ABOUT THE OPERA LEAGUE OF LOS ANGELES

The Opera League produces an array of educational programs including seminars, gatherings, musicales, master classes, and much more, all with the common aim of expanding the appreciation of opera by bringing people together to celebrate this timeless art form.

OUR VISION

The Opera League is a global community in which everyone has the opportunity to experience the depth, beauty, humanity, and passion of opera, starting with LA Opera’s stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and extending into classrooms, neighborhoods, and digital spaces.

By pairing one of America’s leading opera companies with a dedicated volunteer network, the League helps transform a historically exclusive art form into an experience that feels welcoming, relevant, and within reach.

OUR MISSION

The Opera League of Los Angeles is the official support arm for LA Opera, one of the largest and most influential opera companies in the United States, serving as a vital resource for community engagement through education, volunteerism, and fundraising.

Founded in 1981 and recognized by LA Opera as its primary volunteer support organization, the League helps sustain a company whose education and community programs engage approximately 140,000 people each year across Los Angeles County.

WHO WE ARE

As LA Opera’s primary volunteer support organization, the League has spent more than four decades providing hands-on support to a company now ranked among the nation’s top-tier opera institutions.

Our members share a commitment to service, learning, and cultural stewardship, united by a love of opera and a belief in its power to connect and inspire. Through volunteer service, educational experiences, and social gatherings, the League fosters a vibrant community that supports LA Opera’s productions and helps expand the appreciation of opera throughout greater Los Angeles and the surrounding counties.

How THE Opera League of Los Angeles Came to Life

FOUNDED IN 1981

Founded in 1981, the nonprofit Opera League of Los Angeles is the primary volunteer support organization, and Co-Founder of LA Opera, the resident opera company for the City of Los Angeles which was established in 1986.

The first president was Alice Coulombe (1981 to 1984). During the 1960s, Alice’s late husband Joe (“Trader Joe”) had served on the board of a short-lived, struggling Pasadena opera company. At one point Alice decided to invite the neighbors to come by and enjoy some TJ wine before a performance.

Alice described the performance as a disaster, and by intermission, only the Saunders were left. A little later, Alice met Carol Henry and her late husband Warner at a dinner party. After what is reported to be have been a few rounds of Sake, Alice convinced Carol to get involved in the fledgling League. “To this day,” Carol says, “Alice continues to find rewarding ways for me to spend 99% of my discretionary time.”

After the Music Center opened, the Music Center Opera Association was created to coordinate visits of touring opera companies, including New York City Opera and San Francisco Opera.

In 1981, Carl Princi, radio announcer for classical music station KFAC, and Sol Rubin, board member of the MCOA, approached Alice and Lorraine who were involved in local Metropolitan Opera auditions, to ask them to form a support of volunteers to help out the touring opera companies while in town. They immediately recruited Carol, and the three of them went to work putting together the initial Opera League
of Los Angeles.

THE OPERA LEAGUE OF LOS ANGELES & OUR IMPACT

Our army of volunteers not only help execute the League’s own programming, but much of LA Opera’s programming as well. To that end, the League’s famous cast dinners and artist services provide an empathetic touch that sets it apart.

The League also raises funds to help produce LA Opera programming.

This is why LA Opera’s extraordinary success is a direct reflection of the robust and tireless support of the Opera League. Supporting opera through education, volunteerism and fundraising, being part of a global community where everyone has the opportunity to experience the depth and beauty of opera, is baked into our DNA.

The League will always continue to strive to stimulate interest and participation in opera for the benefit of the cultural, educational and musical life of the community.