ARDEA ARTS is an incubator of new totalist opera-works redefining American Opera within a contemporary vernacular framework. Our mission is to bring the opera experience in the form of new, original opera-works that are accessible but challenging to widely diverse audiences of all ages. New work is made by exciting, unexpected artists who speak to these audiences through the media of opera: music, words, theater, and visuals. Additionally, we involve the community to the greatest extent possible in the process and performance of the work. These opera-musicals embrace our indigenous vernacular energy; they burst forth with our own cultures and resonate with our own languages. They enchant, challenge and inspire multi-generational audiences; they make us laugh, cry and acknowledge who we are. These are the same ideas that inspired the beginnings of opera back in 1590, and they are what we strive to re-capture in these new works by composers, writers, and artists of today. We spear-head, commission, develop, and produce new opera-works that reach out to diverse and multi-generational audiences. We involve the community in the performance of the work. We engage composers, writers, designers, singers, musicians, tech crew, and digital artists to collaborate on these new works.