We have an exciting spring ahead, chock-full of meetings, events, forums and performances to stimulate and enjoy.
Vienna is home to many iconic opera houses – and it is a great honour that MusikTheater an der Wien and its Kammeroper, Volksoper Wien, Wiener Staatsoper and Die Wiener Taschenoper will together be our generous hosts for the upcoming spring conference. This exceptional opportunity provides an insider’s view of Vienna’s dynamic opera scene and a special session featuring the three Intendants, Lotte de Beer, Bogdan Roščić and Stefan Herheim, promises to give us a fascinating insight into their different identities and the vibrant opera panorama of this marvellous city. Moreover 3 further forums will be active during the conference: the Marketing & Communications forum, the Fundraising forum and the Education forum, whose programme is co-curated by RESEO, and they will have an important input in many of the panels of this conference with its central theme of retaining, developing and growing audiences. Audrey has been diligently fostering relationships with Ballet companies, with whom many of our members share their theatres, administration and workshops and we are happy to have several sessions that incorporate them in the panels.
This spring, our forums are set to unfold across a wide array of locations hosted by our generous members: Ostrava for the Dramaturgs, Audio-Visual & Digital in Warsaw, Costumes, Make-up & Wigs in Zurich, TechSet in Oslo, and HR in Palma de Mallorca. A unique week in Zagreb awaits Opera Europa members, featuring the latest edition of the Opera Management Course, which will be immediately followed by the Artistic Administration & Producing forum, allowing the course participants to follow the discussions at the forum. Susanna, Celia and Aline are happy to answer any questions you may have and we welcome all newcomers.
Luke and his team at OperaVision have achieved an impressive milestone of 24 million hits through its performances, live streams, podcasts featuring interviews, and explorations into the world of opera. This remarkable engagement reflects the platform's success in bringing opera to a global audience through diverse and innovative content. Our application for EU funding, under the European Platforms for the promotion of emerging artists, will hopefully allow us to grow OperaVision by including more companies as full members and giving increased visibility and training to emerging artists, thereby extending Opera Europa’s established commitment to the next generation.
If we haven’t exhausted you by this this time, then we can certainly hope to interest you in joining us in Los Angeles June 3-5 for the World Opera Forum which is a collaboration of Opera America, Opera Europa, Ópera Latinoamérica, and the Association for Opera in Canada. The first World Opera Forum was hosted in Madrid in 2019, and was a resounding success and this conference promises to be an exciting development.
I hope to see you all in Vienna for our conference and the many splendid performances on offer. I would like to thank you all for your continued support.
Karen Stone
Opera Europa Director