About Us

Opera on Tap was born in 2005 at Freddy's Bar and Backroom in Brooklyn and incorporated in 2007 to promote opera as a viable, living and progressive art form, and to support the developing artists who keep it alive.

What began as a small monthly gathering of classically trained singers looking for more chances to perform has grown into a producing organization with a loyal audience and national recognition as an innovative force on the classical music scene. Through our chapter program, Opera on Tap has built a large network of performers, creators and supporters across the US and abroad.

Today Opera on Tap is a program of FlyRail, Inc. Our technology, new-opera and education work now lives at FlyRail, our arts and creative technology lab.

Our mission

To engage and enrich our communities through culture and the arts, and to empower singers, instrumentalists, composers and other artists through opportunities for paid performance, commissions, leadership and safe creative processes.

Core values

• Fostering an environment of belonging and respect for our staff and artists' time, energy and skills.
  • Diversity of all constituents leads to a vibrant organization and fresh art.
  • Equity in pay and responsibility across the organization.
  • Inclusiveness in decision making and programming.
  • Belonging and community building for artists and audiences.
• Programming rooted in community engagement, which leads to deeper connections within and between our communities across the world.
  • Innovative, boundary-pushing, high-quality programming that advances the art of opera.
  • An inclusive and open process of making art, from commission to audition to opening night and beyond.

Learn more about our programs.

Executive Committee

Board of Directors

Directors

• Tanya Jones, award-winning producer and founder, Mama Bear Media Group LLC
• Ramona Ponce, theatre educator and freelance costume designer, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center

HR & Equity Committee

David Gordon · Ramona Ponce · Donna Epstein · Lucia Rivieccio

Advisory Council

• Dr. Naomi André
• Du'Bois A'Keen
• David Cote
• Rebekah Diaz
• Dr. James Duval
• Aaron Dworkin
• Karen Fierst
• Eve Gigliotti
• Christine Goerke
• Emily Grad
• Anna Hall
• Celeste Headlee
• Adam Herskowitz
• Sylvia McNair
• Todd Perlmutter
• Kyle Pfortmiller
• Laura Pfortmiller
• Rachel Powers
• Paul Provencio
• Kamala Sankaram
• Prof. George Shirley
• Mithuna Sivaraman
• Alexa Smith
• Jorge Sosa
• Salima Ira Swain
• Russell Thomas
• Dr. Indre Viskontas

Partners & sponsors

Recognition for our work