With the birth of opera, in the Renaissance, mythology, dramas, chivalric epics and any other human story with characters that anyone can identify with They found in music a refined way to be exalted. Political and intellectual elites began to finance the performances. This is the case of the Camerata of the Bardi, a 16th century Florentine aristocratic family, to whom is attributed the formal birth of opera as a genre in its own right.
Although in its beginnings it was considered as a strident and vulgar spectacle, Closer to street theatre than to music, the upper classes developed a taste for this music and by the beginning of the 18th century, opera was already one of the most in-demand musical genres. For a long time, it was considered an entertainment exclusive to the noble class and members of the court. Moreover, both singers and musicians came from elite social families.
Over time, the genre became more accessible and opera houses opened with more affordable prices. The performance of “Aida” more than a century ago was particularly decisive. Although it cannot be said that opera is already a privilege of the elite, it still does not reach all audiences and this is what has led Anthony Roth Costanzo, countertenor who has been directing the Philadelphia Opera since June at the Academy of Music, to offer all seats for their performances for only 11 dollars. Or whatever the viewer wants to pay from that amount.
In Philadelphia, a night at the opera can now be cheaper than going to the movies. This is the payment model that will be applied during the 2024-25 season, as announced this week by Opera Philadelphia, a company known for its innovative ideas.
2,200 entries in a few hours
“People want to go to the opera, but it’s expensive,” says Roth Costanzo. “Our goal is to bring opera to more people and attract more people to the opera.” The initiative immediately became popular. On Tuesday, the day of the announcement, the Philadelphia Opera sold more than 2,200 tickets for the upcoming season. To give an idea of the impact, the day before it had sold 20, with an original price of between $26 and $300.
In recent years, several performing arts groups, including New York’s Lincoln Center, the Chicago Sinfonietta and Ars Nova, have taken similar pay-what-you-want initiatives. Other opera companies have experimented with discounts, such as last minute tickets and youth offers. The Philadelphia Opera’s proposal is one of the boldest.
Their website explains that all tickets start at $11, but people will have the option to choose to pay much more, including the standard price. Like other nonprofit performing arts organizations, The Philadelphia Opera derives a much larger share of its income from philanthropy than from ticket sales. Radically reducing prices could, according to Costanzo, encourage more donations, since they would not run the risk of being seen as subsidizing an expensive art form that is out of reach for many people. The promoter hopes that this new model will allow the company to focus more on the staging of interesting works and less worrying about ticket sales.
The company’s pay-at-will program is receiving praise from prominent figures in the opera world. “This is a historic moment for opera and a bold new model for how we connect with audiences,” soprano Renée Fleming said in a statement.
