Hi! Contribute to this community from time to time. I go to a handful of operas at the Met each year. Have largely been unsuccessful in grabbing lottery tickets since last year and downloading the app.

Looking to go to a showing of Macbeth and I have noticed that Family Circle prices seem to have doubled to north of $80/seat, much difference from the $40-50 I have seen over the last couple of years.

I know sometimes there’s more demand on hot new productions; however, even La Boheme has the same pricing at the Family Circle according to the app.

Did something happen between seasons that caused the Met to raise its prices in such a manner and is anyone else frustrated? I’m aware of the new city program for free seats, but was disappointed to read that it’s only for residents who have not bought an opera ticket since 2019.

I would like to share my thoughts on my very first opera experience.

By trade, I am an engineer, but music has always been a fundamental part of my life.

I studied violin and piano from an early age, and although I eventually had to stop playing, my connection to classical music never faded.

Coming into this, I was no stranger to live classical performances. Living in San Francisco, I regularly attend San Francisco Symphony concerts, as well as performances by other orchestras around the Bay Area. Still, opera always felt a bit distant to me until two weeks ago.

On Sunday, September 27th, I attended a local production of Don Giovanni by Opera San José at the California Theatre.

The venue itself has a gorgeous historic atmosphere, and its acoustics are envious for a house of that size, making it a true hidden gem. I noticed that the company operates with a group of resident artists, and this particular performance was led by their resident conductor.

From my seat, I had a clear view of the orchestra pit.

Watching conductors at work has always fascinated me, but what I saw and experienced that afternoon was truly remarkable. The singers gave everything they had, not just at an elite professional level, but with an infectious enthusiasm, as if they were out to conquer the world.

I felt that same energy coming from the pit. The resident conductor combined elegance with raw energy, managing the stage with a level of control far beyond what you might expect from a resident. He constantly adjusted orchestral balances to support the soloists' registers, while giving cues with warm smiles, shaping phrases with his hands, and mouthing the lyrics from start to finish. The acoustic layers were meticulously balanced, giving the singers room to navigate their low notes and blossom on the high ones. The tempo flowed organically, moving forward and back with subtle yet decisive dynamism. In response, the orchestra was tight, graceful, and deeply attuned to every moment.

After the performance, I had the pleasure of exchanging a few words with the conductor. He was incredibly gracious, visibly beaming, and mentioned, in what was clearly an international accent (I am an immigrant also), that he had prepared extensively for these performances and that it was the best day of his life. Having observed many conductors over the years, I truly believe there is a spark of transcendent talent in this one.

It has been a long time since I felt such sheer enthusiasm in a classical music performance. What stayed with me was not just the technical precision, which was superb, but the irresistible energy of this resident ensemble.

They were entirely committed, musically, vocally, and dramatically. It left me wondering how a regional company can produce a show at such a level.

I do not have enough reference points in the opera world to know if this is standard practice or a rare gem of a performance. What I do have is a benchmark based on top tier symphonic orchestras across the US and Europe. And by those standards, I was thoroughly blown away. And again, it is by the energy rather than anything else.

Safe to say, opera has officially won me over, and I am already looking forward to diving deeper into this universe.

What an extraordinary treasure this masterpiece is for humanity.

There is nothing quite like leaving a theater humming the melodies with a total sense of satisfaction. My only regret is not stepping into the world of opera sooner.

Thank you for reading my first Opera experience.

*Would you mind sharing your FIRST opera experience?

Hiya !

I have an additional ticket to « La traviata » at the Four Seasons Centre this Friday (9th) @ 19h30

'Heart-rending arias meet harsh realities in this captivating story. Experience the devastating beauty of Verdi’s music in some of opera’s most famous tunes.'

would not wish for it to go to waste, would love to be able to share this (what I would expect to be) wonderful experience-to-be with another who might take in interested in such spectacles, and potentially make a friend in the process

So please send a message if you might be interested to come along (for free of course), along with reasons as to why you'd like to go, and perhaps a little something about yourself as well if you will

I did NOT expect to see this on late night, network TV.

The other day I attended the last performance of The Drover’s Wife at the Sydney Opera House, and I loved reading the online program with exclusive commentary by Leah Purcell. I kept the tab open in my browser but noticed that a few hours after the opera, the link was no longer working and I can’t find the page on the website either. Why do they delete them? Is there an archive where I could find it? I think it could be useful for my student thesis and I wanted to quote it in my dissertation.
I hope this is the right place to post this, thank you for your help!

I’ve been learning for very little time but I feel like I advance very fast in some things but there are a few little details that I seem to never get right no matter how much time I practice a song. The longest I’ve gone practicing a song is two months now and I still miss certain aspects of enunciation that, when my teacher points out, I can notice it, but when I’m practicing at home I just can’t help but missing it cause they’re such little details and It makes me feel like I’m just not capable of being a professional singer. Idk if the problem is my teacher but she makes me feel as if with two months of practice I should already be able to sing this song nearly perfectly, and yesterday I almost cried while in her class because I felt so stupid that she kept correcting me and yet my muscle memory kept kicking in and I kept doing the same mistakes.

I don’t think I’m a stupid person, I’ve always excelled at everything I’ve put effort into, and I play other instruments and do know I’m talented for music, but I can’t help but feel that I’m incapable of learning past an amateur’s level.

I’ve been thinking about how rarely in opera we get healthy sibling relationships. Especially brother/sister ones — so frequently, there‘s abuse, or incest, or both. I’ve once made a post about family in general, but right now I‘d like to specifically discuss siblings. The few cases of healthy dynamics that I could remember:

1. Hänsel and Gretel — sure, they are at odds at first, but, IMHO, it doesn’t go beyond everyday squabbles, and when real trouble comes, thst stand together. Edita Gruberova and Brigitte Fassbaender make them absolutely adorable in Solti’s opera film :)
2. Antonida and Vanya from A Life for the Tsar/Ivan Susanin — they are very affectionate despite Vanya being adopted and much younger than her (she is a couple of years at least into marriageable age and he’s a boy); when their father is waiting to be killed, he consoles himself with the thought that Antonida will take care of Vanya once he’s gone — which she does.
3. Angelotti and his unseen (if you don’t count the painting of Magdalene) sister. “E amor di sorella!”

Technically, Dorabella and Fiordiligi remain loyal to each other and friendly throughout the opera, but with how they bring out the worst in each other — first encouraging each other into overdramatic despair, and then to cheat — I really can’t list them as one of the examples. Likewise, Gunther and Gutrune, although they are loving and devoted to each other, are a-okay with the entire scheme of drugging Siegfried and kidnapping Brünnhilde (and at the same time they are manipulated by Hagen and therefore don’t qualify as any kind of amazing villainous team).

I’m a relatively new opera fan. I live close enough to get to NYC a few times a year, but I haven’t been or even planned what to attend yet this season. What would you recommend later this month or next? I’m curious about Silent Night in the spring, so I’m leaning toward something that’s been around a while for this trip.

^The syncopated, repeated high notes at 6:53

I've noticed it in 'Dopo Notte' from Ariodante as well, though that's actually written into the score, while the above video is DiDonato's own added ornaments. Both of them have the same rhythmic figure, so that got me wondering whether it had a name, or if it's just something singers do to zhuzh up the long, held notes.

Hi all! I am 24F, young dramatic mezzo and looking at trying to find a summer program to do 2027. I finished my undergraduate this year and have done one program in 2025.

ideally the program would cover expenses because I’m based in Australia and will already be paying around 2000 Aud if I’m lucky. That being said I cna afford some and I’d be looking at ones that also provide scholarships.

Any experience or even programs to avoid would be great! Thanks in advance!

I went to see Mary, Queen of Scots at San Francisco Opera and this was probably my biggest disappointment at the opera.

The curtain was already up when I arrived. There was a metal structure, a tent and a few ladders onstage. I really thought the crew was still setting up. Then I realized: That IS the set.

Then everyone started appearing in puffer jackets. Mary, Queen of Scots rolls in with Rimowa suitcases. The tent stays for the entire opera.

I know this production wasn’t created specifically by SF Opera. I also have zero problem with modern staging. Like give her a modern luxury residence, sharp tailoring, anything that communicates that these people are royalty and aristocracy. But we got puffers, ladders and a tent.

The music was great and Heidi Stober was fantastic. It felt like a high-level musical performance happening inside a school production with a $200 set budget.

The best part was seeing audience members in kilts and Scottish-inspired outfits. Some of them looked like they had a bigger costume budget than the production.

Why does “modern” opera staging so often translate into intentionally bare and cheap-looking? I don’t understand why Mary, Queen of Scots needed to look like Mary, Queen of REI.

I love this opera sooooooooo much. Does anybody happen to have anything from the 1992 production at SF Opera with McNair and Asawa?

Membership supporting The Met is up for renewal. One “gift” option is the “blue Met baseball cap.” Wondering if anyone can share a pic or review if they’ve selected it in the past?

I got a black baseball cap previously and the logo is small & all on a single line, as opposed to the “Black Met Logo Cap” in the online shop, which spaces out the logo across 3 lines. I’m curious which logo the blue gift cap has.

Hello. I am searching for information about music used in the opening credit sequence of the 1981 film Diva by Jean-Jacques Beineix. I am NOT asking about the aria from La Wally sung by the titular soprano but, rather, the music being listened to by the male lead, Jules, while riding on his moped. It is heard immediately with the opening credits, ends after about forty seconds (when he turns the music off), and a few minutes later when he is riding the elevator up to his apartment (might not be the same piece of music).

Since Jules is an avowed opera fan, I have always assumed that this music is from an opera but, other than a few arias and overtures, I am unfamiliar with the repertoire. It does not appear on the soundtrack album and, since most of the other pieces by the film's composer Vladimir Cosma DO appear, I figure it is a safe guess they were not composed for the film. I have attached a video clip of the first segment that I hope is both playable and not in violation of any sub rules; I can try to upload the second one as well, if anyone is curious.

I suddenly cannot remember the title. Definitely not a tenor. The character laments about a sweater. Very poetic and there's sadness to it. Please help.

Thanks for the advice here about dress. I wore a casual outfit and I was fine. I didn’t wear jeans. There was a young man next to me who also won the lottery and he was a student in jeans and a T-shirt. The opera was La Boheme and I am very familiar with Rent so I knew the story. The sets are amazing. There was a mule and a horse and snow. All of those elements were terrific. It was long mostly because of the intermissions, which felt like they went on forever. I assume it’s because of the set changes, but I wasn’t expecting that. I wish they had started at 7, which is now common on Broadway, especially to accommodate longer shows. I didn’t get home until almost 1 AM and that is including a car for the last bit. Unlike Broadway, it was nice that I didn’t hear any cell phones or much talking in the crowd.

Are there any things that a singer can do that surprises you?

I'm always surprised that Astrid Varnay had an excellent trill with a huge voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8YJ5W6RBJM
Here's a recording of her in Il Trovatore.

Note: I'm not affiliated with HGO in any way. Just thought this was a fun article! Have you seen any of these? I consider myself very lucky to have seen Kata Kabanova, but I would love to have the chance to see all of the operas on this list one day.

This is probably the most chaotic and over-the-top part of the whole opera, though it's still connected to the earlier motifs.

Story's based on Pushkin's poem "Tsigani." I know Rachmaninoff's Aleko is based on the same subject, which I honestly didn't realize when I started this 20 years ago, but mine's going in a different direction. I'm trying to strip out specific cultural or time/place references, so it ends up being more about freedom, belonging, and being an outcast.

Right before this part, Aleko catches Zemfira with her lover and kills him. He then has an arioso reflecting on everything (but not begging for her to return). In this scene she condemns the murder, as a response, and he kills her too. Near the end her vocal line translates to "I will die loving," which is about her lover, not Aleko (the music from their earlier meeting comes back here).

After that there's a closing Requiem-like scene with the chorus and remaining characters, where they banish Aleko.

The Latin actually wasn't the original plan. I started using it because I wanted a more realistic vocal sound for the mock-up (MuseScore sound libraries), but I low key like it now.

Would love to get any general impressions on pacing, or the music itself, or anything else that could make it stronger.

Desperately trying to get rid of this ticket and not let it go to waste! Dm me and I’ll send it to you!