Free or cheap opera tickets for performances in your town can be found in a number of ways. Here is a list of possibilities that will not break the bank.

Sometimes opera ticket prices seem very expensive, especially for first timers. Here is a list of ways to go to the opera on the cheap (or even free) if you are at the right place, at the right time. Once you pick a way to get your tickets to the opera, visit here for some basics about opera etiquette. Visit here for a list of opera companies near you.

• Grab a kid (preferably one that you actually know) and go to the dress rehearsal. Many opera companies offer drastically reduced (or even free) tickets to their final dress rehearsal. How better to introduce a school aged kid to opera, live theater, an orchestra, or singing than to take them to a live performance. Dress rehearsals tend to be less formal, as it still is a working rehearsal, but it is often a full run-though of the show, complete with sets, costumes, orchestra, singers, lights, super-titles. The only difference will be you spent pennies on the dollar for the same performance that others spend half a car payment on.
• Show up (almost) late. Some opera companies have begun to offer last minute rush tickets to the general public. Even the Metropolitan Opera is offering discounted tickets just before curtain for weeknight performances. The thought behind this, similar than an airline with last minute travel deals, is that it is better to have someone in a seat rather than an empty seat.
• Bring your student ID. Some opera companies reserve their rush tickets (see #2) just for students. Students notoriously are broke, so for an opera company to try and grab a younger audience, they often offer highly discounted tickets the night of the performance.
• Volunteer. Opera companies, like most performing arts organizations, are non-for profit, which means that it is possible to volunteer to be an usher for a performance. Sometimes you have to be a member of the opera guild, which means you get to meet other opera loving people, many who have gone to shows for years. Some opera companies (Baltimore is an example) actually pick from their volunteers the people who get to be supers in the show. (That’s right, you too can actually be IN THE SHOW! No singing required)
• Support your local college or university’s opera program. This is where you might actually get to see the stars of tomorrow. Many local colleges and universities have opera programs, where students perform the operas. (sometimes in original language, sometimes in English) Several college and conservatory programs do multiple shows a year, and the tickets tend to be very inexpensive.

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