Indie Opera Becomes Official 501(c)(3) Organization

Indie Opera Productions announces their new status as an official 501(c)(3) organization. In collaboration with their board of directors, Indie Opera's leadership team successfully navigated the process of procuring nonprofit status from the IRS.

Brooke Larimer, Business & Operations Manager and Co-host at Indie Opera, spearheaded the company's efforts to achieve this meaningful goal: "Working our way through the Byzantine documentation and planning would be arduous under any circumstances," she said, "But the vagaries of Covid-19 slowed down the process much more than usual. Now that we are on the other side of this hurdle, we are more excited and determined to continue our mission of moving the art form of Opera further into the twenty-first century as we continue to highlight innovative voices in the industry."

Indie Opera's new nonprofit status comes at an opportune moment, since many music enthusiasts make charitable contributions to their favorite companies at the end of the calendar year. With this in mind, a generous supporter has stepped forward with a $2,000 Challenge Grant. Every dollar up to $2,000 donated before the end of 2020 will be matched 100%. Supporters often support through Patreon, where they can receive exclusive benefits, but donations can also be made through Paypal or even checks through the mail.

Peter Szep, Indie Opera's Executive Producer and founder, reiterated his passion for the group's ongoing service to the Opera community: "With seasons canceled and artists unemployed across the globe, our work is more important now than ever. Though we all miss the joy of coming together for live, in-person performances, our intrepid Indie Opera team will keep the opera candle burning during this dark time. We hope that our ongoing dedication to opera composers, singers, producers and audiences will bring encouragement to sustain us all until we can meet again in the opera house. Support from our podcast subscribers will ensure that our labor of love can continue."

Named as one of the "The Must-Listen Podcasts for Opera and Classical Music Fans" by Playbill, and hailed for their "insightful, in-depth" interviews by Forbes.com, Indie Opera has been praised as one of OperaWire's "5 Opera Podcasts You Should Be Listening To." Best known for their monthly podcast episodes and "Opera Fix" features, Indie Opera continues to expand their engagement with the opera community. Recently, author Gregory Moomjy has contributed many fresh takes and reviews of live and streamed performances. The Indie Opera team also plans to produce more live events such as their IndieOperaLive! Women In Opera Panel Discussion in collaboration with New York Opera Alliance. Upcoming episodes will highlight the opera world's reaction to #BlackLivesMatter, and the winners of this year's OperaAmerica Grants for Female Composers. Upcoming guests include Fort Worth Opera's new General Director Afton Battle, Will Liverman. For more information, visit indieopera.com.