New York’s mayor Mamdani is putting his political capital behind one of our greatest art forms with his pledge of Opera for All – and 70,000 free tickets to prove it
Opera for All. It’s the credo of every opera house in the world, and each has its own ways and means of attracting new – and, crucially, younger – audiences. But it’s rare that one gives away thousands of tickets to anyone who applies. In New York last week, mayor Mamdani took to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera to tell his city that previously opera-shy citizens should apply for one of the 70,000 free tickets that he and the opera house are giving away this and every season. That means a staggering 10,000 free tickets a month. Not just for the under-25s, not just for the productions that they can’t shift tickets for on Mondays and matinees. New Yorkers simply enter the lottery the day before and if successful, will get a pair of tickets to the next day’s show.
Mamdani’s announcement coincides with the Met’s general manager, Peter Gelb, going on a fundraising drive hoping for $1.5bn to secure the opera house’s future. Generous as the offer seems, the Met can surely spare the tickets, given how few of their shows actually sell out the 4,000-seat hall – the Met averaged only 72% capacity the last season.
