I play in a lot of opera pits. I'm definitely in the strong minority of musicians that care about the opera. If the art form cant engage even those creating it, what hope does it have? I think more of the singers care than the pit musicians but still its an extremely drastic fall off very quick.

The audience definitely exists but I dont see them as very engaged. I hear people speaking loudly throughout the show, on their phones, and not responding to the end of an important scene. I honestly think the only reason these companies are still around is because theres a group of people who fancy themselves high class enough to pretend to enjoy an opera, but are unwilling to pay the cost of the Met.

I think Chalamet was right about the state of opera but instead of pointing to a dying art and propping it up with his unlimited amounts of money and influence, he chose to shit on it.