For a few hours every month, Jennifer Chun slips into the musical sanctuary of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where luxurious stage sets and arias offer escape.

“With all of the other things that have been going on in our lives, [my daughter] and I have found the opera to be an oasis,” Chun, 42, wrote in an e-mail message. The nights out are “a time when both of us can be together and drink in something we both love so much.”

Thanks to an educational outreach program offered by Los Angeles Opera, Chun’s 17-year-old daughter, Kathryn, scored orchestra seats eye-poppingly close to the stage — free.

The little-known L.A. Opera 90012 program sponsors an essay contest each year for high schoolers to explain why they want to see opera. The 50 or so teenagers selected are rewarded with tickets to four performances for them and a parent or guardian. They also get backstage tours and pre-show talks about the art form from instrumentalists, singers or others involved in the productions.

I love it. We could use an anonymous—or even not-so-anonymous‐donor here to offer the same thing! What a great idea!

(Read here)