Opera America Announces Discounts Across North American Opera Houses

Valid across 85 opera companies, the Opera Passport scheme has been introduced as a ticket discount exchange program

“Opera Passport” by OPERA America is a new North American ticket discount exchange program accessible across opera companies in the U.S. and Canada,  benefitting concertgoers and their subscriptions.

Encouraging audiences to also enjoy opera whenever they travel, the program is aimed to build awareness of the vibrancy of opera productions across the continent.

Of Opera America’s 203 professional presenters, the 85 participating companies are: Calgary Opera, Manitoba Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Vancouver Opera, Tapestry Opera, San Francisco Opera, Anchorage Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Barn Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Hawaii Opera Theatre, and more. 

The collaborative, industry-wide initiative was inspired by the National Stages Program founded in 2015 for select theater companies and reciprocal membership programs among museums.

Another part of the program is to build opera audiences as opera companies strive to increase ticket sales after the pandemic. 

Recent OPERA America research revealed that average 2022/23 ticket sales were 22% below that of the 2018/19 season. However, nearly one-third of all audiences, on average, were first-time attendees. 

“Opera Passport” is available to subscribers and donors at participating opera companies 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.

“Opera Passport by OPERA America encourages audiences to experience opera beyond their hometown,” said the organization's president and CEO Marc A. Scorca in the press release. “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.”