OPERA America Launches Opera Passport, A North American Ticket Discount Exchange Program

OPERA America has announced Opera Passport by OPERA America, a new North American ticket discount exchange program among opera companies in the United States and Canada. The program extends the benefits of an operagoer's hometown opera subscription to 85 opera companies across North America.

 

Opera Passport by OPERA America encourages operagoers to enjoy opera whenever they travel and builds awareness of the vibrancy of opera productions across the continent. The program was inspired by the National Stages Program for select theater companies and common reciprocal membership programs among museums.

 

Opera Passport by OPERA America is a collaborative, industry-wide initiative to build opera audiences as opera companies strive to increase ticket sales after the pandemic. Recent OPERA America research shows that average 2022‒2023 ticket sales were 22% below pre-pandemic 2018‒2019 levels. Yet nearly one-third of all audiences, on average, were first-time attenders. Cultivating new and repeat attendance is essential for replenishing sales. Opera Passport by OPERA America will entice new operagoers to sample a broader array of performances.

 

“Opera Passport by OPERA America encourages audiences to experience opera beyond their hometown,” shared Marc A. Scorca, president and CEO of OPERA America. “We're excited to forge new connections between companies and facilitate affordable access to opera across North America. In this moment of regrowth for the sector, the collaborative spirit of this new initiative — uniting companies large and small, urban and rural — demonstrates our collective role in cultivating the audiences of today and tomorrow.”

 

Access to Opera Passport by OPERA America is available to subscribers and donors at participating opera companies (subject to local eligibility) and to all individual members of OPERA America. Passport holders can take advantage of discounts of 10% or more on tickets at all participating companies.

 

Participating companies include:

 

·       Anchorage Opera, Anchorage, AK

·       Arizona Opera, Phoenix and Tucson, AZ

·       Ars Lyrica Houston, Houston, TX 

·       Austin Opera, Austin, TX

·       BARN OPERA, Brandon, VT 

·       Boston Baroque, Boston, MA

·       Boston Lyric Opera, Boston, MA

·       Boulder Opera, Boulder, CO

·       Calgary Opera, Calgary, AB 

·       Charlottesville Opera, Charlottesville, VA

·       Chautauqua Opera, Chautauqua, NY

·       Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago, IL 

·       Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati, OH 

·       The Dallas Opera, Dallas, TX

·       Detroit Opera, Detroit, MI

·       El Paso Opera, El Paso, TX

·       Finger Lakes Opera, Rochester, NY 

·       The Florentine Opera, Milwaukee, WI

·       Florida Grand Opera, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, FL 

·       Fort Worth Opera, Fort Worth, TX

·       The Glimmerglass Festival, Cooperstown, NY 

·       Hawai'i Opera Theatre, Honolulu, HI 

·       Heartbeat Opera, New York, NY 

·       Houston Grand Opera, Houston, TX 

·       Hudson Valley International Festival of the Voice, New Paltz, NY

·       IN Series, Washington, D.C.

·       Intermountain Opera Bozeman, Bozeman, MT 

·       Knoxville Opera, Knoxville, TN 

·       LA Opera, Los Angeles, CA 

·       Lakes Area Music Festival, Brainerd, MN 

·       Lamplighters Music Theatre, San Francisco, CA 

·       Livermore Valley Opera, Livermore, CA 

·       Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago, IL 

·       Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO

·       Lyric Opera of the North, Duluth, MN 

·       Manitoba Opera, Winnipeg, MB 

·       Marble City Opera, Knoxville, TN

·       Maryland Opera, Baltimore, MD 

·       Minnesota Opera, Minneapolis, MN 

·       Mission Opera, Santa Clarita, CA 

·       Nashville Opera, Nashville, TN 

·       New Orleans Opera, New Orleans, LA 

·       North Carolina Opera, Raleigh, NC 

·       Opera Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 

·       Opera Colorado, Denver, CO 

·       Opera Columbus, Columbus, OH 

·       Opera Cultura, San José, CA 

·       OperaDelaware, Wilmington, DE 

·       Opera Idaho, Boise, ID

·       Opera Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 

·       Opéra Louisiane, Baton Rouge, LA

·       Opera Maine, Portland, ME 

·       Opera Modesto, Modesto, CA 

·       Opera Omaha, Omaha, NE 

·       Opera on the Avalon, St. John's, NL

·       Opera Orlando, Orlando, FL 

·       Opera Parallèle, San Francisco, CA 

·       Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 

·       Opera Roanoke, Roanoke, VA 

·       Opera San José, San Jose, CA 

·       Opera Saratoga, Saratoga Springs, NY

·       Opera Tampa, Tampa, FL 

·       Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO 

·       Pacific Opera Victoria, Victoria, BC

·       Palm Beach Opera, West Palm Beach, FL 

·       Penn Square Opera, Lancaster, PA 

·       Pensacola Opera, Pensacola, FL 

·       Piedmont Opera, Winston-Salem, NC

·       Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh, PA 

·       Portland Opera, Portland, OR 

·       Resonance Works, Pittsburgh, PA 

·       San Francisco Opera, San Francisco, CA 

·       Seattle Opera, Seattle, WA 

·       Shreveport Opera, Shreveport, LA 

·       Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, SC 

·       St. Petersburg Opera, St. Petersburg, FL

·       Tapestry Opera, Toronto, ON 

·       Teatro Grattacielo, New York, NY 

·       Union Avenue Opera, St. Louis, MO 

·       Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, Salt Lake City, UT

·       Vancouver Opera, Vancouver, BC

·       Virginia Opera, Norfolk, Richmond, and Fairfax, VA

Individuals who are subscribers and/or donors at a participating company are encouraged to contact their home company to learn more about how to become an Opera Passport by OPERA America holder. Eligibility is determined by each participating company. Audiences can learn more about the program and participating companies by visiting operaamerica.org/OperaPassport.

 

Individual Members at OPERA America receive access to Opera Passport by OPERA America as a benefit of membership. Additional benefits include full access to OPERA America’s online resources, including Opera America Magazine, priority booking at the National Opera Center, and savings on programs including the OPERA America Onstage series, and more. Individual membership starts at $75 per year. Learn more at operaamerica.org/Join or contact Membership@operaamerica.org.

 

Company participation in Opera Passport by OPERA America is available to Professional Company Members of OPERA America. Companies must offer a discount of at least 10% and provide a direct channel for participants to purchase discounted tickets. To learn more and enroll, company representatives can contact OPERA America at Marketing@operaamerica.org. 

 

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