This season, I’m rooting for the opera.

I’ve been listening to opera for years. What can I say? I can’t help myself; the classic stories are touching, the songs are elegant, and they’re preformed lavishly with blockbuster-like production. Last year, I saw every opera that came through Norfolk and enjoyed them all. In my eyes, there’s really only one thing wrong with the opera: it’s f*952k76jgg expensive!

From “Arts in Denim” at the Harrison Opera House.

There are so many things about opera to love; it’s got something for everyone, which is why I assume the major thing holding more people my age (24) back is cash-money.

“I think it was George Bernard Shaw who said that opera was ‘the most expensive invention of man, second only to war,’ “said Marc Scorca, the president of OPERA America and quoted by NPR a year ago. George Bernard Shaw was an early 20^th century playwright, journalist, and critic, and his observation was spot on. While Marc Scorca was using this quote in the context of describing how much it costs a company to put on an opera, it works for the end user as well. The average Norfolk ticket price for a show produced by the Virginia Opera is $62.35, if you combine all prices for every seating section throughout the course of a week. If you wanted to go as cheap as possible, you can sit in the back of the balcony for $25 on a Wednesday.

Last week, the Virginia Opera hosted an event at the Harrison Opera House called “Arts in Denim.” The event featured songs played by members of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, art created by local artist collective “The Tidewater 20,” a silent auction, and a few songs sung by cast members of Mozart’s Don Giovanni (scheduled to kickoff in Norfolk mid-February).

Mingling opera lovers. (Photo: VA Opera)

The event’s message appeared to be: dress casually and come to the opera house, walk around on stage and look at locally made art, listen to some music, buy drinks, and eat Popeye’s chicken. At the bottom of the event description forwarded to me, I saw the tag “young professionals welcome,” and this got me thinking. Actually, it made me feel singled out. Were we not welcome before? This seemed to imply that my demographic needs reassurance that we’re allowed to go to the opera, like we’re afraid of it or something (which some of us might be on some level, but still).

Even worse, it sends the message ‘you kids would like the opera if you could wear jeans and eat Popeyes.’

At the event I spoke with a woman who was a participant in the Chamber of Commerce’s group for Young Professionals, and a coordinator of the event. That could explain the ‘young professionals welcome’ tag, but it doesn’t really matter to me. If you’re going to host an event targeted at a certain demographic, I feel that it’s best practice not to alienate them even before they arrive. Furthermore, when members of the demographic you’re targeting do in fact attend your event, instruct your volunteers to please refrain from approaching them, asking their age, and in surprise and disbelief questioning them as to whether or not they’ve been to an opera before, as one such volunteer did to my cleanly shaven, baby faced boyfriend. Our mildly insulting, brief conversation with the volunteer ended on a somber note when she said, “I’m glad you’re here, you guys are the future of opera as us old guys… go away…”

It might seem like I’m reacting sensitively, but this is something I am sensitive about. I love the opera, and I want to see it not just survive, but thrive. But–to be perfectly honest with you–I’m worried about it.

Opera’s been around and popular for a very long time, but in the age of constant (and free) entertainment via the internet, will it lose its place? There’s no doubt that virtual entertainment will never replace the live show, but will us young professionals spring for opera when we can see Of Montreal at the NorVa for $18 bucks? Opera’s a form of spectacular storytelling that reaches into our very core to speak to primitive human needs and desires we all share. It’s the epitome of collaborative art, history, and tradition and definitely worth your attention.

That said, here are some ways you can see the opera without breaking the bank: Go on a Wednesday for $25 and seat-hop once the performance begins; VA Opera often provides “student rush” tickets that you can buy day of show and offers a “student night at the opera” (you kept you’re college ID right?); they also offer military and family discounts. Lastly, the opera has been known to perform publically from time to time. I saw some opera folks sing early fall 2009 at Town Point Park. It was cool. Hopefully opera will find its place among us ‘young professionals.’

I leave you with the recommendation to give opera a chance. If you’ve never been, go and decide if it’s cool for yourself, just don’t knock it til’ you’ve tried it! You can even wear your jeans if that makes you feel more comfortable but please, kids, leave your Popeye’s in the car.

Click here to check out the opera. It’s great.