National Theatre, Czech Philharmonic and Smetana’s Litomyšl Festival to co-host the greatest opera conference Opera Europa

“Opera is the most wonderful kind of art, and it is our duty to make sure that it remains a living and inspiring organism,” says Per Boye Hanse, Artistic Director of the National Theatre Opera and the State Opera.

The conference will take place in the renovated building of the State Opera, in Rudolfinum and the State Castle of Litomyšl. The event will be attended by representatives of leading European theatres – Covent Garden, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, Teatro Real Madrid, Bayerisches Staatsoper, Oper Leipzig, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Teatr Wielki, Norwegian National Opera and many others.

“I am both proud and happy to have an opportunity to show this wonderful town, so rich in opera history, to our colleagues from all over Europe. Participants will be offered several new productions, including Flammen, Katya Kabanova, Der Fliegende Holländer and the Bartered Bride. The conference is a unique opportunity to exchange best practices, get inspired and – last but not least – to decisively put Prague on the map as a major hub of European opera,” says Per Boye Hanses. In addition to the mentioned operas, participants will have the opportunity to attend a concert of the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Keith Lockhart or Handel’s Messiah performed by Collegium 1704 conducted by Václav Luks.

The event will start in Prague on Wednesday 15 June and end in Litomyšl on Saturday 18 June. The agenda includes topics such as opera promotion, reaching out to today’s audiences by modern means or invigoration of opera tradition.

“We also wish to debate dramaturgy and discuss, whether our priorities when creating programs for our theatres should be reassessed. We will also evaluate the results of a survey focused on the behavior of audiences. Based upon the data acquired, we will discuss key factors for planning strategies – whether artistic, marketing or communication,” explains Nicholas Payne, the director of Opera Europa.

Opera Europa is a leading service organization of professional opera companies and festivals from all over Europe. It currently has 215 members in 43 countries.