About us

The Association of Friends of the Opera of Bilbao is not just a private non-profit organization, but also a community made up of all those of us who love opera. Through an efficient and sustainable management model, we have become an essential member of the Basque and Spanish cultural sector.

We programme our seasons with tenacity and affection, thinking in excellence, which has given us an international projection and has enabled us to be on a par with the major theatres and operas. A commitment we fulfil thanks to the joint work of our entire group: members, patrons and private sponsors. It is the only way to guarantee a balanced proposal that reaches an audience of over 82,000 people.

At the ABAO Bilbao Opera, in addition to having become an essential sector in the social and cultural sphere, we create wealth, consumption and employment in the environment where we carry out our main activity.

18M

We generate a GDP of around 18 million Euros.

300

We contribute to maintain over 300 jobs, 20 times our staff.

10 €

We generate 10 Euros of GDP for every Euro we receive from grants.

59 %

We recover 59% of grants received through our global tax revenue.

55%, 13%, 32%

We enjoy a high degree of self-funding: 55% from our own income, 13% from private sponsorship and 32% from grants.

We have achieved zero debt since Season 2006-2007.

55 %