UPDATED: Dallas Opera’s event at Cowboys Stadium could be record-breaking

by Sarah Blaskovich

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They've already had 30,500 seats reserved.

Skeptics wondered if many people would go to Cowboys Stadium in late April to see the Dallas Opera's first simulcast of an opera in a sports arena. Could football fans get interested in opera? And would opera fans care to see it on Jerry Jones' giant television?

Yes.

The Dallas Opera reports that more than 25,000 [UPDATE: 30,500] people have requested tickets to the April 28 free simulcast of The Magic Flute at Cowboys Stadium. Opera officials originally planned to offer 7,500 seats for the event, but they were reserved in the first 24 hours in late January, said Keith Cerny, Dallas Opera general director and CEO. About 11,000 tickets were snagged in the first 48 hours. That number nearly doubled by early March.

There are just 1,500 seats left for the event, according to an update on April 18.

Cerny said the high numbers are "very significant," considering that the simulcast was created to entice people to the opera who had never been before. Here's an abridged Q-and-A with Cerny:

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Pegasus News: You were shooting for 7,500 when this first began. How does 25,000 feel?

Keith Cerny: I feel absolutely ecstatic that we're seeing this level of interest, and we're still having ticket requests come in almost on the hourly basis. And we've still got more room, so we're still bringing people in.

Could it be that people are more interested in seeing the inside of Cowboys Stadium than listening to the opera?

Well, when we thought about doing this particular project, we were looking for a venue that we thought would inspire people. Cowboys Stadium is the perfect venue for this event at this time ... One of the things that were very pleased about is that so many people are new to our database, so of the 25,000-and-change, more than 90% are new to our database. And as with all events, we'll expect some no-shows on the day of the event.

Does this mean you'll do another one?

We certainly had more interest than I had expected. Yes, we hope this event will be very successful and we'll have the opportunity to do future simulcasts. ... Right now, we're very much focused on April 28, but yes, we woud hope to do similar kinds of events in the future.

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Should the Dallas Opera continue to attract more people to the simulcast, they may end up hosting one of the most attended opera performances in American history. An official at the San Francisco Opera confirmed that they've hosted a crowd as large as 32,000 -- moderately close to the opera's 25,000 (if every registered person showed up). The opera still has about four more weeks to collect ticket requests.

During The Magic Flute simulcast, the stadium will use special sound equipment in addition to their own sound system. Attendees will sit on the long sides of the stadium in three tiers. The top tier will not be open. If weather permits, stadium officials will open the side doors to help with acoustics.

Parking is free, and concessions stands will be open to the public. Tickets are available online; attendees can reserve up to 10 seats.

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