Opera on Tap (OOT) was born in 2005 at Freddy's Bar and Backroom in Brooklyn and incorporated in 2007 to promote opera as a viable, living and progressive art form and to support the developing artists who continue to keep the art form alive. What began as a small monthly gathering of ambitious, classically trained singers looking for more performance opportunities, has grown into a producing organization that has gained a loyal audience base and national recognition as an innovative force on the classical music scene. Through its Chapter program, which now has sixteen vibrant national chapters, OOT has created a large network of performers, creators, and supporters.Our organization is formed for educational purposes including:1) Educating the public on culture and the arts2) Providing support and performance opportunities to young opera singers and classical instrumentalists.Our mission is to:Expose new audiences to opera and classical music by taking opera and classical music out of the concert hall and performing it in alternative venues; aid young performers in their development by giving them the opportunity to perform and to promote and support them through our organization; help promote new classical works of contemporary classical and operatic composers.Opera on Tap works to be a diverse, equitable, and inclusive company across all aspects of our administration, programming, and performances. Not only will we never tolerate exclusion for any reason, but we work to empower and amplify the voices, literally and figuratively, of those who have been historically silenced or unheard in our communities around the world. We seek to engage communities of color and communities of economic disadvantage, which have historically been excluded from the world of classical arts, through our performance projects and educational programming.