Claremont Opera House, Inc.

The historic Claremont Opera House (COH) is a 788 seat performing arts center that opened in 1897, and was the entertainment center for western New Hampshire throughout the early 1900s. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Learn more about the Claremont Opera House in this video: The Historic Claremont Opera House

The mission of the COH has always focused on entertainment, enrichment and education. The mission was updated in 2022 to expand community focus to “build community through diverse arts experiences”. 

Patrons of the COH enjoy regional and national performances including musical talent, community theater groups, professional theater companies, community programs, youth dance and gymnastics recitals, cultural events, local artist exhibits, movies and more. The venue is also available to rent for business meetings and events.

Examples of recent programming follows:

Claremont Middle School musicians performing alongside The Dallas Brass Band 

A youth theatre production of Seussified, directed by former Artistic Director Larissa Cahill

A Jazz "Speakeasy" Style event welcomes COH Members and community for dancing and live music

Symphony NH performs alongside a live reading of Peter and the Wolf

New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) performing on our historic stage

Claremont Elementary Schools' collaborative DramaFest performance of The Little Rascals

St. Patrick's Day live music celebration featuring NH Magazine's "Best Fiddler 2016", Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki

A Taste of Spring special membership event and collaboration with The Claremont Growers Collective

Baroque Celebrations performance by Upper Valley Baroque

Kanin Wren performing a Taylor Swift Experience tribute, inviting new generations to celebrate live music at our venue

A local dance studio's final bow after performing Clara Dreamz, a holiday classic with a twist

A packed house enjoying Tell Me Lies, an homage to the tunes of Fleetwood Mac

The generosity of patrons, community members, and donors like you help us to continue to bring affordable, accessible entertainment to Sullivan County and the greater Claremont area. Thank you for your consideration and your support!

Who We Are

The Opera House is located in the Claremont City Hall Building. Dedication of the building occurred on June 22, 1897. In the early 1900’s the Claremont Opera House was the entertainment center for the area. Helping make this a reality was a Claremont druggist named Harry Eaton. Eaton managed the Opera House for 32 years. He brought stock companies for plays, road companies for one night stands, musicals, vaudeville minstrel shows, and films.
A Restoration Committee was formed in 1972. Through its efforts, the Opera House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and funds were raised to hire an architect by 1975. With the joint effort of the City Council and the Opera House Restoration Committee, a N.H. Historic Preservation Grant was received for a feasibility study in 1976. In 1977, the Restoration Committee became a non-profit organization, Claremont Opera House, Inc.
Since the grand re-opening of the Opera House on May 26, 1979, the Friends and Boards of Directors have raised funds, both publicly and privately, to re-equip the house. We have been able to expand and improve our programming and hire a director so that, once again, we are the entertainment center of the area.