Formal dress at opera makes the event more memorable

Two tickets to Madame Butterfly: $200. Worn-out pair of khakis: $0. Sweater that's seen better days: $0. A casual evening at the Met with your husband: forgettable.

In a recent Daily Princetonian editorial column, Nathan Arrington raised the excellent point that attending classical music concerts is not on most young people's to-do lists, and that this should and can be changed. I agree that making tickets more affordable to students might be effective in attracting a less geriatric crowd to places like the New York Philharmonic. Yet I don't think that making the Philharmonic concert atmosphere more casual should be part of the solution.

After all, if you've ever seen the MasterCard commercial that I refer to above, you know that getting dressed to the nines to go to the opera, or the Philharmonic for that matter, adds to the excitement of the experience for a good portion of its concert-goers.

The woman in the commercial is radiantly happy not just because she's spending her evening listening to gorgeous music next to the man she loves, but also because she's doing so in a striking new gown.

Of course, MasterCard would love to convince you that spending a week's salary on formalwear is a necessary condition for enjoying yourself at the opera, which is simply not true. However, they have astutely observed that the formal ambiance of the opera, including the sea of tuxedos on stage and in the audience that Mr. Arrington wishes to eliminate, is an integral part of what makes the event a memorable one.

Our world as young people is chock full of casual dress and casual encounters. We wear jeans to class, we use casual speech, and we hook-up casually. For the most part, I'm glad we live in such relaxed surroundings. Yet some places are still plainly better suited for a more polished mood. If Lincoln Center's regal fountain or the Chagalls and chandeliers cascading from the Met's ceiling do not fall into this category, I'd be hard-pressed to find a place that does.

I'm not suggesting that classical music and formalness are somehow inextricably linked. In fact, a number of opportunities to enjoy classical music in a more relaxed environment are already available. Many chamber music groups perform in understated theatres, cozy churches, or even private homes. You could even take casual-attire classical music listening to the extreme; by all means, feel free to pop some Schubert into your stereo while in your birthday suit.

I'm also not an advocate of a "stiff and elitist" atmosphere at Lincoln Center against which Arrington argues. I definitely think the New York Philharmonic should make an effort to decrease what I'll refer to affectionately as its "Muffy factor." A wider range of age and socioeconomic groups should be able to enjoy, and feel welcome at, their concerts.

I too would love to see a lower percentage of S-Class Mercedes in the Lincoln Center parking lot. Yet when these newcomers arrive for their first concert at Lincoln Center, they should see it in its full glory, full of smiling people dressed for a spectacular night.