OE News

Opera Europa's members

Opera Europa counts 200 members in 43 countries.

Opera Europa welcomes 13 new members since the summer, and reaches 200 members to close the year!

From the operatic heartland of Germany we are joined by three important theatres with glorious histories. Oper Leipzig is the third oldest Opera in Europe, with a story beginning in 1693. Today it occupies an imposing building from 1960 on Augustusplatz, and is led by Intendant & Generalmusikdirektor Ulf Schirmer and Verwaltungsdirektor Ulrich Jagels. Staatsoper Hannover dates from mid-19th century, but has been extensively rebuilt since WW2. Current Intendant Dr Michael Klügl will be succeeded by Laura Berman from next season. Georg Heckel started this season as Intendant of Landestheater Detmold, the busy Dreispartenhaus in North

Rhine-Westphalia.

Our newest Italian member is Fondazione Teatro Coccia di Novara, a teatro di tradizione in Piedmont, whose recently appointed Director Corinne Baroni contributed to our conference in Paris.

Returning to Opera Europa after a year or more’s absence are Edinburgh International Festival, the Moscow training theatre Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Centre and, from far further afield, the magnificent grand Teatro Colón Buenos Aires.

Our other recruits are smaller companies who have joined as Associate Members or under the recently introduced Junior Associate scheme. That enables us to welcome our first members from Malta, hitherto unrepresented by Opera Europa: Teatru Manoel led by Artistic Director Kenneth Zammit Tabona and Teatru Aurora under Matthew Sultana. Some members are already dreaming of an event on the Mediterranean island! Newcomers also include Nevill Holt Opera, the beautiful new theatre in the English countryside of Leicestershire, under the musical direction of Nicholas Chalmers.

Innovative non-theatre based companies include The Airport Society run from Brussels by Krystian Lada; Operafabriken from Malmö in Sweden, whose producer Leena Malkki joined us in Paris; and Nouvel Opera Fribourg in Switzerland, represented in Paris by Head of Production Emilien Rossier.