For 15 years, Peter Kozma has built up Opera Neo into one of the most distinctive training grounds for young opera artists in the United States. At the core of his philosophy is a conviction he has held since childhood: opera is, first and foremost, theater.

Born and raised in Budapest, Hungary, at the age of six, Kozma witnessed his first opera and was instantly captivated. From there he would attend opera performances more than 300 nights a year as a child, the fascination evolving into a multidisciplinary artistic foundation as Kozma trained in vocal performance, conducting, stage directing, flute, and Baroque recorder.

Kozma founded the San Diego based company in reaction to what he saw as a gap in the way young opera artists were being trained, frustrated by programs that separated music from theater and measured artists primarily through auditions and competitions. He built Opera Neo around early music and Baroque repertoire, which he believes allows young singers to develop with imagination, dramatic specificity, and vocal flexibility rather than being pushed prematurely into oversized vocal production. What began as a tuition based summer workshop has since grown into a producing opera company and professional training program known for staging rare repertoire and American premieres, a transformation accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, when Kozma restructured the model so that young artists would be paid rather than asked to pay tuition themselves.

Opera Neo is now entering its 15th anniversary season with a slate that features the American premieres of Vivaldi’s “Arsilda” and Louise Bertin’s “Fausto,” alongside Rossini’s “Il turco in Italia,” the company’s Aria Gala, and a recital titled “A Night at the Museum,” created in partnership with the San Diego Museum of Art’s centennial.

OperaWire spoke with Kozma about the founding of Opera Neo, the turning points that shaped its growth, and his vision for the company’s future.

OperaWire: What excites you most about the upcoming season? What is the overall narrative / experiential arc of the season and what do you hope audiences take away from the overall experience?

Peter Kozma: This 15th Anniversary Season feels both reflective and boldly forward-looking. We are presenting two American premieres, Vivaldi’s “Arsilda” and Louise Bertin’s “Fausto,” alongside Rossini’s “Il turco in Italia,” the Aria Gala, and a recital entitled “A Night at the Museum,” so the season moves from rediscovery to celebration to community gathering. The throughline, for me, is identity: the masks we wear, the bargains we make, the cultures we encounter, and the ways we keep rediscovering ourselves through art. I hope audiences feel that opera is not a museum piece, but a living, theatrical, human experience that still speaks directly to the questions we ask today. At a time when so much of our connection is mediated digitally, I also hope they leave with a renewed belief in the power of live performance to bring people together.

OW: You are the founder of the company, which is now entering its 15th season. What inspired you to start the company at the moment that you did? What was your vision for the organization?

PK: When we started Opera Neo, I was reacting to what I saw as a gap in the way young opera artists were being trained. I had become frustrated by educational programs that separated theater from music, or that measured artists only by auditions, competitions, and standardized expectations. My dream was to create a smaller, more focused environment where young singers could take risks, learn from one another, and develop as full theatrical artists. The emphasis on early music, and more specifically, Baroque repertoire came from my belief that this music helps young singers grow with imagination, and dramatic specificity. We want their voices to develop with flexibility and agility, rather than forcing them too soon into oversized vocal production. From the beginning, we shared the belief that opera is theater: a place where the human voice, musical expression, and bold storytelling can meet in a way that feels immediate and alive.

OW: What have been some of the greatest challenges you have faced and overcome in these past 15 years?

PK: One of our challenges we face is the lack of viable operatic venues in San Diego, this forces us to adapt and find non-traditional performance spaces that we can transform to produce our shows. This challenge, however, sparks innovation, pushes us to create imaginative productions, and helps us connect with our audience in intimate and immediate ways. The greatest challenge however, has simply been sustaining an ambitious performing arts nonprofit in a climate where the costs keep rising and funding is increasingly uncertain. Public and private arts funding has faced cuts, while travel, housing, and production expenses have increased; yet, the artistic scope of what we do continues to grow. The pandemic was, of course, a defining challenge, because it forced every arts organization to reconsider how and why it existed. For us, the shutdown became a turning point: we rethought the model and moved toward paying young artists instead of charging them tuition. The fact that Opera Neo has survived, grown, and continues to take artistic risks is a testament to the artists, board, staff, and community who believe this work matters.

OW: What would you consider the major turning points that transformed the company into what it is today?

PK: The first major turning point was realizing that Opera Neo was not just a summer workshop, but it could become both a professional training program and a producing opera company. Another was the decision to center repertoire that allows young artists to become singing actors, especially the early music and underperformed works that demand imagination and flexibility. The COVID period was probably the most consequential turning point, because it led us to rethink the financial and educational model and begin paying our young artists rather than asking them to pay tuition. Since then, the growth has been extraordinary. More recently, our ability to mount ambitious American premieres and large-scale productions has shown us that the company has become something much larger than we first imagined.

OW: How has your vision and direction for the organization changed since you started the organization? What were some of the major factors that shifted that direction?

PK: The core vision has not changed: I still believe that opera is theater, and that young artists need a place where individuality is identified, nurtured, and showcased. What has changed is the scale of the dream and the responsibility that comes with it. We began as a small, tuition-based summer program, but Opera Neo has grown into a professional training program and acclaimed opera company producing fully staged works, rare repertoire, and American premieres. That shift happened because of the caliber of artists who came through the program, the hunger of audiences for something vivid and unexpected, and the support of a board and community willing to invest in the mission. The pandemic also clarified our values: more equitable access to education, artist support and mentorship, and the necessity of live performance became even more central to the organization’s direction.

OW: What are some future plans or initiatives that you have planned as the company moves forward? What are some dream projects or initiatives?

PK: Looking ahead, I want Opera Neo to continue deepening the model we have built: artist-centered training, adventurous repertoire, and productions that feel theatrical, relevant, and visceral. One ongoing priority is to keep expanding access for young artists so that participation is based on talent, potential, curiosity, and commitment rather than financial means. I also want us to continue exploring rare works and forgotten masterpieces, because this season’s American premieres remind us how much extraordinary music is still waiting to be heard. Partnerships like “A Night at the Museum,” created around the San Diego Museum of Art’s centennial, point toward a future where opera can collaborate more deeply with other art forms and civic institutions. My hope is for Opera Neo to become an even stronger national model for how a young artist program and an innovative opera company can serve one another, while also serving the wider community.