Birmingham Opera Company

Analysis

Birmingham Opera Company is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Birmingham. It was registered in February 1985, 41 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training and arts/culture/heritage/science, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 01850467). It says it other charitable activities.

In the financial year ending June 2025, Birmingham Opera Company reported income of £824k and spending of £750k, spending 91% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from June 2021 to June 2025, income grew from £710k to £824k (+16%), an average of +3.8% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to June 2023, when income rose by 31%. Over the whole period it spent 102% of the income it received.

Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, Birmingham Opera Company sits at the 94th percentile: it is larger than about 94% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 93rd percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Arebyte (£823k), The Hounslow Arts Trust Ltd (£824k) and Curzon Clevedon Community Centre for the Arts (£823k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 81%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £10k. Charitable activities took 92% of spending and raising funds 3.9%. Reserves of £559k would cover about 9 months of spending at that rate. It employed 3 people.