From: Amy Hespenheide
Subject: Re: Opera/Classical music too expensive?
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>



--- "lilsoprano ." wrote:
> In response to "Bad Review," John wrote:
>
> >Opera and classical music has
> >been getting bad press as music only for the upper classes with
> >tickets priced so high that the general public can not afford to
> hear
> >live opera.


How much does a cheap
> seat
> at a stadium concert cost, compared with a cheap seat at the opera or
>
> classical concert? I remember paying about $25-35 for Family Circle
> seats
> at the Met a few years ago, but not having been to a pop concert
> since
> Richard Marx was big (yikes!), I wouldn't know what it's like now...


I haven't been to a stadium concert in ten years, but other pop
concerts are definitely cheaper than most seats at the opera . . . .
The last two "pop" concerts I attended were for Lyle Lovett and the
Cowboy Junkies and those were each $30, for very good seats. At the
San Francisco Opera, the cheapest "regular" opera seats are $25 for
1999-2000, but those are very high up on the sides of the balcony.
Rear balcony is $43 and front balcony is $55. The section in front of
the "Balcony Front" (the "Dress Circle"), was $100 for "Die Walkure"
last summer. You can buy standing room tickets for $12, but standing
for all of "Tosca" was exhausting -- I can't think what it would be
like for Wagner! The student "rush" tickets, when available, are a
good deal at $30. . . I try to get those.

Our local opera company, Nevada Opera, offers students half-price
tickets anywhere in the house. . . . which means $25 for orchestra
seats. Definitely worth it.

To point out the obvious, though, most operas are longer than most pop
concerts, and I'm sure they're more expensive to produce!

Amy

Amy Hespenheide
Reno, NV
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