Vancouver Opera Embraces Bloggers and Social Meda: Brings A New Audience to Opera

I’m going to tell you straight out I’m biased here. Oh, not because Vancouver Opera has embraced social media, which I think is awesome, but because I’m what you’d call an “opera spouse/partner/boyfriend”. I’ve been dating a soprano in the Vancouver Opera for over six months now and she has a role in Rigoletto. Sheila has opened up a whole new world to me in opera and, well, it’s amazing. Now let’s get down to business…

When you think of opera, blogging and social media aren’t usually things that come to mind and yet, you’d be wrong. Vancouver Opera has realized that in order to expand their audience and bring a whole new generation to opera, they had to adapt.

Ling Chan and Selina Rajani have the full support of Vancouver Opera to lead the charge with blogs, podcasts, and even Twitter. The results?

Ticket sales.

Lots of ticket sales.

First Rebecca and I informally blogged and Tweeted from Eugene Onegin. Then we had Blogger Night at the Opera: Carmen and now, Blogger Night at the Opera Reprise: Rigoletto they have something going here.

We’re stoked about opera. It isn’t boring. You can follow along.

And it’s hot.

Tomorrow night I’ll be joining my fellow bloggers for Verdi’s Rigoletto which is done in a new way with a punk-goth-mediaeval feel to it. In fact Sheila had some pink and purple highlight in her hair at the start of rehearsals (which could have been problematic) and they asked her to punch them up a notch for the performance! How rockin’ is that!?!

Ling Vancouver Opera’s Christopher Libby posed 20 questions to Sheila recently on the Vancouver opera blog and Sheila has been giving us a sneak peak behind the scenes on her own blog.

This innovative social media program has garnered the attention of the “traditional media” as well with articles in both the Straight and the Courier:

• A night at the opera… with blogging
• Vancouver Opera’s Rigoletto sings its way into blogosphere | Straight.com

Even other local (and I’m sure jealous) bloggers have taken note: VancouverTech » Blogger night @ Vancouver Opera’s Rigoletto

What could top this? How about some video from an upcoming Connected Life show on social media:

Doesn’t she look awesome? Yeah.

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