A dark suit and tie or a simple cocktail dress will be perfectly acceptable. Some opera halls, in order to attract a wider audience, have even relaxed their dress code to allow for more casual attire. Expect glares, however, if you do show up in flip-flops and jeans. The ambiance of the opera stretches from the stage to the balcony. Jeans on the opera patron will ruin the mood as quickly as if the leading tenor were performing in shorts.
Opera is an art that requires patience to understand and fully appreciate.
The more operas you attend, the more you ll begin to enjoy how the performers sing, rather than what exactly they are saying. To ensure a more successful opera experience, start with lighter versus heavier operas. Most Italian and Austrian operas, such as Madame Butterfly by Puccini or The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, are considered light operas. The recitatives are short and sweet, and the arias are quite melodic. German opera particularly Wagner is much heavier, and is more of a acquired taste, much like fine wine.