In the “1997 and 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts”, the National Endowment for the Arts reported that the trend towards opera is rising. From 1982 to 1992, opera attendance grew by 35 percent and has continued to grow 12.5 percent from 1992 to 1997.5 In 2002, 6.6 million adults (3.2 percent of the adult population) attended at least one opera performance, showing an increase of 8.2 percent in audience growth from 1992-2002. In 1997, however, 9.2 million adults (4.7 percent of the adult population) attended at least one opera performance, showing a slight decline in attendance over the past five years.6 This decline can also be seen in the performance or creation of opera over the past five years. In 2002, 1.4 millions adults participated in the performance or creation of at least one opera. This is a decline of .4 percent (600,000 individuals) from 1997.7
Despite the recent decline in attendance shown in the NEA surveys, representatives from several regional opera companies report that ticket sales have been climbing over the last decade. Opera has started to become a more popular art form, rather than an elitist one. Reasons for this increase in attendance include:
• New, stronger marketing strategies, such as Kentucky Opera’s programming of their 2001-02 season.
• New, modernized, dramatic interpretations of opera classics that create relationships with today’s audiences.
• Sets, costumes, and singers that are more visually pleasing.8
• Projection titles (making the plot of the opera more accessible to the public).
• Televised broadcasts.
• Free lectures or public seminars before the performances that provide information about the composer, the musical styles, and the character’s motivations.
• Outreach programs (making opera more accessible to children).
• “Meet the artists” evenings, usually after a performance.
Representatives from Lake George Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and several other regional opera companies agreed that attendance has specifically risen at their own companies and believe that ticket sales will continue to rise, despite the events of Sept. 11 and the slow economy. Florescu says that Lake George Opera’s ticket sales have increased 15-20 percent in the last four years, though the company was greatly affected by the events of Sept. 11, ultimately causing a $100,000 loss in funds.
Lake George Opera is not the only company that has felt the effects of 9-11. Kentucky Opera had to cancel productions because of difficulty with airline reservations after the attacks.9 Betsy Cecchetti, Information Service Director for OPERA America, reported some companies changed at least one of the productions in the last year, replacing the “previously planned unusual, controversial, or new works with more popular, traditional fare to lower box office risk” productions. Arts organizations in general seem to believe that future donations and grants will be more limited in comparison to the past few years.
For two tables on the trends in opera, see pages 20 and 21.
Table 1.
1997 and 2002 Opera Attendance Rates
by Demographic Group in the U.S.
This table shows the opera attendance rate by demographic group for the years 1997 and 2002. For example, the total adult population in 1997 was 195.6 million and in 2002, was 205.9 million. The left column for each year shows the total population for each group, calculated in millions. The right column shows the percentage of the total population that attended an opera for each group in each of the years. For example, 6.6 million individuals or 3.2 percent of the total adult population (205.9 million) attended an opera in 2002. In the year 2002, 36.9 million individuals were between the ages of 35-44. Of that 36.9 million, 2.8 percent attended an opera performance.
Source: National Endowment for the Arts
1997 and 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts
Table 2.
Comparison of 1982, 1992, 1997 and 2002 Distribution of Opera Attendees by Demographic Group in the U.S.
This table shows the distribution of opera attendees by demographic group over the last twenty years. For example, 6.6 million individuals attended an opera performance in 2002. More than half (57.6 percent) were women; 42.4 percent were men. In 1982, 41.9 percent of the male population attended an opera performance. Therefore, from 1982 to 2002, men have increased their opera attendance by .5 percent.
Source: National Endowment for the Arts
Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, 1997 and 2002
American Participation in Opera and Musical Theater. 1992
