Abbie Fentress Swanson, Culture Editor & Interactive Content Producer
Abbie Fentress Swanson covers arts and culture for WNYC and is the editor for WNYC's Culture Web site. Follow her on Twitter @dearabbie.
Met Opera To Raise Ticket Prices Next Season
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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The New York Metropolitan Opera (Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)
- Join the Discussion [2]
Like many arts organizations, the Metropolitan Opera is operating with a deficit. Next season, the company has announced it will try to drum up funds by upping the price of its tickets.
''Obviously, we hope not to lose anything on sales,'' the Met's general manager, Peter Gelb, told The Associated Press and other reporters on Monday. ''My hope is that the audience will be sufficiently excited about what we've been doing and will want to continue to be part of it. Obviously, when we have ticket price increases, we run a risk.''
The Metropolitan Opera has a deficit of $4 million this season, after carrying over a $1 million deficit from last season. The ticket price hike it will institute will be an across-the-board increase. Subscription prices will go up about 6 percent and individual ticket prices will be increased by about 11 percent. The AP reports that this is the first time the company has increased ticket prices in five years.
The Met's next season opens September 27.
Comments [2]
Having just received my Met renewal, have having real problems understanding prices, especially since they raised the renewal on my 15+ year p
"price" on my seat in the Balcony over 22% last year supposedly designating it as a Premium seat. Guess as you get older in years the Met doesn't encourage old and getting older subscribers from considering renewal, at least, those subscribers on a fixed income while "encouraging" new audiences, untried (I find many young people bringing their "upbringing" to the opera house, e.g., texting during performance, inappropriate romantic overtures to their companion disturbing other participants who are attempting to read subtitles: talking and figgeting notwithstanding!). Gather this will be the "new" audience Mr. Gelb wants to attract and is bending over backwards offering the newer "younger" audience big discounts. Guess we older suscribers have to grin and bear it or just get out PERIOD!
Yes, and as part of the publics deficit, spending cuts will have to made, and tickets to the Met will be among the items to cut from the budget.
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