Before Wall Street investors began dissecting quarterly reports last month, the Lyric Opera of Chicago made its own announcement. The 2013-2014 season was a financial success; an 8 percent increase in ticket sales helped Lyric continue its streak in the black for 26 of the past 27 years. Additionally, Lyric sold an astonishing 23.7 percent of tickets to first-time buyers while increasing both subscription and individual ticket sales.
Chicago critics praised this achievement, but not everyone reacted so positively.
Parterre Box, an influential opera blog, criticized the Lyric’s results. It highlighted the fact that over 60 percent of the tickets sold to first time buyers were for The Sound of Music, which became the top-selling production in Lyric history. Commentators acknowledged the importance of profitable productions, especially in the wake of the financial difficulties faced by New York City Opera and San Diego Opera; however, they were skeptical whether or not devoting Lyric resources to musical theatre pieces and new commissions is a sustainable form of outreach for opera at large.
This difference of opinion is at the heart of Lyric’s strategy, likely shaped by general manager Anthony Freud. Freud’s previous work at Houston Grand Opera closely parallels many of the Lyrics new initiatives – launching new commissions and small scale events to appeal to nontraditional audiences.
In his opinion, “For HGO as an opera company to go to a community and say ‘this is La Bohème and you should like it’ seems arrogant to me.”
Freud’s approach of providing different content contrasts with the Metropolitan Opera’s strategy of addressing accessibility to reach broader audiences for more standard operatic fare through movie broadcasts and concerts.
