Mission Statement
To contribute to the art form and the musical life of the greater Philadelphia region by producing, in concert format, opera of the highest possible quality, embracing both standard and lesser known works; to entertain, educate, and broaden our audiences, in doing so to identify and engage young artists of professional potential and provide them a needed forum and an opportunity to work with more seasoned conductors and performers.

What is ConcertOPERA?
ConcertOPERA is opera performed in the style of a concert which allows one to intimately experience the beauty and intricacies of the music and follow the story line in a simpler setting. While it is always exciting to experience the many facets of fully-staged performances of opera, concert form allows one to enjoy the music in its purity.

ConcertOPERA, Philadelphia offers a chamber experience to our audiences in the less familiar form of concert opera, which is so very popular overseas. This format also allows intimacy with the singers, their portrayal of the role, and the overall comprehension of the plot, even when, at times, it is performed in a foreign language. Our motives are highly educational both for singer and for audiences. Our programs are informational and explanatory to afford ease of comprehension and enjoyment.

In addition, our audiences have come from various segments of the population and are not limited to aficionado only. Because of the nature of our board and varied locations of our members, we have attracted many of our audiences from the suburbs of Philadelphia and have testimonials of many who were able to see their first opera ever with us at COPA. Some have become steadfast attendees each season of COPA or have become season subscribers to area opera companies.

Venues
COPA has celebrated former seasons at The Great Hall--Trinity Center for Urban Life, Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA).

Orchestras
Ensemble accompaniment has included pieces as small as four to nine pieces and as large as 90 players. Piano accompaniment is often an appropriate choice for chamber opera, as well.

Young Artist Development
We fill a niche for the singer who has completed his/her studies but is not quite ready for the highest professional echelons of the business and needs more experience or simply to build his/her resume. We differ in that we are not an educational institution offering experience to our clientele, but opportunities to those who are already working in the business.

In addition, we have continually added high school singers to our choruses over the past three seasons and have invited them to perform minor segments. For instance, 2003's Die Fledermaus included a high school senior with operatic and musical theater aspirations in the role of Ida and an aspiring young tenor who had previously frequented our choruses, in the role of Dr. Blind. In 2005, we presented a soldiers chorus of high school students from the Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP).

Every one of our performances includes young artists and gives them the opportunities to work with seasoned professionals.

COPA Alumni
Peter Castaldi, Robert Demers, Andrea Fiorenza, Lisa Lockhart, Patrick Lynch, Moira Girard, Frank Jacobs, James Stieber, Penelope Shumate, Edward Albert, Heather Hill, John Tiranno, David Gordon, Judd Ernst, Tatyana Rashkovsky and more.

Artistic Staff
* Diana Borgia-Petro, General Director
* Dan Rothermel, Conductor & Music Director
* Lisa Harer de Calvo, Assistant Conductor & Music Director, Accompanist

Administrative Staff
* William Larson, Staff Writer & Consultant
* Celia Helfrich, Graphic Design
* Marie Sedlak, C.R.N.P., Ticket Coordinator, Public Relations
* Marie Sedlak-Lupone, Webmaster
* Sarah Lunny, Marketing Intern - Email Marketing
* Nicole Ernst, Choral Personnel Manager
* Lloyd Gross, Publicity Distribution
* Louise Lamb, Publicity Distribution
* Frank K.J.Orman, Community Outreach Coordinator      

Board
Officers:
* Greg Kleiber, Esq.  President
* Michelle Asadourian Frank, Treasurer
* Regina Florian, Recording Secretary

Directors:
* Diana Borgia-Petro
* Nicole Ernst Boris
* Lloyd Gross
* David Hall
* Donna Jankiewicz, DMD
* Louise Lamb
* Heidi Norris
* Frank K.J. Orman
* Angela Roach
* Marie Sedlak-Lupone
* Richard Shapp