Dallas Opera Cowboys Stadium Ticket Requests Top 25,000

The Dallas Opera, in partnership with Cowboys Stadium, announces that more than 25,000 tickets to the Dallas Opera's one-night-only April 28th Cowboys Stadium Simulcast, presented by The Dallas Foundation, have been requested by opera lovers from throughout Texas and 26 additional states. Ticket requests have also come in from the District of Columbia and Canada since the joint announcement was made on January 26th at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

These numbers indicate that the groundbreaking North Texas simulcast may become one of the best attended opera performances in U.S. history.

Additional data collected from those making ticket requests indicate that, as of today (March 27, 2012), 93% of participating households have no previous purchasing history with the Dallas Opera. For many, the Cowboys Stadium Simulcast will mark their first, live experience of the art form in any venue.

Gene Jones (the wife of Dallas Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager Jerry Jones), whose vision led to the Stadium's museum-quality collection of contemporary art, set the stage for the announcement explaining, "Sports and art are not typically thought of as belonging together. Yet sporting events and great art do something similar-they get people talking."

Mozart's THE MAGIC FLUTE will be simulcast live on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 7:30 PM (doors open at 6:00 PM) at the high-tech home of the Dallas Cowboys at One Legends Way in Arlington, Texas. Patrons will be able to enjoy a complete, unabridged live performance from the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House in the Dallas Arts District onto the world's largest high-definition video board structure, comprised of four massive viewing screens (the largest, 72 feet tall and 160 feet wide) suspended directly above the playing field.

Reserved seating is still available (up to 10 seats per person) through the Dallas Opera website at www.dallasopera.org/cowboys.

"We are excited to partner with the Dallas Opera on such a distinctive event," said Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President of Brand Management Charlotte Anderson. "Our organization admires and respects The Dallas Opera's original thinking and stewardship in making a ground-breaking event like this a reality. We truly value the importance of the arts in our community, and we hope that this first-of-its-kind opera broadcast gives us a way of sharing our love of the arts with a new audience at Cowboys Stadium."

"One of the goals of the Dallas Opera is to bring great singing and world-class theater to the widest possible audience," explained Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny. "As part of our commitment to expanding our community outreach we are thrilled to announce an unprecedented, 'game-changing' collaboration with the Cowboys organization. Let me also say that the Dallas Opera is especially grateful for the generous support of the Jones Family, encouraging our efforts to create one of the most unique and memorable events in the history of this opera company.

"The plans for the simulcast have generated an enormously positive response from all sectors of the community, as well as the classical music world," Mr. Cerny adds. "This tremendous outpouring of interest not only exceeded my initial expectations, it also underscores my firm belief that 21st century audiences hunger for more from their artistic and cultural experiences and are willing to try new things in search of something remarkable, perhaps even unique.

"It's a tall order-and one we plan to deliver on, April 28th at Cowboys Stadium."

Mozart's 1791 masterpiece is one of the greatest comic operas of all time, made all the more interesting by the poignant-even disturbing-moments endured by the lead characters, as they attempt to earn their "happy ending."

The Magic Flute comes by its zany plot honestly, having been inspired not only by 18th century Masonic practices, but by literature reflecting several different traditions.

The music, on the other hand, couldn't be more polished or more focused. Reflecting the highest ideals of the Age of Enlightenment and filled with wit, warmth, and genuine humanity, The Magic Flute continues to bewitch audiences with its variety of perfectly expressed musical moods-from utterly comic to soaring and sublime.

Thousands of tickets to the simulcast have been offered to various student groups and school districts to enable their students to share in this extraordinary experience. Requests have poured in from schools, churches, universities (UTD's McDermott Scholars Program, Howard Payne University, Texas Christian University, Sam Houston State University and Kilgore College), afterschool programs, and music and language programs. From Cub Scout Dens to Senior Citizen Centers, the rush for the remaining free tickets is well-underway.

Single tickets for the final mainstage productions of the Dallas Opera's "Tragic Obsessions" Season are on sale now, starting at just $25, through the Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or online at www.dallasopera.org. Student Rush best-available tickets can be purchased at the lobby box office for $25 (one per valid Student I.D.) ninety minutes prior to each performance.