Laidlaw Opera supports festival to reach new audiences

Laidlaw Opera Trust (LOT), a London-based charity working to bring opera to new audiences, has announced a partnership with the Grange Festival.

The festival, based south west of London, hosts a series of opera, dance and jazz performances in June and July.

Under the partnership, LOT will help the festival offer a range of new audience development initiatives, including subsidised tickets for those under 36.

The pricing scheme includes tickets as low as £5 for 18 to 25 year-olds and £15 for those aged between 26 and 35. According to a statement from the trust, over 500 tickets have been purchased in the scheme to date, with subsidised pricing available across all three operas in this year’s programme.

The festival is already seeing year-on-year ticket growth of 76%, LOT added, meaning this year’s edition will enjoy the highest attendance on record.

The partnership will also see LOT provide additional digital campaign support and assistance with data and audience knowledge.

“The aims of the Laidlaw Opera Trust are so aligned with our strategic approach to expanding our audience and deepening our impact, and we are incredibly grateful to them for this support, particularly in this very challenging funding climate for opera,” commented the festival’s CEO, Tyler Stoops.