With £10 tickets for Under 26s and a UK premiere of Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar opening this month, there's never been a better time to give Scottish Opera a go.
If you're a millennial or Gen Z theatre-lover looking for something new, there's never been a better time to check out Scottish Opera. Through their Under 26 Ticket Scheme, young opera-goers can access £10 tickets to all of Scottish Opera's mainstage shows, and, for some touring shows, tickets go for as low as £5. These discounted tickets are for some of the best seats in the house, and they make a night at the opera an attractive opportunity to see a breathtaking performance – and maybe to dress up a bit for the occasion. This month, Scottish Opera is staging the UK debut of Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar at Glasgow's Theatre Royal (29 Oct - 5 Nov) and Edinburgh's Festival Theatre (8-12 Nov).
Ainadamar is the first opera directed by Olivier Award-winning choreographer Deborah Colker, with music by Grammy Award-winner Osvaldo Golijov. The production sports an impressive host of collaborators and co-producers: Opera Ventures, Detroit Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, and Welsh Opera are all on board. Originally staged in 2003, with a libretto by David Henry Hwang, Ainadamarpromises to be an impressive fusion of opera and flamenco.
It tells the story of Spanish Civil War-era poet Federico García Lorca, who was executed during the war for (rumoured) homosexuality. Told through the eyes of Lorca's friend and muse Margarita Xirgu, Ainadamar draws inspiration from flamenco and other Andalusian sounds, from folk to electronic music. In addition to his Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, Golijov has won the praise of several of our great living musical minds, including Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, Paul Simon, and David Byrne. David Bowie once called Golijov the "greatest living composer," and Björk has called his music "simply thrilling."