Smetana Lytomyšl Festival hosted the premiere of the winning production of the 13th European Opera-directing Prize, co-organised by Camerata Nuova and Opera Europa. Italian stage director Lorenzo Ponte, with set designer Alice Benazzi and costume designer Giulia Rossena won the final hosted by Birmingham Opera Company last summer. The competition required staging Smetana’s Two Widows, but with a twist.
This particular EOP had special requirements : to be a light production able to travel – as it will visit Lviv National Opera and Birmingham Opera Company in the coming seasons – and to work with local non-professional singers, true to Graham Vick’s work.
The European Opera-directing Prize
Every two years, Camerata Nuova, in collaboration with a European opera house and Opera Europa, an association of over 200 opera houses and festivals, announces the EOP – European Opera-directing Prize. The EOP is currently the only major international competition for young opera directors.
