Long Beach Opera Announces 1.25 Million Gift from Carol Richards

LONG BEACH — Long Beach Opera has received the largest single gift in the company’s history of $1.25 million from long-time board member Carol Richards. Richards served on LBO’s board from the company’s inception in 1979 until her passing in 2021, at which time she included Long Beach Opera in her estate plans with this historic gift, which recently came to fruition. LBO plans to use Richards’ gift to make investments that will build organizational capacity over time, slowly expanding its artistic offerings over the next five years, when LBO will celebrate its 50th anniversary season.  

In addition to this historic gift, LBO also recently received a $100,000 capacity building grant from the Perenchio Foundation of Los Angeles. The company has utilized this grant to upgrade its ticketing and database platform which will be launched in conjunction with the sale of single tickets to the 2024 season, which started Nov. 30.  

General director and CEO Jennifer Rivera stated, “We are so grateful to both Carol Richards and the Perenchio Foundation for their belief that LBO, as a hub for artistic innovation and expression that supports emerging artists and adventurous programming, warrants major support. We plan to utilize these gifts to make important investments in the future of LBO, allowing the company to thrive and grow, while continuing to focus on changing the artistic landscape with non-traditional programming like our 2024 season.”  

Details: longbeachopera.org