opera Reading Project has been designated as a tax-exempt organization under IRC Section 501(c)(3). EIN: 92-1856840