The Washington National Opera uses smart tactics to draw young audiences

By Arthur Bochner, Chairman, Generation O Advisory Council

Plácido Domingo conducts the WNO in Messe Solenelle.

He’s one of the most celebrated talents of our time: Plácido Domingo, Washington National Opera’s (WNO) general director, and he’s on a mission to get Washington’s young professionals to the theater.

Domingo and I recently sat down to discuss the importance of cultivating young audiences, specifically through Generation O, an audience development program aimed at those in their 20’s and 30’s. “Your generation is the future of WNO, and there’s no better time than now to begin a lifelong love for opera,” Domingo says. Building Generation O is his passion, and the opera legend has helped to transform it into the Washington area’s largest dues-free young patrons’ groups.