1) You can afford it.
One of the biggest misconceptions most of us have about the opera is that it is expensive. Honestly, elaborate productions with stunning sets, delicately crafted costumes, imaginative lighting, created by an all star team of creative individuals and performed by musicians who have dedicated their lives to producing the most beautiful sounds possible… things can get quite pricy on the production end. Fortunately as an audience member, you can see this all for the price of a couple of cocktails. Become a Boston Lyric Opera PRIMA member for free and get $35 tickets to any and all shows. Too much for you? Try one of their free outreach concerts. Boston Opera Collaborative, Opera Hub, and Opera on Tap also regularly produce shows that are free and open to the public.
2) Support local artists.
That’s right, your ticket prices go to supporting jobs for Bostonians. In addition to the orchestra and the singers onstage, there are stage managers, production managers, rigging, sound, lighting, costume, technical directors, and each of these departments have sub-categories. Check out our recent blog post “we live among you.”
3) Unplug.
We all have heard the benefits of powering down for a short time every day, but it is becoming increasingly difficult. Try turning off your phone for a few hours to tune into epic story lines and beautiful music. Performing un-amplified, singers and instrumentalists are unplugged as well.
4) Eye Candy.
Think project runway meets Verdi. As the curtain goes up the audience gasps and bursts into applause. A team of costume and set designers has been working for months to craft a visual experience to match a sumptuous score. Richard Wagner often used the phrase Gesamtkunstwerk to describe Opera as a synthesis of the arts.
5) The Music
We at Opera on Tap like to call it “High Proof,” and nothing compares to the sound of a full professional orchestra under the baton of a highly experienced, talented and hard working conductor. Most of the time Opera on Tap brings the music to your local pub in a piano reduction, where the orchestral score has been ‘reduced’ for one player. We like to think of ourselves as a gateway to the concert hall. Whether you are aware of it or not, you have been surrounded by opera music your while life — from childhood cartoons, to airline commercials, to the imitative strains of modern film composers. It is high time you heard opera up-close and personal in all of its live glory.
(Kathryn McKellar)
