By Margot Helm, Opera San José

Imagine, if you will, a completely full house at the theatre- one comprised entirely of individuals who had never seen a live opera before, or not within the last five years. The singers, orchestra and crew are close to the end of a successful run of La bohème—one of the world’s most recognizable and beloved operas—and everyone is in peak form. For three hours, the audience is enraptured; transported to 19^th century Paris, to join a group of young artists who find love and friendship to help them weather the hardships of life. When the tragic moment arrives at the end of the opera and Rodolfo discovers that Mimì has died, there is not a dry eye in the house.

Opera is a magical intersection of a dramatic (passionate, or hilarious!) story, incredible music, beautiful scenery and costumes, passionate words, and lush voices. Yet many people assume that it’s not for them- they miss out entirely on something so special and so wonderful that it’s lasted in our society for hundreds of years. So what better way to introduce a friend to the opera than by inviting them to see a well-performed classic—for FREE?

Over a thousand people from San José had that chance last May, as the Knight Foundation generously helped Opera San José to welcome an audience of opera rookies to a special performance of La bohème. In a survey that was distributed to audience members at the intermission, participants told us what sparked their curiosity:

• “Sounded like a fun date night. We have twin 3 year olds, and it was a much needed break.”
• “My father is a Chinese opera singer so I always wanted to see what the Western opera is like.”
• “I had never attended an opera before and felt ticket prices were out of reach. I appreciated the free ticket and hope to budget for future performances because I thoroughly enjoyed it!!”
• “I have always wanted to attend an opera–ever since a child. It was everything I imagined it to be.”
• “We have a very limited budget, so it was a risk-free way to try the opera, not knowing if we’d like it or not. Also, I was familiar with at least the name of La bohème. Once I read more and realized the story, I was even more interested.”

There were some great stories, but the most enjoyable parts of the survey to read were the additional comments that expressed an unsolicited interest in returning for future performances:

• “I absolutely loved it, and I am interested in future performances, especially Pagliacci…”
• “I invited my 15 year-old nephew for the evening. He had never been to an opera before either and he loved it. He’s an active participant in his drama department at school so he says he loved seeing another form of theater production. Thank you!”
• “Thank you very much for the opportunity to experience the opera…we both have begun to make plans to return shortly to San Jose Opera for other performances.”
• “This was the first opera for me and my adult son. We liked it so much, that he is thinking of buying season tickets.”
• “We very much enjoyed the performance–the orchestra was sweet, our seats were great, the sets were fantastic, the acting was wonderful, and all of the voices were skilled and moving. We read the program cover to cover and think your ‘resident artist’ system was shown off very well by these performers, and so wonder why it’s so unusual an approach.”

As we head into the ’11-’12 season, every one of the households that responded to our invitation to the free performance will be receiving a season brochure with details about the coming repertoire, and a special thank-you letter from Opera San José’s General Director, Irene Dalis. In addition, respondents who included their email address will be added to our e-news mailing list, and will receive periodic updates on Opera San José’s free community performances, lectures, student programs, and alerts for single-ticket sales opportunities this season.

Keeping an expensive and traditional art form relevant and affordable is a challenge when there are so many popular entertainment options competing for our attention and our dollars. With luck, this free opportunity to experience a live, staged opera will inspire a few of our guests to investigate Opera San José’s numerous ticket discounts and free events, and become new opera fans!