Opera Neo is a venture for the new generation of young opera singers created to prepare and inspire them to grow and perform at the highest level. Founded in 2012, it is the only professional training program of its kind in Southern California. Since its founding, Opera Neo has grown from a summer workshop producing opera scenes with piano accompaniment into a two-tiered training program and Opera Festival, mounting three fully staged productions each year, accompanied by a professional orchestra with internationally acclaimed principal players. In 2016, the organization shifted to its current two-tiered program model, and in 2017, added a third mainstage production to its season, which includes Cabaret performances, educational outreach activities, and other community concerts. Opera Neo became a nonprofit corporation in 2013, and received 501(c)(3) status in 2015.