Young Opera Professionals in Paris

Thoughts from European Opera-directing Prize and Opera Management Course alumni

Opera is a mental asylum, schizophrenic and apologetic.  What sustains it is the magic of the voice…  Imagination fuels us and drives us forward… Opera houses are socially beneficial because they create employment, even if they also waste money.
Karolina Sofulak, Warsaw

Why should the uncommitted like opera is the wrong question.  Tell stories for today, not yesterday, not tomorrow… We aren’t talking to crows, but to individuals who will perceive the experience differently from the person sitting next to them.  We have to create familiarity with opera, not the opera house.

Maria Inés Olmedo, Mexico/London

Are some Intendanten too controlling, convinced they know the answers, afraid of new initiatives?

Anne Sophie Beyrer, Karlsruhe

Is it about us or them?  I am frustrated by the injustices of our world, with its homeless refugees.  We should learn as well as teach; not just sit and talk but go out and do something.

Sofia Surgutschowa, Paris/Berlin

Opera is rooted in ancient Greek tragedy, explaining who we are… We struggle to find a modern voice.  A stage director must hear the music and combine image and sound, because music plumbs the deepest feelings.

Niki Ellinidou, Athens

Opera is not symbolic; it is entertainment.  We are not giving our audience space…. Opera is a European art.  Should opera-makers exercise their place within society?
Esteban Muñoz, Chile/Berlin

Contemporary opera is the problem.  We need a new Verdi or Wagner to renovate the repertory…. We do a lot of things badly, so create the wrong image of waste.  We must look more to the public.

Daniele Milazzo, Firenze

Opera does not reflect society’s diversity.  It needs to be more concerned in a social way…. Our generation has to change the way to tell the stories, be more creative.

Margot Lallier, Paris

Opera houses should open their doors to companies that will find a new way.  Be more open to small companies…  Everyone is afraid, but we have to be positive.

Maxine Devaud, Switzerland/Berlin

We talk about how to market rather than how to communicate.  The opera house should be seen as a facility, a tool.  Monteverdi created opera far from the opera house.  The building was made to serve the art, but should not be a constraint…  It’s about genetics rather than another face-lift… Opera is part of humanity’s heritage.  The first step to break through is to be curious.  Leaders have a responsibility to invent new trends… A more holistic approach to the ecosystem is required, but attitude change is difficult to create.

Krystian Lada, Poland/Brussels

Young Opera Professionals in Paris

Thoughts from European Opera-directing Prize and Opera Management Course alumni

Opera is a mental asylum, schizophrenic and apologetic.  What sustains it is the magic of the voice…  Imagination fuels us and drives us forward… Opera houses are socially beneficial because they create employment, even if they also waste money.
Karolina Sofulak, Warsaw

Why should the uncommitted like opera is the wrong question.  Tell stories for today, not yesterday, not tomorrow… We aren’t talking to crows, but to individuals who will perceive the experience differently from the person sitting next to them.  We have to create familiarity with opera, not the opera house.

Maria Inés Olmedo, Mexico/London

Are some Intendanten too controlling, convinced they know the answers, afraid of new initiatives?

Anne Sophie Beyrer, Karlsruhe

Is it about us or them?  I am frustrated by the injustices of our world, with its homeless refugees.  We should learn as well as teach; not just sit and talk but go out and do something.

Sofia Surgutschowa, Paris/Berlin

Opera is rooted in ancient Greek tragedy, explaining who we are… We struggle to find a modern voice.  A stage director must hear the music and combine image and sound, because music plumbs the deepest feelings.

Niki Ellinidou, Athens

Opera is not symbolic; it is entertainment.  We are not giving our audience space…. Opera is a European art.  Should opera-makers exercise their place within society?
Esteban Muñoz, Chile/Berlin

Contemporary opera is the problem.  We need a new Verdi or Wagner to renovate the repertory…. We do a lot of things badly, so create the wrong image of waste.  We must look more to the public.

Daniele Milazzo, Firenze

Opera does not reflect society’s diversity.  It needs to be more concerned in a social way…. Our generation has to change the way to tell the stories, be more creative.

Margot Lallier, Paris

Opera houses should open their doors to companies that will find a new way.  Be more open to small companies…  Everyone is afraid, but we have to be positive.

Maxine Devaud, Switzerland/Berlin

We talk about how to market rather than how to communicate.  The opera house should be seen as a facility, a tool.  Monteverdi created opera far from the opera house.  The building was made to serve the art, but should not be a constraint…  It’s about genetics rather than another face-lift… Opera is part of humanity’s heritage.  The first step to break through is to be curious.  Leaders have a responsibility to invent new trends… A more holistic approach to the ecosystem is required, but attitude change is difficult to create.

Krystian Lada, Poland/Brussels