Where opera, technology, brand, culture and global innovation meet.

Founded in May 2020, Opera Innovation began as a platform where opera entrepreneurs shared their ideas, initiatives, startups and small businesses; OI remains the only platform dedicated to exploring and expanding the spaces occupied by the business of opera, tech, brand, culture and global innovation. Opera doesn’t exist in a vacuum. As our Venn Diagram suggests, it requires deep coordination with other technologies, producers and business partners in order to succeed and flourish.

Latest OI Insights

OI Insights
Karen Nimereala, Opera Innovator
Karen Nimereala, Opera Innovator

(Paris, France) - Voice teacher Karen Nimereala first came to our attention through a friend in 2019. Classically-trainer and a former opera singer herself, some of Ms. Nimereala’s longtime clients include pop music icons Sting and Mylène Farmer. Prior to flying to Paris to see Ms. Farmer’s landmark residency, a friend mentioned that they had a social media connection to “Karen, Mylène’s voice teacher…did you know she was an opera singer?” A longtime fan of Ms. Farmer, this information had somehow eluded me…

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OI Interview | David Lomeli, Bolero Tech CEO
OI Interview | David Lomeli, Bolero Tech CEO

(Santa Fe, NM) - Opera Innovation profiled David Lomeli just before he began his tenure as Santa Fe Opera’s Chief Artistic Officer. In the years and seasons since, David continues to drive artistic endeavors for Santa Fe Opera, The Dallas Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Operalia, but for his own startup businesses, too: Bolero Tech and the Vincerò Competition, respectively. In late April, we met David at Santa Fe’s famed Inn at the Loretto, for a wide-ranging discussion on the problems Bolero’s technology solves, new partnerships in the Americas, the future of opera and a game-changing algorithm…

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OI Interview | Emma Scherer, Santa Fe Symphony's Executive Director
OI Interview | Emma Scherer, Santa Fe Symphony's Executive Director

(Santa Fe, NM) - We’re especially excited to share this chat with Emma Scherer, who we’ve known since her time at The Santa Fe Opera, working closely with Charles MacKay, while also running the company’s Executive Office and Board Relations. We met in 2015, when I had the opportunity to onsite consult with SFO public relations and apprentice artists that season. I was immediately impressed by everything Emma did and how she did it; a professional’s professional who kept everything and everyone moving forward, towards that day’s business goals, with an eye to the evening’s performance and everything that meant for Mr. MacKay and countless others. Fast-forwarding to the present, Emma has been The Santa Fe Symphony’s Executive Director since September 2021 and is preparing for the company’s 40th season in 2023/4. However, on the way there, Emma and collaborators launched the Art + Sol | Santa Fe Winter Arts Festival in February 2023…

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(Santa Fe, NM) - Opera Innovation profiled David Lomeli just before he began his tenure as Santa Fe Opera’s Artistic Principal. In the years and seasons since, David continues to drive artistic endeavors for Santa Fe Opera, The Dallas Opera, Ba
FORTHCOMING. JBM for OI
OI Interview | Emma Scherer, The Santa Fe Symphony's Executive Director (Santa Fe, NM) - We’re especially excited to share this chat with Emma Scherer, who we’ve known since her time at The Santa Fe Opera, working closely with Charles M
OI INTERVIEW | ALLISON SWENSON, @operaomaha’s new General Director (Santa Fe, NM) - We were thrilled when we heard about Allison Swenson’s move to Omaha as General Director, but a little sad, too. Allison’s been an incredible force
(Santa Fe, NM) - We first connected with Ulrike Köstinger via #Instagram and Zoom during the pandemic. At the time, Ulrike was Chief #Content and Partnership Officer for @operabaseglobal, @cuetv.online and holding company @artsconsolidated. Oper
(Paris, France) - The latest live album from French pop rock legends @indochineofficiel held more than a few surprises. Last summer’s #CentralTour was a major cultural happening. Six massive concerts, in both attendance and scale, swept across

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Opera Innovators featured (in order): Claudillea; Will Liverman and Frisson Films; Leslie Travers and Den Norske Opera; Opera Philadelphia and Kristen Choi; Bare Opera; Santa Fe Opera and Justin Kim, Joshua Dennis, Michael Hawk, John Arida; personal video of "L'incoronazione di Poppea" final bows, with Cappella Mediterranea, Festival D'Aix-En-Provence (July 15, 2022).