The Opera Platform – New beginnings
On 1 October 2017, Opera Europa, the service organisation for professional opera companies and opera festivals throughout Europe, and the French-German television channel ARTE concluded their fruitful cooperation on the digital opera streaming offer The Opera Platform. The project was launched in May 2015 in partnership with 15 opera companies from 12 European countries and funded by the European Commission’s Creative Europe programme over a period of three years.
In the almost two and a half years, over 1.5 million unique visitors enjoyed a unique European offer. Thanks to this initiative, over 3 million videos were viewed throughout the world, with content from 58 companies, from Madrid to Helsinki and from Reykjavík to Melbourne. The Creative Europe programme allowed Opera Europa, ARTE and 15 opera companies to bring a challenging project to life. As the planned run of The Opera Platform is now completed, Opera Europa and ARTE have decided to follow their own respective projects in the field of opera, according to each of their specific core missions.
Creative Europe has shown its renewed trust in Opera Europa by supporting its follow-up project Opera Vision, which brings together 30 partners from 18 countries for the promotion and enjoyment of Opera for all. This free offer aims at making the multiple facets of opera accessible to a diverse audience.
A rich programme of performances will be brought to audiences worldwide, complemented with bonus material and opera insights. The new platform will go public on 12 October when the full launch programme will be announced. Between now and the end of the year, Opera Vision will present 20 full-scale opera productions alongside a wealth of new contextual and educational material.
ARTE will host a European Opera Season on ARTE Concert. The French-German broadcaster will join forces with 24 leading European opera companies in order to create a network for the promotion of the art form of opera. At least one opera per month will be available for digital streaming on ARTE Concert – worldwide and free of charge. In autumn 2017, ARTE celebrates the variety of opera with numerous highlights from the stages across Europe, starting with the grand opening of the Berlin State Opera with Robert Schumann’s Scenes from Goethe’s Faust, conducted by Daniel Barenboim and directed by Jürgen Flimm.
Opera Europa and ARTE are grateful to the European Union’s Creative Europe programme for their support over the last three years. The Opera Platform enabled all partners to benefit from a vast exchange of experiences between cultural institutions and broadcaster.
The Opera Platform was a project led by Opera Europa, in collaboration with ARTE and 15 opera companies, thanks to the support of Creative Europe, a programme of the European Union.
