Modern Opera

http://www.chicagotribune.com/ 

Many opera companies have had to get creative when it comes to attracting a younger audience.  They have tried many methods to appeal to their preferences and using incentives.  Laura Blumenthal in an article from Live Magazine entitled “Could Musicals Help Turn Young People to Opera?” states that “last summer, ENO put on Two Boys, a new opera by modern composition's poster boy, Nico Muhly, who's as at home in opera houses as he is working with pop musicians such as Björk or the National.” Programming is one thing that is important to attract audiences.  

In my experience with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, I have noticed that recently they have started to put more musicals and operettas on their programs which have been able to attract a new audience.  I also noticed that they were able to raise ticket prices for Carousel because the demand was higher whereas the four hour long opera, Marriage of Figaro, was not as popular.  So, this shows one way that opera theaters have attracted audiences, but this article did mention that many theaters have special rates for schools to get younger people to attend the opera, which might be something to look further into.  How do companies use subsided rates to attract audiences?