Nonprofit Spotlight: Boulder Opera Company

Editor’s note: Each month, Social Venture Partners Boulder County produces a Nonprofit Spotlight to highlight the work of nonprofits in Boulder County. 

BOULDER — Founded in 2012, the Boulder Opera Company celebrates its 12th season this year. Dianela Acosta, an opera singer herself, founded the organization, which performs opera productions — including family-friendly, abridged productions — to make opera accessible to everyone and to develop a new generation of opera lovers. 

The company’s focus this season is on modern North American operas with operas written by American composers in the 20th and 21st centuries. Many of the story lines are about our modern society, and audiences may see aspects of their own lives portrayed in the performances.

Last fall’s family-friendly series featured Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The production gave young singers an opportunity to develop their craft and perform, as well as allowed families with young children the opportunity to attend the opera. The performances are shorter and more casual to make “it accessible for families who might feel that the kids won’t sit through [it]. But we actually encourage them to come. We expect that there’s going to be background noise going on throughout the performance and we welcome that,” Acosta said. The next family-friendly series will be announced soon.

Other ways the Boulder Opera Company gets younger generations involved is through outreach to schools and libraries. The Company offers opera story times and field trips for school-aged children, and can even bring a production to the schools. From February to May 2024, local schools can bring a new, fully staged, bilingual opera to their students. Xochitl and the Flowers is the story of an immigrant family from El Salvador who move to California. “[Boulder Opera Company] will bring the whole show. The whole package comes with class presentations, and we can also work with the art teachers to create some of the props of the opera,” Acosta said. Past school performances have been one hour in length with a question-and-answer session following the performance. 

The Boulder Opera’s upcoming performances include Operatizers on April 20 and April 21. These are short 10-minute to 20-minute stories, which will provide “tastes of opera.” This summer, Boulder Opera Company plans to again hold Opera in the Park, which, Acosta said, is “a great event, it’s very affordable. People love it because it’s outdoors and there will be food trucks and there is a beer garden as well.”

There are many ways that Boulder Opera Company encourages our community to engage with opera. If you would like to become more involved, attend a performance, volunteer your expertise on the Board of Directors, become a corporate sponsor, or make a donation — learn more at boulderoperacompany.com. 

Jennifer Bradford is former operations manager at Social Venture Partners Boulder County.

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