UNESCO has granted the Art of Italian Opera Singing the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and it’s something for us to celebrate! This year’s World Opera Day, taking place on 25 October during Opera Europa’s autumn conference in Torino, will highlight the contributions of Italian Opera to our repertoire.
How can you celebrate?
Many of your initiatives will naturally feed into your World Opera Day celebrations. There are great Italian choruses at the fingertips of your ensemble, amateur choir or children chorus. From Welsh National Opera’s Cradle Choir for people living with dementia to Teatro Sociale di Como’s Opera domani, there are many community projects to showcase, benefitting social cohesion and health in the community.
Sprinkle a bit of Verdi
Perhaps your opera company will present a Brindisi from its balcony, or your chorus will take over a train station for a Va, pensiero.
Spotlight on Donizetti
Does social media know the power of Una furtiva lagrima? Or do you dare revisit ll dolce suono in the style of the The fifth element?
Puccini-galore
How about a Nessun dorma to send chills down the spines of visitors of a shopping mall, or O mio babbino caro in a hospital? It is after all the Puccini centenary…
There are so many ways to celebrate Italian opera, bring emotions to citizens of the world and showcase the value of opera for society. The opera community is full of creative resources, and we trust you will join this initiative to make the world recognise opera’s contribution to our communities.
Join the European campaign
Building on the strong data collected last summer, Opera Europa has sent out its membership survey to gather information about your 2022-2023 season or 2023 year, in terms of productivity, finances, audiences and staffing. Please return your form by 15 July to allow us to compile data and build a strong campaign for World Opera Day. Contact celia@opera-europa.org if you haven’t received the form or have any questions.
