In performance: "Armide" by Lafayette

Wow. Impressive different model for getting an audience to pay money to see your show w/out the normal big bucks expended on advertising. I hope they've covered or even exceeded their expenses. See, you charge a reasonable price, and audiences will be there to share the experiment with you.

Agreed ... Wow!!

Congratulations to the OL and their director, musicians, guest artists, staff, donors, and volunteers, and thanks to all the new opera audience members! -- whether they attended for forty-five minutes, one hour, two hours, or the full three hours! I hope that you all had an unusual, special, and enriching cultural experience.

I recall that the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra also decided to experiment with lower advertising and administrative costs, and to open all - or most - concerts for free (and to seek out tax-deductible contributions instead).

Perhaps those arts administration specialists reading here regularly can discuss this model. Thanks.

http://www.sfchamberorchestra.org/

PS. I think that it should be mentioned that Washington National Opera subscribers and donors were even offered a promotional code allowing them to attend this special Opera Lafayette Gluck performance for only $10! I hope some WNO subscribers and donors treated their kids or their neighbours's kids!)

(And couldn't Anne have mentioned that next year the WNO will be staging its own "well-meaning revival" of Gluck's 'Iphigenie en Tauride' similar to the "well-meaning revival" of the opera staged by the Metropolitan Opera in 2007?
The Washington Post review had two mentions of the Metropolitan Opera and zero of the Washington National Opera. In baseball and hockey and other 'stately' sports, we call this a 'shut-out').