Opera Philadelphia Launches $11 Ticket Campaign

Last week, Opera Philadelphia announced its new Pick Your Price ticket program. The program aims to bring opera to a wider range of audience members.

Driving the news: On August 27th, Opera Philadelphia’s new general director and president Anthony Roth Costanzo announced the launch of the company’s Pick Your Price program. Ticketbuyers will now have the option of buying tickets for any opera for $11 or a higher price of their choosing. The program is the first of its kind in the US. Roth Costanzo aims to attract audience members for whom ticket prices are a barrier. He believes this program will impact the type of art the company can create.

Digging deeper: Many opera companies and orchestras program

“cash cows” (think Carmen, Bohème, Butterfly, Beethoven symphonies) in order to raise money through ticket sales. Yet, Opera Philadelphia depends more on philanthropy and individual donations in its budget than ticket revenue.

Opera Philadelphia’s new price initiative has been described as a radical shift within the opera world. Soprano Renée Fleming called the initative a landmark moment for opera. Since Anthony Roth Costanzo became GD in June, the opera company has reported an increase in $7 Million USD in donations, which will help to cover any shortfalls from its new Pick Your Price program.

The company has also considerably decreased its operations since the coronavirus pandemic. This season it will stage 9 performances, down from its previous standard of 30, perhaps meaning well-to-do audience members will be more inclined to pay higher prices. Fingers’ crossed Costanzo’s innovation pays off.

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Sara Schabas

Sara Schabas is a Dora-nominated soprano, writer and yoga teacher. She has performed and created leading roles with companies including Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Dayton Opera, and Aspen Opera, and is a former member of Barbara Hannigan’s Equilibrium Young Artists. Currently based in Montreal, she is a doctoral student at McGill University — where she recently received the Wirth Vocal Prize — and editor of Art Song Canada magazine.