# Design student doing a project on attracting young people to the opera. Questions.



## DMZ94 (Jan 26, 2016)

Hi everyone!

I'm new here, pleasure to meet you all. I am a graphic design student who has been given a project which asks us to attract a younger audience to attend the opera (specifically, the Royal Opera House). I was wondering if any of you would be able to answer a few questions?

The brief asks us to target *culturally engaged 20-30 year olds* who attend plays, gigs, exhibitions, but think that opera just isn't for them.We are to create an advertising campaign across many different media platforms to achieve this.

*My questions:*


What misconceptions do you believe the average person has about opera?

From your experience, what kind of social environment does the opera scene have? Toxic? Pleasant? Intimidating? Welcoming?

At what age did you start attending the opera and what made you do so?

Do you know any young people that enjoy attending opera shows, if so, why do they?

Young people particularly like things to be streamlined, quick, accessible, affordable. Is there anything you think opera houses could do to achieve these things?

What can 20-30 year olds get from attending an opera show that they couldn't get from plays, gigs, exhibition, music festivals?

Do opera houses do enough to put themselves on the general public's radar? If so, are there any stand out examples?

Thank you all very much in advance, this research will be invaluable for my project.


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Firstly, let's address any misconceptions that under 30's don't go to operas. Many do. I see lots of younger people at operas in the UK and all over Europe.

Can I ask, why specifically concerning the Royal Opera House?

Here goes with my feedback:
*What misconceptions do you believe the average person has about opera?*
Thanks to Hollywood movies, some people are under the impression they need to wear a dinner jacket, when simply looking presentable is fine for most opera houses. In fact even if you look scruffy you'll still be admitted!

*From your experience, what kind of social environment does the opera scene have? Toxic? Pleasant? Intimidating? Welcoming?*I've yet to discover an opera scene in my 30 years of opera-going. Perhaps I'm too far gone to give an objective view here.

*Do you know any young people that enjoy attending opera shows, if so, why do they?*Because they love good music. Ultimately it's the music lovers that will become the operaholics of the future. And yes, I started going in my 20's.

*Young people particularly like things to be streamlined, quick, accessible, affordable. Is there anything you think opera houses could do to achieve these things?*It's as easy to get an opera ticket (online or at a box office) as it is to see a gig, a play, a premier league match, and often cheaper, particularly with deals for the under 30's in some places.

*What can 20-30 year olds get from attending an opera show that they couldn't get from plays, gigs, exhibition, music festivals?*Hopefully they'll have an evening where they appreciate a high artistic standard but also something engrossing, emotionally and artistically. It's often refered to as the total art form.

*Do opera houses do enough to put themselves on the general public's radar? If so, are there any stand out examples?*
I think Opera North do a good job with some of their promotional materials. i.e. promoting La Boheme as "the best musical you'll see this year" The most important thing is that opera should be viewed as a valid entertainment choice alongside gigs, cinema, plays, classical concerts etc.... because it is.
I feel that opera doesn't make the news or the popular media as often as it could, or seldom for the right reasons. When did a proper opera singer last appear on Jonathan Ross, Graham Norton etc? Yet many singers are young, attractive, witty as well as being talented.


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## Amara (Jan 12, 2012)

I'm 30, and I started attending opera at 25. I live in a southeast U.S. state in a city where opera is only performed live about twice a year, so most operas I go to are the Met Live in HD.

*What misconceptions do you believe the average person has about opera?*

I have actually been asked by someone how I can enjoy going to opera live since I can't understand the foreign language being sung. The average person does not seem to know that live opera performances have supertitles so that the audience knows what is being sung and can follow the story.

*From your experience, what kind of social environment does the opera scene have? Toxic? Pleasant? Intimidating? Welcoming?*

The social environment is the same as attending any live performance at a concert hall, whether orchestra, musical theatre or ballet. Pleasant, a little fancy.

*At what age did you start attending the opera and what made you do so?*

I attended my first live opera at the age of 26. I did so because I had started attending the Met HDs a few months beforehand at the age of 25, thanks to free tickets I won to Satyagraha and Rodelinda. Once I had been exposed to opera through the HDs, I realized how fun it was and immediately wanted to start seeing opera live. Because opera is relatively expensive to a 20-something, the free tickets definitely helped. Otherwise, I probably would not have given the HDs a try, simply because of the cost and not knowing what I was missing.

*Do you know any young people that enjoy attending opera shows, if so, why do they?*

As a 30-year-old who has been attending opera for several years, I enjoy attending opera because of the drama, acting, stagecraft, and music. It combines all artforms (sometimes dancing is involved as well). Watching opera is like reading classic literature: there is a reason the operas have lasted so long. It is a chance to experience some of the best art ever created.

*Young people particularly like things to be streamlined, quick, accessible, affordable. Is there anything you think opera houses could do to achieve these things?*

Affordability is a huge issue. I think opera houses should offer discounts to people under 40 or under 30. Perhaps there should be free rehearsals or blocking rehearsals. For instance, I attended a free blocking rehearsal of Tosca at my local theater that convinced me to buy a ticket to the show.

*What can 20-30 year olds get from attending an opera show that they couldn't get from plays, gigs, exhibition, music festivals?*

A chance to experience world class singing, the combination of every artform in one experience, and exposure to some of the world's most enduring and greatest art created in the past few hundred years.

*Do opera houses do enough to put themselves on the general public's radar? If so, are there any stand out examples?*

The Met and ROH do live cinema transmissions, which is what introduced me to opera. Unfortunately, ROH is no longer broadcast in my region due to poor sales. The Met was smart in running free HD ticket contests a few years ago on a local website, which is how I found out about it in the first place. In comparison, ROH did not do a good job of advertising here, possibly because most of the movie theater chains here have an exclusivity contract with the Met. The Met gets to run advertisements before movie trailers sometimes, and also has posters/advertisements on movie theater walls.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

*What misconceptions do you believe the average person has about opera?*

Personally, I was under the impression that opera was rather static. Old pieces that had been around forever, about royals, nobles, courtesans, etc. They had been around forever and would still be around in my later life if I end up developing an appreciation. I did not realize that opera was vibrant, with new pieces premiering all the time, with fantastic singers, and engaging interpretations of the old works.

*From your experience, what kind of social environment does the opera scene have? Toxic? Pleasant? Intimidating? Welcoming?*

A mix of all of these.

*At what age did you start attending the opera and what made you do so?*

I attended my first opera at 23 with family. I had recently really gotten into classical music.

*Do you know any young people that enjoy attending opera shows, if so, why do they?*

A few. A huge variety of reasons.

*Young people particularly like things to be streamlined, quick, accessible, affordable. Is there anything you think opera houses could do to achieve these things?*

I think a lot of people like these things, but few of them work well with opera. Accessible and affordable do fit some with smaller productions, in non-traditional spaces. Additionally number of opera houses also offer at least some livestream options, online, to theaters, or larger events such as San Francisco Opera's (free) Opera at the Ballpark.

*What can 20-30 year olds get from attending an opera show that they couldn't get from plays, gigs, exhibition, music festivals?*

All of these can be thrilling; what opera offers mostly is different music.

*Do opera houses do enough to put themselves on the general public's radar? If so, are there any stand out examples?*

I'd say yes. It may be because I specifically look for and notice operatic advertising, but I see billboards, ads on buses and bus stops, and quite a bit online (I'm sure Google has figured out what to show me).

But not everyone is going to love opera. Not everyone is going to like opera, and those that do will do so for many different reasons.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

*•What misconceptions do you believe the average person has about opera?*
That it is an elitist activity with uppity people dressed formally.

*•From your experience, what kind of social environment does the opera scene have? Toxic? Pleasant? Intimidating? Welcoming?Intimidating. * 
Intimidating.

*•At what age did you start attending the opera and what made you do so?*
My mother was a soprano and sang along with records at home, but my real introduction was through my teenage peers who were into music and opera.

*•Do you know any young people that enjoy attending opera shows, if so, why do they?* 
With encouragement from peers that were already taken with opera, and the fact that they had an innate enjoyment of music to begin with, they were willing to discover a new medium.

*•Young people particularly like things to be streamlined, quick, accessible, affordable. Is there anything you think opera houses could do to achieve these things?*
Have special performances geared to young people like more comedic operas, operas with intrigue, and more glamorous and glitzy operas. Examples: _Cav/Pag, Barbiere, Gianni Schicchi, Tosca, Traviata, Boheme, Butterfly, Carmen, Turandot_
*•What can 20-30 year olds get from attending an opera show that they couldn't get from plays, gigs, exhibition, music festivals?*
Enlightenment and visual delight of a new, exciting and attractive art form.

*•Do opera houses do enough to put themselves on the general public's radar? If so, are there any stand out examples?*
HD to movie theaters has done more than anything to attract new viewers and it is working. Updated stagings and productions to attract new viewers. Enticing advertising. Bringing a fun concept to the public through impromptu scenes in public places like department stores, malls, supermarkets, etc.


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## Loge (Oct 30, 2014)

*What misconceptions do you believe the average person has about opera?*

Opera is expensive, for posh people and is boring. (wrong on all counts)

*From your experience, what kind of social environment does the opera scene have? Toxic? Pleasant? Intimidating? Welcoming?*

Well my favourite music venue in the UK is the Royal Opera House. When I first went there I thought it would be snooty. However it is the most chilled out and relaxed venue I have visited. The ushers, cloakroom staff, and door staff are warm, welcoming and very helpful. The Paul Hamlyn bar is probably the swankiest bar in London and great for people watching. The free cloakroom is easy to use and you can get your belongings back at the end of a performance very quickly. There is no agro from the patrons because everyone is a fan of opera.

This beats going to say the Brixton Academy where you are barked at by security, frisked by security in a building that resembles a latrine. It is better than going to the Empire Pool (that's Wembley Arena to you young folk), which is large, dirty and impersonal. So the Royal Opera House wins hands down for a slightly luxurious and spoilt evening out.

*At what age did you start attending the opera and what made you do so?*

In my early 40s, my father wanted to see the recent Met Ring Cycle at the cinema so I went along. Became hooked on Wagner over those two weekends. After that started to attend concert performances of opera, before moving onto the ENO and ROH.

*Do you know any young people that enjoy attending opera shows, if so, why do they?*

No, but see plenty of people in the 20s and 30s at the ROH. A lot of familes attend the ENO.

*Young people particularly like things to be streamlined, quick, accessible, affordable. Is there anything you think opera houses could do to achieve these things?*

Well opera is inexpensive to begin with. I went to see a league two (old fourth division) football match, the ticket cost me £20, not bad for 2 hours of entertainment. However I paid £10 to see Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliaci at the ROH. Even the balcony seats at the ENO start at £20.

And it is easy to book opera tickets online, direct from the opera house, there might be a small booking fee (under £2). Compare that to buying a ticket to a concert from a ticket agency that has a huge mark up on the ticket price. The only problem with the ROH is that you have to book early to get a reasonable priced seat. Preferably on the first day for the general public. The value seats tend to sell out very quickly. Might have to become a friend of the ROH. But that is the one thing that will put off young people you have to book months in advance. The ENO is different they usually have plenty of seats in the week leading up to the performance.

*What can 20-30 year olds get from attending an opera show that they couldn't get from plays, gigs, exhibition, music festivals?*

Live, unamplified, rich sounding music, incredible almost superhuman singing. Most theatres in London now are amplified and all modern musicals are amplified. Now there are some advantages to amplication, you can cough your way through a performance and nobody will notice. When the audiences cheers and claps they will not drown out the actors. But it all sounds rather flat, compressed and sometimes the volume is so loud it hurts my ears. But the rich acoustics at the ROH combline with a live orchestra and singers is on a different level.

Add to that the whole experience of visiting the ROH, going to the opera is far more pleasureable than standing in a muddy field in the rain at Glastonbury.

*Do opera houses do enough to put themselves on the general public's radar? If so, are there any stand out examples?*

The ROH doesn't really have any problems because it is difficult to get a ticket. But the ENO should start advertsing their performances as a great alternative evening out and start sounding less desperate. The ENO wants to appear relevant by saying young people can dress down, when in reality it is people in their 20s who dress up to go out for an evening.


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