The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía announces that season ticket sales for its first season begin on July 3rd

26.06.2006

The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía announced today that season ticket sales for its inaugural 2006-2007 season will begin on July 3rd. Starting today, the Valencian opera house is launching an information campaign for all citizens regarding the types of season tickets, prices, conditions, and how to purchase them.
The regional secretaries for Culture and Events and Projects, Concha Gómez and Luis Lobón, respectively, accompanied by the Mayor, Helga Schmidt and the administrator of the coliseum, Eusebio Monzó, presented today at a press conference the season ticket campaign for the first season 2006-2007.

Luis Lobón explained that subscribers are a very important audience for the Foundation, "since they provide an inexhaustible source of information that allows us to improve services and future programming, and in this sense they will receive preferential treatment."

Regarding the prices of season tickets, the regional secretary stated that the public nature of the project and the prices offered by other leading Spanish opera houses, such as the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, or the Palau de la Música, where only operas are performed in concert format, have been taken into account.

In this regard, he explained that a season ticket for the opening night in Madrid – with nine operas – costs around €2,140, while at the Palau de les Arts, for the same number of operas, a season ticket in first-class seats costs around €1,250. In comparison with the Liceu, Lobón indicated that a season ticket at that theater, in Zone 1, costs more than €200 more than the opening night season ticket at the Palau de les Arts.

For all these reasons, he has assured that "Valencia offers the highest quality and best price in the national and international opera scene."

Types and prices

The Palau de les Arts Foundation has set its prices based on visibility zones. The following zones have been considered:

Zone 1 (excellent visibility) has 840 seats and represents 51.3% of the total capacity

Zone 2: (very good visibility) has 186 locations and represents 11.35%

Zone 3: (good visibility) 310 locations – 18.90%

Zone 4: (reduced visibility) 140 locations, representing 8.55%

Zone 5: (partial visibility) 74 locations – 4.5%

Zone 6: (visibility with less than 40%) 88 seats representing 5.4% of the total capacity.

Based on these zones, the different subscription periods have been established: Period A: Premiere Opera Subscription; Period B: Weekday Opera Subscription; Period C: Weekend Opera Subscription; Period D: Reduced Opera Subscription 1, which includes a selection of six operas, primarily sung in Italian; and Period E: Reduced Opera Subscription 2, also with six operas, primarily sung in German. Additionally, the Great Soloists Subscription is offered, featuring five different performances, primarily opera, with four shows and one piano recital.

Season tickets can be purchased from July 3rd to August 25th by calling 902 100 032, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM on weekdays and from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays). Starting today, all citizens can obtain information about season tickets by calling the number above.

From August 28th until September 5th, season tickets can also be purchased at the Palau de les Arts box office.

The preferential sale of tickets for season ticket holders who wish to purchase additional tickets has been set from September 25th to 29th on the same telephone number.

Meanwhile, general ticket sales will open on October 16 at the Palau de les Arts box office, by phone (902 100 032) and through the website: www.lesarts.com.

For the purchase of season tickets, the Palau de les Arts Foundation has established an agreement with Bancaja for payment deferred over 10 months.

Bringing opera closer to the people of Valencia

In his speech, the regional secretary for Events and Projects, Luis Lobón, assured that the Palau de les Arts, “presents the most competitive offer, in terms of price and quality, on the international opera scene, with the aim of bringing opera closer to all Valencians, the true beneficiaries of the gathering of talents that makes up the program.”

Lobón emphasized that the offering presented today “is unprecedented in any other opera house for its variety and quality, since from 70 to 1000 euros, one can enjoy the best opera.” “The subscription system,” Lobón assured, “is designed to provide maximum flexibility in its terms for all musical tastes.”

For her part, Concha Gómez assured that this offer of season tickets is designed so that “everyone can come to the Palau de les Arts and with the objective set by the Generalitat to introduce this magnificent coliseum into the international opera circuit.”

Gómez also stated that the programming and subscriptions presented today "have been agreed upon with all cultural agents to meet everyone's expectations, and thus significantly increase the cultural resources of the Valencian Community."

The regional secretary emphasized that the Palau de Arts is designed to host a comprehensive program of cultural activities, not only in its main hall. In this regard, she announced that this season, the opera Andromache and the Martin i Soler International Congress will take place in other halls of the opera house.

For her part, the Mayor, Helga Schmidt, highlighted that the Palau de les Arts subscription season is taking place “with a wide variety and featuring high-quality opera.”

Schmidt emphasized that all performances of the operatic titles will have a single cast, which gives a high artistic level to the first season.”