COMMON MAPS
Map version new-york activity top-down
Main site Contact
Menu
↑ parent activity group ·
research dossier

ARDEA ARTS INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 204937547 · Form 990EZ · FY2024 · NTEE A20 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Micro (<$100K) · ardeaarts.com
revenue
$58K
expenses
$130K
net assets
$-133K
employees
—
mission · from form 990

Ardea Arts (New Opera for New Audiences)is a non-for-profit development and production company dedicated to creating and performing new opera and music theatre works of the highest professional quality, which challenge as well as entertain, speak to our diverse global community and champion the human spirit. Our committment extends to global audiences of all ages and all walks of life. We bring together unexpected artisits to redefine and revitalize opera for the 21st century. Our goal is to create work that brings new audiences and new generations to opera, and that travels into diverse communities to engage people and their communities both within and far outside the walls of the opera house.

profile · synthesized from sources

Ardea Arts is a nonprofit development and production company creating new opera and music-theater works designed to challenge and entertain diverse global audiences. The organization focuses on making opera accessible to new generations and underserved communities through innovative collaborations and performances outside traditional venues. It develops original works such as "Flurry Tale" and "BOUNCE The Basketball Opera," often partnering with arts institutions, schools, and community organizations.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

BOUNCE The Basketball Opera
An original music-theater work blending opera with basketball culture, developed through workshops and performances in locations including Kentucky and New York. Engages NBA professionals and arts performers in a unique interdisciplinary format.
Family Opera Initiative (FOI)
A program established by Grethe Barrett Holby to create and develop new opera works for children, families, and diverse audiences, originally launched at American Opera Projects and continued under Ardea Arts.
Flurry Tale
A 60-minute holiday opera for all ages featuring a family-friendly story about belief and compassion, with music by Rusty Magee and libretto by Billy Aronson. Premiered in 2009 and performed at venues including the Metropolitan Opera Club and The Century Association.
Internship Program
Hands-on training for students in arts administration, production, marketing, and development, offering experience in nonprofit arts management and creative collaboration.
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Original Music-Theater and Opera Production 2 activities
    • Co-producing performances and conducting workshops with partner organizations
      Collaborates with institutions such as American Opera Projects, TADA! Children’s Theater, Central Park Zoo, Montclair State University, University of Kentucky Opera Theatre, and others to co-produce performances and lead developmental workshops for new works.
    • Commissioning, developing, and producing original opera and music-theater works
      Creates new professional-quality opera and music-theater works that address diverse global communities and underserved audiences, including youth and families. Productions include Flurry Tale, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Fireworks!, Animal Tales, CAT, Maya’s Ark, and Babar, The Little Elephant, with premieres in New York City and beyond.
  • Event and Production Volunteer Coordination 1 activity
    • Engaging volunteers in artistic and administrative operations
      Utilizes volunteers to support event planning, ticketing, guest services, refreshment service, artist liaison duties, mailings, data entry, research, budgeting, marketing, and social media management.
  • Community Music Performances & Education 1 activity
    • Presenting participatory and community-engaged performances
      Produces interactive opera and musical performances that actively involve audience members in singing, percussion, and educational activities focused on literacy, spelling, counting, and self-worth. Also includes post-performance discussions with artists and audiences to explore thematic content.
  • Theatrical Casting and Audition Programs 1 activity
    • Providing paid performance and rehearsal opportunities for artists
      Offers compensated roles for performers at $15 per hour during rehearsals and performances, including productions staged in non-traditional venues such as basketball courts and parks.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$58K
Contributions & grants$58K100%
Program service revenue——
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$130K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$91K
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$30K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$-133K
2 years on record · 2023–2024 · YoY revenue -35.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 3
  • ERIC VON STROH — Director
  • EVERETT MCCORVEY — Director
  • STACY IGEL — Director
relationships · 35

Who they work with

  • American Opera Projects Partner — Co-developed the opera "Fireworks!" as a development partner.
  • American Opera Projects Partner — Co-produced performances and conducted joint workshops.
  • American Opera Projects Partner — Development partner for Flurry Tale through the Family Opera Initiative.
  • Atlantic Center For The Arts Partner — Development partner for the production of "Animal Tales"
  • Central Park Zoo Partner — Co-produced opera performances in non-traditional settings.
  • Chidi Ozieh Partner — Co-director of "Maya's Ark."
  • City Parks Foundation Partner — Partnered to present BOUNCE The Basketball Performance Event for youth and families in Brooklyn, NY.
  • David Wolfson Partner — Collaborator on "Maya's Ark" as composer and librettist.
  • Facebook Partner — Social media platform used for outreach and updates
  • Family Opera Initiative Partner — Co-developed the opera "Fireworks!" as a development partner.
  • French Institute Alliance Française NYC Partner — Co-presented a choreographed staged version of Babar, The Little Elephant.
  • Garden State Philharmonic Partner — Presented the orchestra concert premiere of "Animal Tales" in 2017
  • Grethe Barrett Holby Partner — Co-director of "Maya's Ark" and collaborator through Ardea Arts/Family Opera Initiative.
  • Instagram Partner — Social media platform used for outreach and updates
  • Jaffe Family Foundation Funder — Provided major support for the development of "Fireworks!".
  • Jane A. Gross Trust Funder — Major supporter of the development of CAT
  • LaGuardia Community College Partner — Hosts casting events in its gymnasium, with access restricted to its students due to security policies.
  • Laurie Tisch Illumination Fund Funder — Major supporter of Flurry Tale.
  • Montclair University Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs Partner — Development partner for the production of "Animal Tales"
  • NBA Partner — Collaborates with NBA professionals in the production of BOUNCE The Basketball Opera.
  • NY State Council for the Arts Government — Provided support for the development of "Fireworks!".
  • New York Public Library Partner — Development partner for Flurry Tale.
  • New York State Council on the Arts Government — Funder of Flurry Tale, as indicated by logo presence and standard grant support for arts organizations in New York.
  • Nightingale-Bamford School Partner — Development partner in New York area schools for Flurry Tale.
  • OPERA America Funder — Provided funding for the commissioning of Kitty Brazelton for "Animal Tales" through its Opera Grants for Female Composers Program
  • TADA! Children’s Theater Partner — Co-produced performances of opera-musicals.
  • The Bagby Foundation for the Musical Arts Funder — Major supporter of Flurry Tale.
  • The Garden State Philharmonic Partner — Co-presented the world concert premiere of ANIMAL TALES in Toms River, NJ.
  • The Jaffe Family Foundation Funder — Major supporter of the development of CAT
  • The Victor Herbert Foundation Funder — Major supporter of Flurry Tale.
+ 5 more
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Artist-Driven Development of New Works
    methodology: artist_collaboration_innovation
    By commissioning and collaborating with unconventional artists to develop new opera and music-theater works, we challenge and inspire global audiences because innovation rooted in artistic risk-taking shifts cultural perspectives.
  • Community-Engaged Art-Making
    methodology: community-engaged_art-making
    By involving diverse communities in both the creation and performance of opera, we increase accessibility and relevance because shared authorship fosters ownership and connection among new and younger audiences.
  • Interdisciplinary Innovation in Opera
    methodology: interdisciplinary-opera-production
    By integrating opera with other art forms—such as dance, theater, visual design, and live basketball—we renew the form for contemporary audiences because hybrid formats expand expressive possibilities and attract diverse spectators.
  • Opera as Civic and Social Dialogue
    methodology: opera-for-community-dialogue
    By grounding opera in social issues and civic themes, we inspire critical thinking and audience engagement because narrative depth and contemporary relevance make the art form a vehicle for reflection and dialogue.
  • Participatory Arts Education
    methodology: participatory_arts_education
    By designing performances where the audience actively participates as chorus or orchestra, we create immersive educational experiences because embodied engagement deepens understanding of musical and literacy concepts.