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The Portland Opera has launched a $5 million fundraising campaign called “Keep Portland Operatic” for the next 16 months. More immediately, the company needs to raise $500,000 by June 30 in order to launch its 2026–27 season.
Typically, the Portland Opera would announce the upcoming season around now, but this year that will happen in July—as long as the opera brings in the half mil. Regular opera attendees ought to prepare for a “contracted” season regardless, says Christina Post, Portland Opera spokeswoman.
“It will be less grand in scale than what we saw this season,” Post says. This season’s priciest offering for the company was its November staging of La Bohème, which included a large set and detailed paint work.
The reason for the urgent fundraising campaign, according to the announcement, is the financial aftershocks of the pandemic, rising production costs, and shifting audience patterns. Portland Opera has not had to cut staff, Post says.
The Oregon Community Foundation already gave Portland Opera a $1 million lead gift, which will go toward the company’s first fundraising benchmark of $1.5 million. The next two benchmarks during the campaign will be $1.5 million by the end of 2026 and then another $2 million by June 30, 2027. The company anticipates that 60% of the fundraising will come from individual donors.
Portland Opera is Oregon’s largest opera company and has been in operation for 61 years. Last year, it moved its headquarters to downtown Portland’s World Trade Center on Southwest Salmon Street. Tracy Wenckus stepped in as interim general director Jan. 1 following the retirement of Sue Dixon.
“This campaign reflects both urgency and optimism,” said Kregg Arntson, president of Portland Opera’s board of directors, in a press release. “’Keep Portland Operatic’ is about far more than closing a budget gap. It’s about protecting a cultural treasure, sustaining the livelihoods of artists and craftspeople, strengthening our local economy, and ensuring future generations can experience the transformative power of live performance.”
The remaining productions of Portland Opera’s current season are Fellow Travelers, running March 7–15 at the Newmark Theatre, and Verdi’s Requiem on May 16 at Keller Auditorium.
