In a March 2026 interview with CNN and Variety magazine, Chalamet, who had recently starred in the movie Marty Supreme, stated “I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore.’ All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there.” As an opera lover, I take offense to this.
Opera appeared in the news a few months ago after Chalamet controversially claimed that “no one cares” about it or ballet anymore. It recently resurfaced after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched a partnership with the Metropolitan Opera to release 70,000 free opera tickets in a lottery system. Here are several reasons why you should start getting involved in opera as a student:
Reason 1: It’s Free
As a broke college student, I have one question that goes through my mind whenever I consider going to an event: Is it free? For opera, it is, if you know where to look. Tickets for the Metropolitan Opera can go upwards of $300, but I’ve seen three MET Opera performances in the comfort of my hometown for free. As a part of their ‘Live in HD’ series, the MET has broadcast their opera performances to theatres around the country in an effort to reach a broader demographic of people. In my hometown, students got a special $5 ticket price. Since so few students purchased opera tickets, they would end up giving tickets to my opera friend and I for free every time we went. If you don’t live near a theatre participating in the ‘Live in HD’ series, YouTube is a great place to find hundreds of full-length opera performances from around the world. I highly recommend looking into these as an opera novice.
Reason 2: It’s Interesting
The most beautiful set design and costumery I have ever seen came from the MET Opera’s 2026 production of Verdi’s Aida. The combination of elaborate costume jewelry, carefully designed leather armor, massive columns, and multi-story sets instantly transported me to a romanticized ancient Egypt. Opera has the power to transport its viewers to another world, whether it be medieval Europe, a 1950s seaside town, or a future surrealist landscape. Many people shy away from opera because of the sheer length of the performances, but the length of operas can help you be fully immersed in another time. Sometimes, it feels like you’re in a reverie. As an emotionally unavailable and spiritually empty person, the powerful emotions displayed by the performers literally moved me to tears. If you are in any way interested in history, literature, musical composition, or costumery and set design, then opera is a fantastic world to become immersed in.
Reason 3: It’s Welcoming
Don’t be afraid of opera. When I first started getting interested in opera, I had a friend who was an expert about many composers, knew the lyrics to several arias, and could explain the plot of any given opera. My only experience with opera up to that point was listening to playlists on YouTube while I studied. Before going to watch my first opera, Tristan und Isolde, I felt like a fraud for calling myself an opera lover. Pro tip: do not choose a five-hour Wagner behemoth as your first opera. After listening to the incredibly talented soprano Lise Davidsen star as Isolde, I realized that you don’t have to be an expert to enjoy opera. You just have to allow the music, costumery, and set designs to transport you to another world full of emotion and drama. So don’t be afraid to get involved in opera. The opera community is truly interested in getting more young people on board, and I promise that no one will make you feel unwelcome if you don’t know a lot about it.
Reason 4: It’s Important
Although Chalamet’s claims are largely incorrect (people do still care about ballet and opera), he is right that interest has been dwindling. In recent years, opera and ballet companies have had to come up with creative ways to get the public more involved. Many companies, not reaching the threshold needed to fund their productions, have had to cancel shows, lay off crew, and cut set design and costuming budgets. Right now, the future of opera is uncertain. Funding is becoming more and more limited, and the majority of the younger generations don’t feel connected with the world of opera, or at the very least don’t feel as compelled to be the main funding body of it. I can attest that my opera friend and I were the youngest people at our hometown’s opera by at least fifty years. But you should get involved in opera for precisely this reason: in an era of physical and social disconnect and attention spans ruined by our screentime, we should carry on this timeless and truly unique performing art as an expression of what is truly human. So listen to an aria on YouTube. Learn about the lives of composers. Go to a museum and see a display of opera costumes. Watch a live opera performance with your friends! Above all, prove to Timothée Chalamet that people do care about opera.
The next ‘Live in HD’ Metropolitan Opera performance will take place on October 3: Mozart’s Così fan tutte.