Today I reported on the Pittsburgh-based River City Brass Band's 2008-09 season, which has a fun element to it. During the season, audience members will be able to help choose what the band will play at the last concert of its season. It's a great idea I wish more groups would use -- of course, it works better if you have a long season, as RCBB has.

Then this came across my Inbox: Chicago Opera Theater (not the Lyric), is taking this one step future by allowing patrons and anyone to vote -- at a dollar a vote -- for one of the operas it will produce in 2010. They are calling it "The People's Opera," and despite that pseudo-Communist title, I think it is a neat idea. You can cast your vote on one of the following operas: Britten's "Paul Bunyan," Rossini's "Mose in Egitto (Moses in Egypt)" or Mozart's "La finta giardiniera." The best thing is that there is not a warhorse in that group. It reflects Chicago Opera Theater's (in its own words) "niche of presenting first class productions of rarely seen masterpieces." Its current season has John Adams' "A Flowering Tree" and Handel's "Orlando," among others.

"Chicago Opera Theater would be proud to present any of these masterworks in a given season," general director Brian Dickie said of the three "candidates" in a release. "To pass the choice along to the opera fans and fanatics to see what comes out on top will be very exciting, as well as give much needed support to Chicago Opera Theater."

Not only might more money come into the coffers through this project, but it, like RCBB's, has a chance to engage a company's base, and that's always a positive development.