Carmen, Rigoletto, The Magic Flute—all these works have had a profound influence on our society. Since its inception in the late 16th century, opera has been a powerful force in the arts. Today’s youth, however, see opera as old-fashioned, imagining grandiose theatres, flashy costumes, and hours of glass-shattering vocalizations.

Nevertheless, opera companies such as the Opéra de Montréal are still mounting productions just as strong today as they did many years ago. Their goal is to show today’s youth that opera is not a boring menagerie of dated memories, but a dynamic genre that’s constantly changing and entertaining modern society.

The Opéra de Montréal is relatively young, having been established in 1980. Thirty years later, however, the company has developed into the largest francophone opera company in North America, with a total of 970 performances from a repertoire of 93 operas. They have received five Opus Awards, and were deemed one of the 15 largest opera companies in North America in 2007. They have also recently mounted sold-out performances of La Traviata—a rare occurrence in modern opera.

At present, Opéra de Montréal is focusing on the future by introducing youth to the beauty of opera with its Young Associates Committee (YAC). The committee was formed in 2009, after the founders observed the success of a similar initiative at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. YAC’s mission is to introduce students at McGill, and the rest of Montreal, to a myriad of opera-related activities.

“The first part of the mission is to bring young people to the opera,” says Jean-François Seguin, committee member and one of the YAC’s founder. “[We] always think that people who go to the opera are 60 years old and have grey hair, but it is not true. Already more than 20 per cent of the memberships to the opera are from people younger than 40.”

These numbers continue to grow. Over the past three years, the committee has been able to introduce 500 young professional performers to the opera community, and numerous new young faces to many of its activities.

Neverthelesss, the job is not done, and there are many new events organized by the YAC to make opera a worthwhile experience for young Montrealers.  Apart from cheap tickets and special discussion, the YAC has created a Youth Ambassadors Program, which connects the Opéra de Montréal to university students.

“The Opéra de Montréal wants to reach out to students more to give a better understanding and a more enjoyable experience at the opera,” says Caitlin Hammon, the Ambassador of the program for McGill and a first year graduate student at McGill’s Schulich School of Music. “Opera has always been for the general public … and people have a lot of misconceptions about opera.”

Hammon and other ambassadors are already preparing a slew of activities, such as a Halloween picture contest for the next opera, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, and cocktail sessions to help students better appreciate the art form.

“[The grandness of opera] is something that’s kind of hard to find these days,” admits Hammon. In a world of iPods and personal computers, opera has remained a strong beacon, constantly modernizing itself. It’s up to the youth of Montreal to rid themselves of the opera stereotypes, and to try to understand the complexities of the art form. With the help of the Opéra de Montréal’s YAC, and Youth Ambassadors such as Hammon, opera is sure to continue as an influential force in society.

Youth tickets are available for $30 with the purchase of at least two shows. Ticket buyers can also join the newly formed membership program for $20-25, which grants them privileges such as opportunities to meet with performers, join closed discussions, and attend Opéra de Montréal balls. 

For more information, visit www.operademontreal.com/en