# Ticket prices where you are?



## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

Someone mentioned in passing prices for a Metropolitan ticket and that got me thinking, what are ticket prices where you live or nearby or where you attend opera?

I'm fairly amazed at the very reasonable prices that Houston Grand Opera has available, as most of you know, HGO is a major 2nd tier house with superb production standards. They will be producing 7 operas this season. An upper balcony season pass is $99 (the cheapest). Orchestra season is $269. Single performance tickets are about $30 for very good seats (first balcony), and about $15 for the upper balcony.

For the small company where I performed, their season is 4 operas. Season tickets are about $130 and a delightful student-only (ID required) balcony for $38!

If you can, either list in dollars or pound sterling if possible, but we can always find the conversion online.

Just curious -- what do you pay? Thanks

(as an aside, I normally regard 1st tier houses as the Met, Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna Staatsoper, etc. and 2nd tier includes about 50 houses over the world, each major house of course having its own highs and lows)


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Cost of Royal Opera House tickets are nearly the highest in the world. Don't have a link to this season but this is an example of last season.

[clicky]


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

sospiro said:


> Cost of Royal Opera House tickets are nearly the highest in the world. Don't have a link to this season but this is an example of last season.
> [clicky]


When I lived nearby I used to go often to Covent Garden and ENO up to around 11 year ago when I moved away. Prices seem to have pretty much doubled in that time (from £100 to £200 and £50 to £100 respectively). As I'm poorer now than I was then, these prices are scary. And what seems more amazing is they often sell out!

Cut and pasted from ENO for September:
Budget: Balcony	tickets from £12-£34
Premium: Stalls	tickets from £84-£99

My nearest, Scottish Opera (Glasgow) is reasonably priced but the experience seldom has the wow factor.
Budget: £10-£18 in balcony
Premium: £40-£52 in stalls


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*Washington, DC ticket prices*

National Symphony Kennedy Center ticket prices range from $10.00 - $85.00.

Washington National Opera tickets at the Kennedy Center are a little steeper. $25.00 - $300.00. Sometimes there are half price tickets available the day of the performance.

The Virginia Opera produces five productions a year at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. They are a good regional company. Their ticket prices range from $48 - $98.

The Baltimore Symphony produces a series at that the Strathmore Music Center near Rockville, Maryland, a suburb of Washington. Their ticket prices range from $29 to $65.

The Washington Performing Arts Society produces many concerts at several venues during the season. For example the The Mariinsky Orchestra with Valery Gergiev will be performing at the Kennedy Center in October, 2013. Their ticket prices range from $65 - $120. (Note: I will be skipping this concert. They will be performing _The Rite, Firebird and Petrouchka_. I have heard all of these works many times in concerts. Unlike many people I am not interested is spending over a hundred dollars to hear these works again, even though they are among my favorites.  As a matter of fact, all of the other orchestras will be performing music I have heard many times before with the exception of the LA Philharmonic. They will be performing the Tchaikovsky _Symphony No. 5_, which is my favorite Tchaikovsky Symphony, and the Corigliano _Symphony No. 1_ which will be a new work for me.)

My complaint with the WPAS is that they do too many piano, violin and cello recitals. They are sponsoring four orchestra concerts which is good but only one chamber concert with a string quartet, the Minguet Quartett. Philadelphia has a far superior chamber music series. Note: the ticket prices for the Minguet are $40.

The various service bands (United States Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine) produce many concerts during the season. For example, the United States Marine Corp has an excellent chamber orchestra. I have heard some outstanding performances from them and the concerts are free.


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## Hoffmann (Jun 10, 2013)

arpeggio said:


> National Symphony Kennedy Center ticket prices range from $10.00 - $85.00.
> 
> Washington National Opera tickets at the Kennedy Center are a little steeper. $25.00 - $300.00. Sometimes there are half price tickets available the day of the performance.
> 
> ...


My season tickets for the Washington National Opera, sitting in the First Tier of the Kennedy Center, runs about $500, or $100 per opera (this is for a single season ticket).

It's hard to imagine that tickets at the Houston Grand Opera are so reasonable - the company must have an exceptionally devoted donor base.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

I pay around $400 for a season ticket (four productions) to the Cincinnati Opera, which is a little over $100 for those performances in Music Hall (the main venue) and $70 for a performance at the Corbett Auditorium in the School for Creative and Performing Arts (for chamber operas and the like). My seat is in the second row of the orchestra section; unfortrunately, price information for tickets in either of the two balconies or further back in the orchestra section is not available on their web site at the moment. As general cost of living goes, this is not an expensive part of the U.S. The Opera itself is probably one of the country's better small regional houses -- it's not unusual to have singers who have performed leading roles at the Met or in Chicago also appearing here, along with some respected international singers and conductors (i.e., Tatiana Monogarova, Roberto De Candia, Vasily Petrenko, Carlo Montanaro, Carlo Rizzi).


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## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

HGO is indeed lucky to have a wide, deep donor base. Interesting that the entire theater was built totally from private funds, the city only donating the 2-block x 1-block land. And HGO's house is both beautiful and acoustically first rate. It also has one feature that not many other houses offer, a completely full-size rehearsal stage separate from the performance stage, so that a 2nd different production can be rehearsed and sets not taken down, etc. The building has 2 theaters, a smaller concert venue and the large opera theater, seating a total of 3300. The facility cost $72m in 1987. All private funds.

In addition to 2 full theaters, a full size rehearsal stage/theater, there are several concert rooms for lectures and recitals by their students, and a large complex of studios, offices, practice rooms, amazing and fun to tour. I auditioned there (not hired) and we were given a Cook's tour, first rate facility. Like the main theaters, comfy seats, unobstructed view, easy access, plenty of restrooms, all the amenities, a big souvenir shop, and a pretty decent gourmet-style buffet and bar for pre-performance goodies. And yeah, plenty of parking, right in downtown Houston.

And yes I'm proud of HGO. A terrific venue.

Besides the HGO, we've got the small professional company where I sang, an all-black opera company (and no, they don't always do Porgy & Bess), and 3 separate university opera groups from our 3 biggest Houston universities, plus our 3 smaller universities also put on operas occasionally. Plus Houston Symphony (a fine 2nd tier with their own concert hall), a very good Houston Ballet, and a wealth of small chamber ensembles, choral groups, dance groups, and some superb church choirs. More classical music available than I've got time or money to enjoy.

Houston is a major center for finance and culture, in truth. We don't actually ride our horses to work nor do we wear 6-guns, wide western hats, and sequined shirts (we leave that to the tourists!). Imagining Houston as a "cowtown" is analogous to picturing Londoners all wearing bowlers, riding in Bentleys, and saying "Old chap" through a bushy mustache, or Germans wearing lederhosen.

Now Dallas, well, that's another matter... ha ha


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## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

Houston Grand Opera seats aren't all low price -- for opening night guarantees, premium orchestra season tickets (7 performances) are about $1300 but even the opening night premium loge seats are just $580 for those 7 shows.

So unless you're looking for blue-blood heaven, ha ha, you can get superb closeup seats for less than 80-90 bucks per show. Considering it's a world-ranked opera and a really great orchestra, you're seeing major stars, and the whole show is very good, not a lot of money. Major sporting events or pop/rock concerts will cost you the same.

Some of the stars for the upcoming season: Liudmyla Monastryska (Aida), Ryan McKinny (Rigoletto), Elizabeth Zharoff (Gilda), Elizabeth Futral (in a Sondheim special), Iain Paterson (Wotan), Stefan Margita (Loge), Ana Marina Martinez (Carmen).


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## Hoffmann (Jun 10, 2013)

katdad said:


> HGO is indeed lucky to have a wide, deep donor base. Interesting that the entire theater was built totally from private funds, the city only donating the 2-block x 1-block land. And HGO's house is both beautiful and acoustically first rate. It also has one feature that not many other houses offer, a completely full-size rehearsal stage separate from the performance stage, so that a 2nd different production can be rehearsed and sets not taken down, etc. The building has 2 theaters, a smaller concert venue and the large opera theater, seating a total of 3300. The facility cost $72m in 1987. All private funds.
> 
> In addition to 2 full theaters, a full size rehearsal stage/theater, there are several concert rooms for lectures and recitals by their students, and a large complex of studios, offices, practice rooms, amazing and fun to tour. I auditioned there (not hired) and we were given a Cook's tour, first rate facility. Like the main theaters, comfy seats, unobstructed view, easy access, plenty of restrooms, all the amenities, a big souvenir shop, and a pretty decent gourmet-style buffet and bar for pre-performance goodies. And yeah, plenty of parking, right in downtown Houston.
> 
> ...


I'm impressed! Especially about the comfy seats!

If you don't ride your horses to work, what do you do with them? :lol:


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Well on the bright side, at the Chicago Lyric Opera, the top end price is a not-completely-outrageous $229. The downside is that boxes and balconies in the Civic Opera House are pretty much straight across starting around 30 rows back - not the classic opera house horseshoe shape - so there aren't those close-in 'value' seats that katdad and I both seem to enjoy. Until recently, the entire first ~30 rows of the orchestra were all one price, the top price. Just last year they added an 'orchestra balance' category for the extreme right and left sides. They are not a great deal at $184 in the front section, but at $50-60/seat in the rear section they are probably the best value in the house, certainly better than the comparably priced but desperately remote upper-upper-balcony seats.

The range for Chicago Opera Theater is ~$45 to $125, but fortunately the lowest price category includes the first few rows of orchestra, which is where my seats are. The CSO has the same policy and roughly the same price range. 

I've been seeing more and more operas in New York in this year, but thankfully many of my Met tickets have been student tickets or $25 "rush" tickets.


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## Hoffmann (Jun 10, 2013)

Cavaradossi said:


> Well on the bright side, at the Chicago Lyric Opera, the top end price is a not-completely-outrageous $229. The downside is that boxes and balconies in the Civic Opera House are pretty much straight across starting around 30 rows back - not the classic opera house horseshoe shape - so there aren't those close-in 'value' seats that katdad and I both seem to enjoy. Until recently, the entire first ~30 rows of the orchestra were all one price, the top price. Just last year they added an 'orchestra balance' category for the extreme right and left sides. They are not a great deal at $184 in the front section, but at $50-60/seat in the rear section they are probably the best value in the house, certainly better than the comparably priced but desperately remote upper-upper-balcony seats.
> 
> The range for Chicago Opera Theater is ~$45 to $125, but fortunately the lowest price category includes the first few rows of orchestra, which is where my seats are. The CSO has the same policy and roughly the same price range.
> 
> I've been seeing more and more operas in New York in this year, but thankfully many of my Met tickets have been student tickets or $25 "rush" tickets.


I made it to Chicago in February for _Die Meistersinger_, which I had never seen live. I paid something close to $200 for a (first) balcony seat close to the front. Kind of pricey, but worth it for the extravaganza that is Meistersinger. And, of course, the Lyric Opera Theater itself is amazing.

I like Chicago, and had a good time last winter, so I'm thinking about making another trip next March for _La Clemenza di Tito_. I'll have to wait a bit to see if airfares come down as right now DC to Chicago is running $750.

A bit more and I could go to Europe.


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## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

Hoffmann said:


> I'm impressed! Especially about the comfy seats!
> 
> If you don't ride your horses to work, what do you do with them? :lol:


Not only comfy seats but actually decent legroom! Amazing.

Well, my girlfriend and I stable our horses right next to our cars, my T-Bird and her Mazda. This is of course in the parking lot of our apartment complex that's within eyesight of downtown Houston's skyline (we live in a "neartown" arts & music neighborhood, the same sort of close-in quasi-residential area you find tucked next to the skyscrapers of most any big city), a sort of SoHo type area. We're less than 2 miles from Houston Opera or Symphony, Ballet, etc, maybe 100 clubs, restaurants, music venues within a mile of our front door.

So therefore we don't often ride our many horses, well, almost many horses, well, just a few horses, okay, would you believe we have a cat?


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## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

Cav and Hoffmann, it seems that the Chicago opera is reasonable in price, in that there appear to be plenty of good seats for a modest amount. And as with most other venues, there are the pricey "look at me" seats and the "choir" and student ranks.

Houston Grand is a typical horseshoe shape, a very large lower balcony and then a high 2nd balcony. I've sat in what in Europe (England mostly) are called "stalls" -- ground floor, but in all truth, I can't see the stage that well, being lower than the stage. I greatly prefer the 1st balcony. Now at HGO the first section of balcony, the part that overhangs the ground floor a huge amount, has awesome (and expensive) loge box seats along the first 5-8 rows, (they also extend around to the sides of the theater to virtually overlook the stage) then there's an aisle behind, then the "regular" balcony begins and there are where you'll usually find me, as the balcony is raked (steeply sloped) and therefore you can see and hear nicely, you're quite close to the stage and can see everything, as you're looking down. Tickets for these seats are about $30-$40, maybe $50, individual sales (always more expensive than season tickets) but if you compare that to a football game or rock concert (girlfriend & I love Springsteeen etc) or even a nice dinner out, you're not talking about all that much money.

It's that 1st balcony area just behind the luxury loge boxes that is usually the best bargain in a conventionally shaped house. Behind that very popular section is the further expanse of the 1st balcony, further from the action of course, and then above that the 2nd balcony. But that 2nd balcony doesn't overhang that first half of the lower balcony so the sound isn't cut off at all.

Add to that the excellent modern acoustics (materials like side drapes and wall coverings designed to prevent "shimmer" in the sound) even though the "look" of the house is traditional faux art deco, and a wide, deep stage and nice wide orchestra pit. Essentially you've got a very modern house that takes advantage of all the highest tech stuff for the best acoustics, and you have a real treat.

It appears that we're fairly lucky to have a great opera nearby. And at least one that doesn't rip off the patrons with exorbitant prices, either. No, singers at HGO aren't quite Met or Covent Garden or premium 1st tier house quality, but pretty damn near, so good as that we probably couldn't tell if we had it in front of us.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Hoffmann said:


> I made it to Chicago in February for _Die Meistersinger_, which I had never seen live. I paid something close to $200 for a (first) balcony seat close to the front. Kind of pricey, but worth it for the extravaganza that is Meistersinger. And, of course, the Lyric Opera Theater itself is amazing.
> 
> I like Chicago, and had a good time last winter, so I'm thinking about making another trip next March for _La Clemenza di Tito_. I'll have to wait a bit to see if airfares come down as right now DC to Chicago is running $750.
> 
> A bit more and I could go to Europe.


It was my first Miestersinger too. Yes, quite a show. Apparently demand was slack for the 5.5 hour show on the Monday night I attended and there were plenty of empty seats along the outer aisles so I self-upgraded by about 20 rows for Acts II and III. Every once in a while they will have a last minute Facebook or email sale too. I got to see Rigoletto from the 10th row for $50 that way this Spring.

$750 to Chicago in March!?! They should be paying _you_ to fly to Chicago in March!


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## Hoffmann (Jun 10, 2013)

katdad said:


> Cav and Hoffmann, it seems that the Chicago opera is reasonable in price, in that there appear to be plenty of good seats for a modest amount. And as with most other venues, there are the pricey "look at me" seats and the "choir" and student ranks.
> 
> Houston Grand is a typical horseshoe shape, a very large lower balcony and then a high 2nd balcony. I've sat in what in Europe (England mostly) are called "stalls" -- ground floor, but in all truth, I can't see the stage that well, being lower than the stage. I greatly prefer the 1st balcony. Now at HGO the first section of balcony, the part that overhangs the ground floor a huge amount, has awesome (and expensive) loge box seats along the first 5-8 rows, (they also extend around to the sides of the theater to virtually overlook the stage) then there's an aisle behind, then the "regular" balcony begins and there are where you'll usually find me, as the balcony is raked (steeply sloped) and therefore you can see and hear nicely, you're quite close to the stage and can see everything, as you're looking down. Tickets for these seats are about $30-$40, maybe $50, individual sales (always more expensive than season tickets) but if you compare that to a football game or rock concert (girlfriend & I love Springsteeen etc) or even a nice dinner out, you're not talking about all that much money.
> 
> ...


I really wanted to see HGO's _Tristan und Isolde_ back in May with Nina Stemme, but had a miserable time trying to find a hotel room close to the opera house. There must have been a big conference or some such going on at the same time within the narrow window I could make a performance.

These out of town opera trips are getting expensive. I'm going to have to start pacing myself or I'll have to start wearing one of them ankle bracelet things.


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## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

Those ankle monitors are itchy things and lots of problems in the shower, too. And if you meet someone at a bar, just laugh it off and tell the person it's a new type of bone-conducting smartphone that Apple is paying you to field test. Yeah, that'll work...


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