Specialist forums
Opera Europa coordinates specialist forums on several areas of work to bring together opera professionals from each field, encourage mutual learning and sharing of good practice, launch common initiatives and create a community network.
What is a specialist forum?
An Opera Europa forum is a specialist group that aims at exchanging collegial advice and support through seminars and online tools. Access to forums is a benefit of the Opera Europa membership.
Forums communicate through listservs (email distribution lists), and have dedicated pages on Opera Europa’s website, with announcements about upcoming meetings and presentations from past conferences.
Forums are created from the interest expressed by members in a certain discipline, and new forums are currently in discussion. Contact Opera Europa if you have a theme to suggest!
These current forums communicate and meet regularly.
■ Artistic Administration, coordinated by Susanna Werger
■ Audio-visual & Digital media, coordinated by Luke O’Shaughnessy
■ Business & Finance, coordinated by Susanna Werger
■ Costumes, Make-up & Wigs, coordinated by Aline Chif
■ Education, coordinated by Celia Grau
■ Fundraising, coordinated by Susanna Werger
■ Human Resources, coordinated by Susanna Werger
■ Independent Producers, coordinated by Celia Grau
■ Marketing & Communications, coordinated by Aline Chif
■ Sustainability, coordinated by Celia Grau
■ Technical & Production, coordinated by Audrey Jungers
■ Technical Management & Set Workshops, coordinated by Celia Grau
Coordination of a forum
Each forum has a steering group that understands and represents the diverse interests and aims of the forum, plans future meetings, identifies members within the Opera Europa network who are able to contribute to the variety of the forum meetings.
Each forum has a coordinator within the Opera Europa executive team, who provides guidance, coordinates the forum’s plans within Opera Europa’s wider agenda, and has the responsibility in all matters regarding communicating and convening meetings.
In order to ensure diversity, continuity and representation, it is recommended that two members of the steering committee rotate off every other year, allowing new contributors to join. The steering group may choose to elects a chair who is also expected to rotate.
Recruitment of new steering committee members and appointment of the chair are done in consultation with the Opera Europa coordinator.
Organisation of a meeting
A meeting takes place in a member’s institution by invitation only. The place has to respond to criteria such as accessibility, affordability and feasibility according to the annual agenda of Opera Europa. The receiving institution may suggest dates that are confirmed with the steering group and the Opera Europa executive team.
The costs of the forum (tickets to performances, catering, guest speakers) are covered with the registration fee and a reasonable contribution from the host.
The programme is outlined by the steering group together with their coordinator and reflects the diversity and interests of the forum, with a careful attention to the diversification of speakers.
