Understanding Opera’s New Audiences: Research Report
Understanding Opera's New Audiences offers insights into the motivations, experiences, and barriers faced by new opera audiences nationwide in the years following the pandemic.
The national study draws on a survey of over 11,000 operagoers from 2020 to 2024 across 36 opera companies of all sizes, formats, and geographies in the United States. It was conducted by OPERA America in partnership with the premier cultural research firm, Slover Linett at NORC, based at the University of Chicago.
The project responded to ongoing reports of record-breaking levels of first-time attendance. Since full houses are central to the artistic and financial health of opera companies, OPERA America set out to uncover ways to retain and convert these newcomers into a sustaining audience for the future.
The report was conducted with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and with additional, generous leadership support from Bob Ellis, John Nesholm, and the Heinz Endowments.
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Key Findings
The Understanding Opera’s New Audiences report offers important insights into the behavior of newcomers to opera that will help opera companies develop strategies that respond to the barriers and opportunities reveal by respondents. In over 60 pages of charts and diagrams derived from the research, it highlights seven key findings:
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Most New-to-Opera attenders initially come for a new "experience," and they tend to stick to the classics.
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Many New-to-Opera attenders listen to and watch opera recordings before they attend in person.
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New-to-Opera attenders have positive experiences and are eager to recommend opera to others.
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Ticket cost prevents audiences from returning more frequently — especially those who are New to Opera.
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New-to-Opera attenders differ notably from Ongoing audiences — both demographically and behaviorally.
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New-to-Opera attenders who return tend to be more engaged with the performing arts generally.
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Different types of opera companies play different but crucial roles in sustaining local opera audiences.
Next Steps
The report does not offer a universal solution for attracting and retaining new audiences, but it points to numerous avenues for additional analysis and experimentation.
The study invites opera companies to think creatively about confronting the barriers and seizing the opportunities revealed by respondents — in ways that can advance our collective understanding of new-to-opera audiences and their experience.
- How do the broad findings align with your company-identified goals for audience retention and diversification?
- What areas could you investigate with greater granularity by surveying your audiences?
- How can the takeaways of the report help refine what you have already tried to retain newcomers?
Download the Full Report
Download the full report for free by completing the form below. Once submitted, you will receive an email with a direct download link.
For questions about the report, contact us at Marketing@operaamerica.org. Research teams interested in performing their own analysis of the data collected for this report may request access.
