Hello everyone,

I'm wondering if it's common to go to the opera or the ballet in the US.

When was the last time you went? Did you like it? What was your experience like?

I hope my question doesn't offend you in any way. I'm genuinely interested, and I love learning about your wonderful country.


48 comments

  1. The last time I went to an opera was in January of 2022. It was The Magic Flute at the Met, and some friends had tickets. The last time I went to a ballet was The Nutcracker, when I was a young child.

    I definitely watch/listen to classical music on YouTube much more than I go to live performances. That’s true for all genres of music, though.

  2. I hit the symphony up about once a month, I don’t like opera or ballet beyond the music, so I avoid those overcharged shows.

  4. Never been to an opera. I haven’t been to a ballet since I was in middle school and we went to see the nutcracker, so something like 25ish years.

  5. I went on a field trip to the kids version of the Nutcracker in 2nd grade. We were never really told the overall plot beforehand so left very confused.

    That’s the only time I’ve been to a ballet.

  6. Never been to either, don’t plan on going.

    Even going to a stage production is very expensive for me and my wife.

  7. Often no. I wish, it’s as expensive as a main stream concert. Last ballet I went to was Nutcracker for my friend in the ballet in 2004ish. Opera never and I would love to. Apocalyptica is the closest to a symphony I’ve attended.

  9. I have never (in 44 years and counting) been to the opera or the ballet.

    I assume that the majority of people that I know also have not.

    But a large part of that is just location. We don’t have any theaters around here (for at least an hour away in any direction) that host operas or ballet.

  10. We go to Opera, Theatre, or Ballet/Dance at least once a year. We would go more often but we don’t live close to city center.

  12. I went to the opera last year. I’d like to go more often but tickets are SO expensive.

    Music education isn’t really a big thing here, and that combined with tickets being very expensive (usually several hundred dollars per ticket) means opera is not a common or popular event to attend.

    Ballet is a little different but I’d say most Americans will see The Nutcracker at Christmas at some point, especially if they have daughters, because basically every single ballet school in the country puts on a production at Christmas. Other than that though, it’s not common for people to attend the ballet (which again is quite expensive).

  13. I have never been to the Opera. My parents took me to a few regional performances of ballets when I was a child. I have not been as an adult.

    Live events are expensive. Most people will only pay that kind of money for a band/performer they are fans of. Most of the audience for the symphony/opera/ballet is wealthy people with cash to spare.

  14. Its been a while for both, I used to have season tickets to the San Francisco Opera but they are way to expensive now. I loved having 5-6 operas a year to attend. They were gifted to me and I had excellent seats, love the classics like LaBoheme, I Pagliacci, Carmen, etc. But have seen some modern ones like Anoush, too.

    Have not been to proper ballet in at least 10 years. Its not popular in the US at all, even though most of our big cities have opera companies – and even small ones have them too. No idea about the dance scene besides most of the performances are from travelling ballet companies.

  15. Now. Opera two times a year but I live in a small nowhere town so I have to travel and over night to see an opera. I used to see a lot more. The universities put on a production every year. The mid size cities had operas.

    I love opera. I am a classical singer.

    I don’t care so much for ballet.

    I don’t know what people are talking about when say opera is expensive here in this thread. I go operas in SF/LA and waaay less than most of these stadium acts. I have never payed more than 80 dollars for a symphony/opera etc.

  16. It’s been a while, maybe 10 years or so, but I’ve been to live performances of both. Ticket prices are not worth it to me anymore, though.

  17. I’m 46 and have never been to an opera or ballet, even though I live in an area with easy access to both. I’d rather spend my money on other things. However, I think a lot of people that live in more rural areas of the U.S. would probably have to travel long distances to see one if they wanted to.

  18. The vast majority of Americans do not regularly go to the opera or the ballet. I would guess most Americans have been at least once, probably as a school field trip, but that’s pretty much it. Maybe 20% of Americans go more than once a year.

    I’ve been to a couple ballets as a kid (the nutcracker at Christmas time) and went to one opera in Austria. I found the ballet to be ok and the opera to be extremely boring.

  20. Twice a year I’d say on average. I think people assume it’s much more expensive than it is – I live in a big city and orchestra seats can be $20-25, not much more than a movie these days. There’s a perception that ballets and operas are “expensive and boring” but I don’t find that to be true. Many opera houses now have translations on a ticker tape above the stage. Ballet companies are doing weird and interesting shows to draw crowds, my local company did Dracula last year and I’m going to Peter Pan next weekend.

  21. In college we went for classes on opera. In high school, they would bus us to a theater maybe 4 times a year max.

    Ballet may present at some multimedia presentations but more often modern dance presentations.

  22. I see a few operas a season. I have a ticket for Pagliacci in a few weeks that I’m excited for.

    Ballet doesn’t do much for me. I see The Nutcracker every year, though.

  23. I go to the opera about once every season. It’s a great winter activity where I live.

  25. I try to get to the ballet once or twice a year. Opera, far less often. It mostly depends on whether I can find people who want to attend with me, as I’d rather make an evening of it than just go by myself and then go home.

  26. There is a nearby university that has opera as a major so we go to those shows. Ballet maybe once every other year.

  27. Ballet often, multiple times a year. Opera I haven’t been since I moved out of a major metropolitan area 4 years ago, my current city has dance, theater and symphony but no opera.

  30. I’ve been to one opera in my life. I think I was in high school.

    I do have a friend who goes pretty regularly. 

  31. Most Americans don’t care for opera or ballet.

    I’d wager most assume they are lame or cringey, or just not interested in the content compared to just going to a movie or concert.

    The culture was just never much of a tradition here since the advent of movie theaters and 20th century culture in general.

  32. My wife and I used to attend both opera and ballet fairly regularly. Then we moved further away from the city, got older, and stopped going out.

    Note that opera and ballet are things you tend to find in cities, and most of the US is rural.

  34. Never, i do not live anywhere where that is near. However i genuinely enjoy theater, mostly amateur occasionally professional, though that is a bit of a distance too.

  35. Ballet or opera? I’ve never been.

    Touring Broadway shows or regional theatre? At least 3-4 times a year.

  36. Never? I also don’t know anyone who has ever seen an opera.

    If watching a three year old kid’s ballet recital counts as going to the ballet, then that is somewhat common in my area.

  37. Maybe once or twice a year. Nutcracker + one other show I really wanted to see, if I have the money.

  38. There isn’t any ballet or opera in the town where I live now. When I was stationed in DC or in the San Francisco area, we’d go on occasion – perhaps once a year.

  39. If we consider the great American musical an opera, then once or twice a year. 🙂 I’ve never been to a traditional opera and am not terribly interested.

    I LOVE ballet, but my area doesn’t have a professional company, so it’s been a long time since I’ve been, but I’ve been several times in the past when I lived in Chicago/DC or visiting Moscow.

  40. I’ve been to ballet recitals for people I know. I’ve never been to the opera but I know my parents have a few times while traveling. There is no opera within a few hours drive of me currently.

  41. I am from a very musically inclined family, and Ive gone to 3-4 ballets in my (50 y/o) lifetime, and a full opera maybe a dozen times. But my city also does things like “Opera in the park” which is an opera variety show or something, that we go to almost yearly.

    I take that back on Ballet, I’ve probably seen the Nutcracker as a fairly common xmas tradition a dozen times or so too. But thats more about xmas than “ballet” for me.

  42. My wife and I go to a couple Ballets per year either in NYC or Seattle. She used to do ballet and introduced me to it.

    Ballet is incredible.

    I hate Operas, though. Also, hate most musicals.

  44. You don’t really have robust opera and ballet production schedules in most of the country (NYC is probably the only real exception – MAYBE DC). The only other real option available regularly in most of the country would be possibly once or twice a year in a community with a liberal arts college, maybe? (Some will have dance/opera, though many won’t).

    You do occasionally have touring companies doing these things, that can sell out or come close to it for one or two shows in any given larger American city once every year or two.

  45. I have been to the ballet a handful of times. When I was in Vienna it was a must-see. If I am in a location where the ballet is notable I’ll try to go. I do go to the local symphony often because it’s fun.

  46. I’ve never been to an opera or ballet as an adult.

    I think I *may* have gone to one or two as field trips to them when I was in school as a child, but it’s not a normal thing for most people to do.

  47. Opera: never. Not my thing. But I have friends with season tickets.

    Ballet: maybe once or twice as a kid?

    Symphony: once for Anita’s Wars themed night. Maybe one other time as an adult?

    Theater: I live in a town that gets the traveling Broadway shows, so we go occasionally. We got season tickets the first time “Hamilton” came through, to make sure we’d get tickets, and I went to all but one show that season. Otherwise maybe once every 5 years.

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