Detroit Opera Cancels 2025-26 Season Opening Production Due to Financial Reasons
By David SalazarDetroit Opera is undergoing some major financial trouble.
Per the Detroit Free Press, the company was forced to cancel the opener of its 2025-26 season, “The Girl of the Golden West,” due to financial reasons. The report notes that, per tax documents, the Detroit Opera has suffered more than $3 million in losses from 2023 to 2024 due to a number of factors, biggest being a a loss of $1,744,477 in government grants. Public donations also fell by $145,749 during that time and program revenue declined by $1,260,381, a 45 percent decrease in admission and performance fees. There was also a loss of $468,781 from the discontinuation of the Detroit Opera Ball and other ancillary revenues.
Meanwhile, the payroll increased by $91,922 despite the fact that the number of employees also dropped from 692 in 2023 to 575 in 2024.
“This difficult decision was made due to an unforeseen shortfall in production funding this season. All contracted artists will be fully compensated according to their agreements, and we look forward to welcoming them to Detroit for future productions,” the company said per an official statement.
The company is still set to move forward with its remaining productions this season, including “Highway 1” in December (in a double bill with “Down the Valley”), “The Handmaid’s Tale” in March 2026 and “Apartment House 1776” in May 2026.
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