Getting young people to become opera-goers is a significant challenge for both opera lovers and houses alike. It is also one of our most important priorities. There are multiple ways by which opera houses can attract young audiences, and there are even more methods by which young people themselves can take initiative.
Before we get to the hows, we have to deal with the whys. Why should children even make an effort to learn about opera in the first place? For me, opera is more than just a few melodies, catchy tunes and exciting moments. It is an experience. It is a journey through which one’s deepest emotions reveal themselves. With opera, we can immerse ourselves in the drama, crying or laughing along the way, more so than with any other form of art. There are operas that make us cry and others that make us smile with delight. Few, if any, art forms can bring such a wide range of feelings to our bodies.
Making an effort to listen to opera goes beyond pleasing fans like me. By hearing just a whisper from an excerpt from an opera, we dive into cultural history. We are taken centuries back, and we hear the voices of people who lived in the ages of Verdi and Puccini. We learn about life in 18th century Rome and Vienna more than we ever could with a textbook. There is more than a personal benefit to people appreciating opera; there is an educational one.
Now, we must begin by dismissing a few prejudices that oftentimes keep children from exploring the world of opera.
First is the idea that opera exists only for old people and the ‘elite’. This could not be further from the truth. While opera tickets themselves are expensive, opera is currently more accessible than ever, and more people around the world are listening than ever before. The Metropolitan Opera, joining forces with artists in an attempt to spread opera around the world, recently organized a live virtual At-Home Gala in which singers and pianists from around the world participated, from Jonas Kaufmann in Bavaria to Renée Fleming in Virginia. This free event, informal yet shockingly moving, also featured a powerful performance of Va Pensiero sung by the Met Chorus and conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. It is events like these through which opera grows, as more people realize just how fun and exciting it can be.
Second, is the idea that opera is boring — that it is merely an hours-long, seemingly endless perpetuity of people screeching. Again, this is false; some of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed are in operas, too many of which, it seems, so many humans will never get to enjoy.
So what can opera houses and other opera-related entities do to inspire the next generation of opera-goers?
I recently discussed this with conductor and violinist Antonello Manacorda, who recently made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic, in an interview for my website AppreciateOpera.org. He said that for the premiere of a production of Die Zauberflöte that he conducted in Amsterdam, tickets were sold only to people under 20, and the performance sold out within two hours. Manacorda noted, “it was the best audience I ever had!”.
Another example of opera houses taking charge is the Metropolitan Opera Education initiative, which is dedicated to students’ musical education. It does everything from presenting simplified synopses of operas for children to supporting the landmark HD Live in Schools program, which brings live opera broadcasts to schools across the United States. Moreover, every year, around Christmas, the Met stages a child-friendly, English-language, shortened production of a famous opera. Past selections have included The Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel and The Barber of Seville.
The Met’s efforts do not end there. Every year, the Metropolitan Opera also runs an online Global Summer Camp to educate and inspire children about music. Every week, campers learn about a different opera, taught by skilled educators as well as by some of the best artists in the world, including Christine Goerke and Javier Camarena. The camp is currently operating in 2022.
Many ask me how I myself came to adore such music. Well, it all starts with genuine interest. Without truly wanting to, no one can truly commit to exploring something new. The first step is understanding that listening to opera should not be a gruesome task, but a pleasure.
When I interviewed Grammy-award-winning countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, I asked him about how to get more young people interested in opera. He explained, “Too often, I think, the explaining of everything, the ‘let me give you the translation,’ ‘let me tell you the story,’ does not interest the kids. The kids are interested in some instant connection … and in my experience, the easiest one is emotion”. According to Costanzo, the 2019 production of Phillip Glass’s Akhnaten in which he starred, most of which did not have supertitles, was loved by kids. Costanzo explained, “[the kids] were given free rein to see the images, to interpret the story the way they wanted, and to connect to the sound of the music and the emotion through something that was rather abstract.” Taking Mr. Costanzo’s words under advisement, parents and children can work together to ensure that children experience that emotional connection of which he speaks.
As an opera-loving adolescent myself, I constantly personally urge other children to try to learn about not just opera, but all classical music. Because of the societal prejudices I mentioned, many children, through no fault of their own, are not given the opportunity nor encouragement to make that effort. Once these foolish preconceptions are set aside, children can truly commit to learning about this great art.
My personal advice?
Trust me; it’s worth it.
If you are interested in giving opera a try but do not know to start, here is a list of some of my favorite operatic moments:
Sung by Jessye Norman, conducted by Herbert von Karajan
The “Liebestod” or “death of love” is the dramatic finale to Wagner’s tear-inducing tragedy Tristan und Isolde. Isolde, driven mad by Tristan’s death, reminisces about their time together and hallucinates that he is with her. The aria is sung here by the incomparable Jessye Norman, alongside an orchestra conducted by the great Herbert von Karajan.
It would be wrong not to include on this list a piece from Wagner’s brilliant tetralogy, Der Ring des Nibelungen, also known as the Ring Cycle. This short aria, a love song from Siegmund to Sieglinde, comes in the first act of Die Walküre, the second installment in the Ring saga. It is sung beautifully by German tenor Jonas Kaufmann.
This duet from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte is one of the sweetest and happiest tunes in all of music. Papageno and Papagena, the opera’s two star-crossed lovers, sung here by Olaf Bär and Eva Lind, joyfully imagine their future together.
Tosca, the protagonist from Puccini’s opera of the same name, is one of the most demanding roles for a soprano to perform. Renata Tebaldi, one of the greatest singers in history, did it better than anyone. In “Vissi d’arte”, Tosca worries about her imprisoned lover, Mario Cavaradossi, and wonders why God has seemingly abandoned her despite her constant faith.
“Che Gelida Manina” is one of the most recorded tenor arias in the canon. It is sung in the first act of Puccini’s La Boheme, as Rodolfo tells Mimi his life story. In the selected recording, it is sung flawlessly by Luciano Pavarotti.
This passionate piece is one of the most beautiful french arias ever composed. It comes at an intense point in Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila, where the enticing Dalila attempts to seduce Samson, an enemy of her people, so as to lure him into a trap where he can be arrested. Samson, ensnared by Dalila’s beauty, falls for her plan and is captured.
Sung by Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanča
This soprano/mezzo-soprano duet is one of the most recognizable tunes in all of music. In fact, it was described in the Grove Book of Operas, as “one of the world’s most popular melodies”. It is sung beautifully here by Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanča.
Vincenzo Bellini is known for his beautiful and memorable melodies, and “Casta Diva” is no exception. In this aria, Norma prays to the “Chaste Goddess” for peace and security. I selected two recordings for this piece, one by Maria Callas, arguably the greatest soprano ever, and the other by Renée Fleming, the most famous soprano of the 21st century. You can’t go wrong with either!
This famous baritone aria, sung here by the great Dmitri Hvorostovsky, comes around the middle of Verdi’s La Traviata. It is a father’s heartfelt plea to his son, begging him to return home.
Sung by the Chorus of the Vienna State Opera
This is arguably the most famous choral piece in all of opera, and rightfully so. “Va Pensiero”, also known as the “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves”, is the highlight of Verdi’s early opera Nabucco, the work that helped raise him to prominence in the European music scene. The text was inspired by Psalm 137 from the Tanakh.
