Opera Europa’s autumn conference visits two Nordic members linked by a bridge – or a very short train ride!
General & Artistic Directors and Technical & Production Directors in Copenhagen on 5-6 Oct.
The main programme in Copenhagen addresses the financial pressure that many theatres find themselves in: we have followed the trials and tribulations surrounding the funding of the English National Opera and are witnessing cuts to the budgets in particular of many French opera companies. This conference will give us the opportunity to look at the developments in public funding, alternative sources of income and long-term trends. The Technical & Production forum will join in some of these conversations and have a parallel programme.
Starting a career as an artist is one of the cornerstones of this conference and we will be launching the conversation with a World Café on Young Artists’ Programmes.
Artistic Administration & Producing forum and Digital & Audio-Visual forum continue in Malmö on 7 Oct.
Malmö Opera welcomes participants on Saturday for more ethical discussions on working with delicate topics on stage, and with a variety of people in the production process.
OperaVision partners will be meeting, and invited to discover Malmö’s state of the art audio-visual suite.
Performances
In the award-winning Copenhagen Opera House, we will be able to enjoy a performance of La clemenza di Tito and in the 19th century Gamle Scene Theatre The Turn of the Screw, in the European Opera-directing Prize winning production by Anthony Almeida.
Malmö Opera invites participants to the premiere of Don Giovanni with a young cast and the new musical Everyone’s Talking about Jamie.
For those wanting to make the most of their trip to the North, further opera treats can take you to 2 world premieres: Royal Swedish Opera’s Melancholia by Mikael Karlsson and Göteborg’s Mythomania by Paula af Malmborg Ward.
Programme Highlights
THURSDAY 5 OCTOBER at Royal Danish Opera
Plenary sessions
Opera Europa president Ignacio García-Belenguer and director Karen Stone will welcome all participants as of 15.00, and Royal Danish Theatre CEO Kasper Holten will address the challenges of running an opera house today as the conference keynote.
Opera strives to stay relevant and as such, our panellists, including director of ENOA Stéphanie Deporcq, director of Barcelona-based Opera de Buxtaca Dietrich Grosse, and head of Malmö’s opera lab Maria Sundqvist explain how they nurture composers and young artists to Encourage creation.
Our members guide us in our initiatives, and these last few years have seen two main ones develop. Operabook is a tool for the members by the members, and is a rich resource in the search for artists and productions. OperaVision is our free streaming platform, offering audiences of the world a glimpse of European opera and dance. How can you be involved?
The evening’s main event is the production of La clemenza di Tito on Copenhagen’s new stage.
FRIDAY 6 OCTOBER at Royal Danish Opera
General and Financial issues
Christina Björklund (Göteborg), Agathe Chamboredon (Brussels) and Alexandra Stampler-Brown (Düsseldorf) discuss the Financial impact of rising energy costs and sustainable production choices.
Many members in several countries have faced sudden and violent cuts to their subsidies. Annilese Miskimmon (London ENO), Achim Sieben (Frankfurt) and Alain Perroux (Strasbourg) discuss how they have to Face challenging cuts and cultivate public support.
Christoph Ladstätter (Vienna Volksoper) opens the afternoon with a response to the morning’s financial issues, with contributions from Emmanuel Hondré (Bordeaux), Iva Hraste-Sočo (Zagreb) and Hristina Staneva (Sofia) on Finding alternative sources of income.
The Technical & Production forum will learn about the financial, artistic and production impact of the closing of Copenhagen’s workshops on the company’s operations from their Technical Director Rasmus Clausen.
Artistic issues
In parallel, Emily Gottlieb (London National Opera Studio) facilitates a world café discussion on Young Artists Programmes, followed by a discussion on how Singing and directing competitions can act as jumping boards for careers in opera moderated by David Stern (Opera Fuoco).
Fergus Sheil (Dublin) will bring a new angle to our Co-production marketplace, so please make sure to update the Future New Productions database in Operabook, and also consider adding photos to your past productions available for rent.
Henning Ruhe (Göteborg) then gathers Nordic contributors around the topic of the Nordic way of running an ensemble.
Opera Europa issues (members only)
Ignacio García-Belenguer, Karen Stone and Audrey Jungers will present the members with the first results and action points of Opera Europa’s strategy meetings.
The evening’s main event is the performance of The Turn of the Screw on the Gamle stage followed by the conference reception.
SATURDAY 7 OCTOBER at Malmö Opera
Participants should make their way to Malmö by train on the morning on 7 October. There are late trains back to Copenhagen, so they may choose to stay in their Danish hotel or move to a Malmö-based one.
The evening performance of Don Giovanni is a perfect opportunity to open the debate about Gender and race stereotypes in popular operas with stage directors Tatjana Gürbaca and Ylva Kihlberg moderated by Laura Canning (Garsingon/Leeds).
The Artistic & Production forum will continue its discussion on laying the foundation for a safe production environment with a code of conduct for guests and staff. They will also hear about case studies on the engagement of intimacy coordinators for those very present delicate scenes.
Finally, Jan Henric Bogen (St Gallen) will lead a panel on sustainable leadership in a production run.
The Digital & Audio-Visual forum will discuss new takes on filming performances; and follow that conversation with one on new digital initiatives for opera online. These sessions are open to all artistic, technical and audio-visual departments.
Luke O’Shaughnessy will coordinate a meeting of OperaVision partners at the end of the day.