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Heartbeat Opera Ltd
Brooklyn, NY · EIN 474122815 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A6A · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Medium ($1M-$10M) · heartbeatopera.org
revenue
$1.0M
expenses
$1.1M
net assets
$196K
employees
61
program ratio
82%
mission · from form 990

Grounded in the belief that excellent opera making should build community and radiate beauty, Heartbeat Opera creates incisive adaptations, revelatory arrangements of classics, and interdisciplinary collaboration. We reckon with the harmful aspects of opera's past and pioneer an equitable and inclusive future for our art form, centered in love.

profile · synthesized from sources

Heartbeat Opera creates incisive adaptations and revelatory arrangements of classic operas, reimagining them for contemporary audiences through interdisciplinary collaboration. Based in Brooklyn, NY, the company centers community-building and equity in its productions, which often feature diverse casts, new chamber arrangements, and socially resonant themes. Their work confronts opera's historical limitations while pioneering an inclusive future for the art form.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2019

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $182K
    HEARTBEAT OPERA MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION: A FULL THEATRICAL RENDITION OF "DER FREISCHUTZ": WRITTEN AT THE ONSET OF INDUSTRIALIZATION IN GERMANY, THIS UNIQUE TAKE ON THE FAMOUS WOLF CANYON SCENE WAS PRESENTED AT THE ROSE NAGELBERG THEATRE AND ACHIEVED CRITICAL ACCLAIM IN THE PRESS. WITH ITS RAUNCHY DRINKING SONGS, SUBLIME ARIAS, AND ONE OF THE SCARIEST SCENES IN ALL OF OPERA, HEARTBEAT'S IMMERSIVE STAGING AND RADICAL INSTRUMENTATION TOOK AUDIENCES ON A VISCERAL JOURNEY DEEP INTO THE MIDNIGHT FOREST OF AMERICAN NIGHTMARES. THIS WAS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THIS MASTERPIECE OF GERMAN ROMANTICISM.
  2. #2 $39K
    HEARTBEAT OPERA MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION, PRESENTED VIRTUALLY: "LADY M." ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO BE PRESENTED AS PART OF THE MAINSTAGE SEASON IN A THEATER, DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, "LADY M" WAS PRESENTED VIRTUALLY THROUGH ZOOM. THIS ADAPTATION OF VERDI'S "MACBETH"(BASED ON SHAKESPEARE'S PLAY) IS AN ONLINE NIGHTMARE-FANTASIA, FEATURING SIX SINGERS, SIX INSTRUMENTALISTS, AND ELECTRONIC SOUND DESIGN. STRIPPING AWAY THE CLICHES THAT HAVE ACCUMULATED AROUND LADY MACBETH AND HER STORY, THIS VERSION EXPLORES AMBITION, GENDER, AND VIOLENCE THROUGH A CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN LENS. IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19, HEARTBEAT OPERA TOOK "LADY M" PERFORMANCES ONLINE, FOLLOWED BY A SERIES OF VIRTUAL SOIREES WITH THE AUDIENCE.
named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Drag Opera Extravaganza
Annual drag-opera fusion event blending operatic arias with drag performance, satire, and social commentary, held at venues including Roulette and Judson Memorial Church
Fidelio Prison Collaboration
Production featuring voices of over 100 incarcerated singers from six prison choirs, recontextualizing Beethoven’s opera within a modern framework of racial justice
Mainstage Opera Productions
Full theatrical productions of reimagined classic operas with new chamber arrangements, English translations, and diverse casting, performed at venues like Baruch Performing Arts Center and Judson Memorial Church
The Extinctionist
World premiere commissioned opera exploring climate collapse and reproductive ethics, developed in collaboration with playwright Amanda Quaid and composer Daniel Schlosberg
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • Theater and Performing Arts in Corrections 1 activity
    • Collaborating with incarcerated artists
      Partners with prison choirs across multiple states to integrate over 100 incarcerated singers into productions such as Fidelio through audio/video recordings, fostering inclusion and amplifying marginalized voices.
  • Original Music-Theater and Opera Production 1 activity
    • Commissioning and premiering new operatic works
      Commissions and premieres original operas in English that address contemporary themes such as climate anxiety and reproductive choice, including The Extinctionist and virtual productions like Lady M.
  • Opera and Vocal Arts Training Programs 1 activity
    • Delivering opera education programs for youth
      Conducts opera education workshops for youth in partnership with organizations like Atlas DIY and A BroaderWay, including hands-on training, attendance at productions, backstage tours, and post-show discussions, with free access provided through the Heartbeat For All program.
  • LGBTQ+ Community Events and Celebrations 1 activity
    • Producing annual drag opera extravaganzas
      Hosts an annual Halloween drag opera extravaganza that blends opera, drag, and popular culture in interdisciplinary performances, such as ORGY & BESS and Slaylem: The Witch Trials, presented at venues like Judson Memorial Church and National Sawdust.
  • Digital Music and Performance Archiving 1 activity
    • Providing free digital access to opera recordings
      Makes professionally filmed recordings of full opera productions freely available online for public viewing and also provides access for educational and professional use by students, performers, and opera makers globally.
  • Professional Opera and Operetta Production 1 activity
    • Staging innovative opera productions
      Produces and stages annual opera productions that reinterpret classic works and premiere new original operas, often through radical reimaginings, chamber arrangements, and English adaptations. Examples include immersive stagings of Der Freischütz, intimate productions of Salome, and reimagined versions of RUSALKA, FALSTAFF, and Manon!.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.01M
Contributions & grants$835K83%
Program service revenue$173K17%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$968
expenses
Total expenses$1.15M
Program expenses82%
Admin / overhead8%
Fundraising10%
Salaries & benefits$571K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$325K
Cash$158K
Investments$0
Liabilities$128K
Net assets$196K
Liquid reserves1.7 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +19.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Jacob Ashworth Artistic Dir. 40 $78K
board members · 7
  • Ethan Heard — Board member
  • Liz Diamond — Board member
  • Louise Proske — Board member
  • Robert Fitzpatrick — Board member
  • Sonja Berggren — Board member
  • Stephen Foster — Board member
  • Therese Esperdy — Board Chair
relationships · 20

Who they work with

  • A BroaderWay Partner — Collaborated with Heartbeat Opera to bring opera education to youth in New York City.
  • A BroaderWay Partner — Collaborates to bring opera education workshops and performance access to youth from underserved areas in New York City.
  • Associated Press Partner — Reported on Heartbeat Opera’s rehearsal and audition processes, emphasizing its focus on acting and storytelling.
  • Atlas DIY Partner — Collaborated with Heartbeat Opera to provide opera education programming for young people in NYC.
  • Atlas DIY: Developing Immigrant Youth Partner — Partners to deliver opera education programs to immigrant youth in New York City.
  • BARUCH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Partner — Venue partner hosting the production of Verdi’s FALSTAFF.
  • Judson Memorial Church Partner — Hosted multiple productions including ORGY & BESS and SLAYLEM: The Witch Trials.
  • Judson Memorial Church Partner — Venue partner hosting performances of Heartbeat Opera’s annual Drag Opera Extravaganza.
  • Opera Lafayette Partner — Co-produced LA SUSANNA with Heartbeat Opera.
  • Opus 3 Artists Partner — Represented Heartbeat Opera during its west coast tour of FIDELIO.
  • PayPal Partner — Provides secure online donation processing for contributions to Heartbeat Opera.
  • Rose Nagelberg Theatre Partner — Hosted Heartbeat Opera's mainstage production of "Der Freischütz" in 2019.
  • Roulette Partner — Presented The Golden Cock and Messy Messiah as part of Heartbeat Opera's annual drag extravaganzas.
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art Partner — Hosted a performance of FIDELIO as part of its national tour.
  • The New York Times Partner — Published multiple reviews and features on Heartbeat Opera's productions and artistic approach.
  • The New Yorker Partner — Covered Heartbeat Opera's productions, including reviews of "Salome" and "Butterfly."
  • The Space at Irondale Partner — Venue partner hosting productions including the reimagined RUSALKA.
  • The Wall Street Journal Partner — Highlighted Heartbeat Opera as a pioneer in reformatting the opera experience and radically rethinking classics.
  • The Washington Post Partner — Reviewed Heartbeat Opera’s production of "Heard," noting its thoughtful treatment of themes of female abuse.
  • Williamstown Theatre Festival Partner — Collaborated to present the first opera production in the festival's history.
strategies · 4

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-Led Participatory Education for Accessibility
    methodology: artist_led_participation
    By using hands-on, artist-led workshops that emphasize active dramatic participation, we build engagement with opera among new audiences, because experiential learning lowers barriers to entry and fosters personal connection to the art form.
  • Digital Accessibility to Expand Reach
    methodology: digital_accessibility
    By offering free, on-demand digital streaming of productions, we remove geographic and physical barriers to access, because virtual platforms enable broader, more equitable audience participation regardless of location or mobility.
  • Immersive and Intimate Staging for Psychological Intensity
    methodology: immersive_distillation
    By reducing scale and employing immersive, physically dynamic staging and radical distillation of orchestration, we heighten emotional immediacy and audience engagement, because intimate settings intensify psychological focus and transform traditional operatic experience into a more personal and impactful encounter.
  • Radical Reinterpretation to Reclaim and Relevance
    methodology: radical_reinterpretation
    By radically reinterpreting classic operas through contemporary social, political, and queer lenses—using drag, modern design, and recontextualized narratives—we make opera relevant and accessible, because this challenges elitist perceptions, centers marginalized voices, and fosters community connection through shared cultural critique.