NEW INITITIAVES, A NEW BOARD AND NEW FRIENDS IN BARCELONA
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Valentí Oviedo and his team for hosting a brilliant conference at the stunning Liceu in Barcelona, which included a visit to the premiere of Lohengrin.
A highlight of the event was the inspiring keynote speech by Diana Riba I Giner, Member of the European Parliament and Vice-Chair of the CULT Committee, which received a standing ovation from all present (You can read her full speech here).
At the General Assembly, we were pleased to welcome five new board members: Laura Canning (Opera North Leeds), Serge Dorny (Bayerische Staatsoper), Plamen Kartaloff (Sofia National Theatre), Beata Klatka (Teatr Wielki Opera Naradowa Warsaw), and Lilli Paasikivi (Bregenzer Festspiele). In the subsequent Board meeting, new Board Officers were elected: Serge Dorny and Iva Hraste-Sočo as Vice-Presidents, Mathieu Dussouillez as Treasurer, and Ina Karr as Secretary, with Martin Glaser unanimously appointed as President.
The conference also featured the inaugural meeting of the new CEO forum, where 30 leaders from across Europe identified key themes for further exploration, including funding, opera’s place in society, theatre renovations, political activism, HR challenges, audience retention, education initiatives, and cultural cooperation. Sustainability was a major focus of the conference, with Paddy Dillon, co-founder of Theatre Green Book, leading two insightful panels on artistic choices at both individual and organisational levels.
The launch of our Opera Europa Next Generation platform allowed for our first Young Artists' Programmes forum meeting, and it was an opportunity to offer a recital showcasing emerging artists from Fundació Victoria de los Ángeles, Kyiv National Academic Operetta Theatre, Centre de Perfeccionament del Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, and Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. The programme also celebrated contemporary opera, featuring Per precaució, a work by Barcelona-born composer Raquel García-Tomás.
