Freud said that popular works such as “La Bohème” still do well at the box office, but that donors are increasingly interested in supporting new or rare works, such as Jimmy López’s “Bel Canto,” which had its premiere at Lyric in 2015. “Now that more of the house is sold on a single-ticket basis, one has to be thoughtful of what the titles are.”Īt Lyric, Mr.

“In the old days, when things nearly sold out fully on subscription, opera number three and opera number seven could be rare works, new works,” he said. Scorca, the president and chief executive of Opera America, a service organization, said that there have been concerns in the industry that weakening subscription sales could lead to safer programming choices. San Francisco Opera’s former general director, David Gockley, once explained the impact of relying on single-ticket sales in a frank program note that said “each title has to survive on its ability to attract an audience, whereas previously it could be slipped into a bigger package.”Īnd Peter Gelb, the general manager of the Met, said in an interview that since each production now has to bring in its own audience, the company seeks stronger casts for all of its operas than it sometimes had in the past. Welcome to Lyric Operas 65th season of outstanding musical storytelling We are thrilled to return to FOUR productions in the Kauffman. The shift has begun to change how and what operas program.

According to the League of American Orchestras, 2013 was the first year that revenue from single-ticket buyers and group sales surpassed subscription income.

The change is also hitting symphony orchestras, many of which were founded on the subscription model.

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