West Edge Opera was founded in 1979, initially as Commedia dell’Opera, then as Berkeley Opera. In 2012, the organization became West Edge Opera led by General Director Mark Streshinsky. In its 39-year history, West Edge Opera has presented 100 complete operas by 63 different composers.

In 2014, West Edge Opera (WEO) focused all programming on an annual Summer Opera Festival, presenting fully staged and fully orchestrated operas performed in repertory. To present these operas, WEO turned toward unique venues of East Bay cultural history. Previous festival venues have included The 16th Street Train Station in Oakland, The Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, The Bridge Yard, in Oakland.

In 2017, WEO launched a standing Winter program called SNAPSHOT – a presentation of new operas at the Ed Roberts Campus, Berkeley, and the Wilsey Center for Opera, San Francisco. Since 2017, WEO has presented excerpts from 16 new operas by new and established librettist/composer teams from the West Coast region.

In 2020, WEO began commissioning and developing new operas toward world premieres. In 2020, WEO announced the commission of Bulrusher from Eisa Davis and Nathaniel Stookey (based on her play by the same name) and in 2024 the opera premiered at the WEO Summer Opera Festival in downtown Oakland. In 2021, WEO announced the commission and development of Dolores by Nicolás Lell Benavides and Marella Martin Koch and in August 2025 the opera will premiere in downtown Oakland with Dolores Huerta in attendance. 2 more commissions are due for upcoming premieres.

Each year, WEO serves approximately 90 local artists and 5,000 audience members in the Bay Area.