Help concert-goers rub elbows with celebrities

Opera stars like Plácido Domingo, Maria Callas, Leontyne Price, and Beverly Sills used to appear regularly on late-night shows hosted by the likes of Johnny Carson and Ed Sullivan between the 1950s and 1980s. NBC even created an opera company in 1949 that televised operas in English—featuring new works as well as established classics. NBC Opera Theatre was disbanded in 1964 and, since the 80s, the median age of concert goers has risen steadily while audience numbers have declined just as quickly. These days, opera singers only occasionally appear on talk shows and late-night shows—notably Renee Fleming, Pretty Yende, and Kristin Chenoweth (yes, she’s a classically trained coloratura soprano.)

When Advisory Board for the Arts conducted a Jobs to Be Done study of current concert-goers in 2020, one of the jobs they uncovered was “Help me see someone famous.” Adding in the emotional and social element creates a more complete JTBD:

How can opera companies help potential audiences make progress on this need or “job?” If concert-goers want celebrities, opera companies need to create celebrity. Opera companies might consider hiring a PR specialist who focuses their marketing efforts on building more buzz and celebrity around their singers and conductors, as publicists do for movie stars.

This delightful video introducing children to real live opera singer Angel Blue, with nearly 12 million views, offers a great example of how opera singers can be successfully pulled into mainstream media. I’d love to see more of this on social media and Youtube—and let’s bring back opera singers to talk shows and late night television!

And here’s another charming example featuring American mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard:

Now let’s get some of these singers on shows that target adults!