Opera Philadelphia has cut all tickets to $11 under new general director Anthony Roth Costanzo, establishing a “pick your price” model aimed at expanding its audience.
Mr. Costanzo announced Tuesday that the company had raised $7 million since April 1.er June, when he replaced David Devan, who retired after 13 seasons.
The money was used to pay off the debt and establish a new model, in which people can pay more than the minimum if they wish.
“This is the first chapter in a long-term recovery story,” Costanzo said. “Creating a new home for opera in this day and age requires taking risks. It doesn’t require doubling down on safe choices, and it means embracing failure.”
Mr. Costanzo, a 42-year-old countertenor with an active career on the world’s greatest stages, took up his duties ahead of a 2024-25 season that will be reduced to 10 performances, down from 30 in 2018-19, the last season before the COVID-19 pandemic, and 16 in 2022-23. Tickets for this season initially ranged from $30 to $300.
“Every dollar spent over $11 not only supports the opera, but it supports people who want to come to the opera,” Costanzo said. “It will certainly be a decrease in ticket revenue. But it will be an increase in contribution revenue and, I think, in the future, foundation revenue and hopefully corporate revenue.”
Opera Philadelphia sold 14,211 tickets last season at an average of $85.77, representing 13% of the company’s revenue. In the 2022-23 season, 17,464 tickets were sold at an average of $78.32, also representing 13% of revenue.
This season’s program at the Academy of Music, which has approximately 1,800 full-view seats, includes three performances of The Listeners by Missy Mazzoli from its American premiere on September 25, two performances of The anonymous lover by Joseph Bologne from January 31, and four performances of Don Giovanni Mozart from April 25.
The company has scrapped its innovative season-opening festival amid budget cuts.
Costanzo spoke with Henry Timms, the outgoing president of New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which has relied on a pay-per-view model starting at $5 for many of its events since 2022. Summer for the City.
Mr. Costanzo said the previous model was based on the inclusion of popular titles such as Carmen by Bizet, in an attempt to boost ticket sales.
“We’re going to people who can afford $150 tickets. It’s changing the marketing landscape. It’s changing the demographics of who we’re going to buy and where we’re going to sell,” Costanzo said. “Ticket prices and ticket sales are becoming a real focal point of how we create art forms in this day and age. And I think that’s a shame. It’s limiting us and it’s holding back innovation and progress.”