There aren’t many Generation X’ers or Millennials that consider the opera a great way to spend an evening (or a dollar). Based on an informal survey I took, the opera has a bad rap among Millennials because it seems a bit stodgy (some comments discussed the foreign languages and non-stop singing). Also, according to my interviews, the opera is not exactly the most economical art form, with tickets for decent seats usually costing upwards of $150 at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera.

In an effort to reach new audiences (especially younger ones), expand beyond one point of distribution, and create new brand enthusiasts, the Metropolitan Opera has launched a number of initiatives to increase its brand’s relevance and accessibility.

Agnes Varis, a managing director on the opera house’s board of directors, and her husband Karl Leichtman, funded one of those initiatives. They made a $2 million gift to the Metropolitan Opera (the Met), enabling it to offer 200 $20 weekday tickets available by phone and 200 $25 weekend seats available via an online drawing every week. All the tickets are for orchestra or grand tier seats. So earlier this month, I had the incredibly good fortune to sit in orchestra prime seats on the opening day of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. I was sitting next to someone who paid $350 for their seat, whereas mine cost only $25!

Speaking of the donation, Agnes Varis said “Your average opera-goer cannot be 65—give me a break. You’re not going to keep an opera house alive with that. The opera is like Broadway but better. You introduce young people to music, you’ve got them for life.”

Other initiatives that are helping the opera reach out to younger and more diverse crowds include a reduction of the least expensive Family Circle tickets from $26 to $15; the simulcast of selected matinee performances into movie theaters around North America and elsewhere ($18 admission); PBS broadcasts; the launch of an all-Met channel on Sirius Satellite Radio; and the development of a listening library of performances in streaming audio available on the opera house’s website.

These initiatives make purchasing tickets to a live performance more economical. Also, great operatic works are now presented to listeners via channels they can easily access, whether it be TV, a movie theater, the radio or online. And to make it on to new audiences’ radar, the Met launched an impressive television and outdoor marketing campaign that launched this fall featuring New York City celebrities raving about their opera experiences.

But the Met didn’t stop there. Remember all the talk about brands collaborating (sometimes not too well) to reach new audiences (e.g., Missoni and Target, Karl Lagerfield and Macy’s)? The Met did the same thing with Yves Saint Laurent, signing a four-year deal allowing the French fashion house to sponsor the opera house’s opening night galas. While this doesn’t exactly bring the opera to a younger generation, it does allow the Met to be associated with something that most audiences find exciting—haute couture fashion and celebrities.

The Metropolitan Opera is a great example of a brand that not only recognized the need to reach a broader audience, but also made significant strides to amplify its relevance among a wider population. By reaching out to audiences on their terms, the Met is slowly convincing a new generation of music and theater fans to embrace the opera.