Following the tradition of 18th and 19th century European centres, nearly every Canadian city larger than North Battleford, Saskatchewan has or is planning to have both a symphony orchestra and an opera company. All are heavily subsidized by both government and the corporate sector, and cater almost exclusively to the tastes of wealthy urbanites, who don’t appear to have noticed that the Twentieth Century has yet to produce any orchestral music comparable to that of the Eighteenth. Nor have they noticed that opera has been replaced as a culturally significant activity, first by Hollywood and Broadway musicals, then by television soap operas, and recently by music videos. On the other hand, why not give the rich a regular excuse to wear their tuxedos and other formal garb?