On Nov. 21, OPERA America released a groundbreaking report titled “Understanding Opera’s New Audiences.” The yearlong study delved into the motivations, experiences and barriers faced by new opera audiences nationwide.
In a nutshell, most new-to-opera attendees come for a novel experience. That doesn’t surprise Opera Naples Artistic Director Ramon Tebar.
“It’s the most complete art,” said Tebar. “Opera has everything. It has, of course, visuals. You have the sets, which we combine with projections. You have literature. Opera is based on a book, what we call a ‘libretto.’ It has music, obviously. They’re going to see some of the best singers in the world, but also a full-sized orchestra, 60, 70 pieces.”
The music, especially when sung in Italian or German, often triggers a highly emotional response. The kind of response Julia Roberts portrayed when her character attended the opera for the very first time in the movie “Pretty Woman.”
“Or even better than that,” said Tebar. “I was a few months ago conducting San Francisco where that scene was filmed and was remembering how everyone, how anyone, you don’t need to be a connoisseur, you don’t need to be a specialist, it could be your first time going to opera, but I can tell you, you’re going to be thrilled.”
The OPERA America survey found that many new-to-opera attendees have such positive experiences that they are eager to recommend opera to their families and friends.
The survey did note that ticket cost does prevent many first-timers from returning more frequently, a factor that Tebar acknowledges.
“Actually, you can come to one of our performances cheaper than you can attend, I don’t know, a basketball game. It’s not that expensive to come.”
For example, tickets to the comic opera “Don Pasquale” in January range from $39 to $119 per person.
“We are doing music live,” Tebar observed. “We don’t perform recorded music. We have a 60-, 70-, 80-piece symphony orchestra. We have a chorus of 30, 40 singers. Then we have five, six, eight, 10 or more soloists on a stage, plus a stage director, plus all the lighting, plus all the sets. So it’s really an amazing experience. So I really recommend it.”
MORE INFORMATION:
The OPERA America study draws on a survey of over 11,000 operagoers across 36 opera companies of all sizes, formats, and geographies in the United States.
It was conducted in partnership with the premier cultural research firm, Slover Linett at NORC. The project was supported, in part, by an award from the Research Grants in the Arts program at the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional leadership support by Bob Ellis, John Nesholm, and The Heinz Endowments.
The report also found that:
- Most new-to-opera attendees tend to stick to the classics.
- Many new-to-opera attendees listen to and watch opera recordings before they attend in person.
- New-to-opera attendees who return tend to be more engaged with the performing arts generally.
“Our research shows that these new audiences are younger, more diverse, and enthusiastic about their experience at the opera,” stated OPERA America President and CEO Marc A. Scorca. “With the right retention strategies, they can become a loyal audience that sustains opera companies into the future.”
In Tebar’s estimation, the visitor experience of new-to-opera attendees is enhanced by the opulence and grandiosity of the costumes and sets that characterize an opera production.
“When we build the sets, some elements of architecture are involved,” said Tebar. “Sometimes we build a wall, a house, a balcony, even a sculpture.”
In addition, the soloists don’t just sing. They’re actors as well.
The different productions that Opera Naples will present this season represent a wide variety of styles.
“We go from Mozart, you know, classic opera,” said Tebar, “to contemporary opera. We’re also doing 'Don Pasquale,' which is a comic opera. But at the same time, we’re doing Italian opera with 'La Boheme,' which is a drama. We’re doing 'Mikado' [with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W.S. Gilbert, their ninth of 14 operatic collaborations], which is going to be hilarious, sung in English.”
Language is a barrier that prevents some from going to an opera performance.
“Mozart will be sung in German, but the dialogue will be done in English,” Tebar noted. “'La Boheme' by Puccini and 'Don Pasquale' are sung in Italian, but always with supertitles.”
In fact, Opera Naples always incorporates supertitles in its shows “because sometimes it can be difficult to understand all the different lines because you can have a quintet of singers singing different lines and also the chorus,” Tebar said.
Tebar loves all music, but he believes there’s a reason that classical music sounds a chord with new-to-opera audiences.
“Music that we can classify as good music is opera and classical music just by the simple fact that it has been here with us for centuries,” said Tebar. “That means that it has a quality. Mozart, Puccini, Gilbert and Sullivan, Italian opera, classical music in general has been here with us for centuries. There must be a very good reason.”
Tebar invites people who’ve never experienced opera to an Opera Naples performance.
“I would like to invite our community just to try, no, if you have never come to an opera performance, just to come and experiment for themselves what an overwhelming and thrilling and exciting experience it is,” Tebar said.
