Modern Europe is founded on the ideal of peaceful brotherhood. The purpose of Opera Europa has been to embody that ideal and to create effective means whereby companies from diverse nations share good practice and work together in harmony. The invasion of Ukraine shatters that ideal. Cultural support appears to be powerless against military force.
David Sassoli, former President of the European Parliament, declared that ‘culture is decisive for the quality of life; and that ‘it’s culture that can bring back people together again after the trauma of the pandemic’. The Cultural Deal for Europe is an urgent call to make culture central in the Future of Europe. Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth asserts: ‘the cultural and creative sectors are Europe’s strongest assets and they have a role to play in Europe’s recovery’.
Yet, the limits of culture as a force for good are all too evident. How do we build its capability to defend the values of freedom and democracy against military aggression? Who will listen to music against the din of war? How can our theatre serve a useful political purpose? Somehow, we must find a way to transform moral solidarity into practical support for our friends and colleagues in Ukraine.
We at Opera Europa prefer pragmatism to rhetoric. Our conference in the Czech Republic will seek to gather our disparate community in a common endeavour. General and Artistic Directors will share the debate with the think-tank of Dramaturgs and with the public advocates from Marketing and Communication. We also look for ways in which our companies may work with the European Union, through its Creative Europe Programme, to realise the potential of the creative sector, so that it may reach into people’s lives.
OperaVision was launched in 2017, with support from Creative Europe, and the free-to-view streaming platform has attracted 30 million views during a little over four years. Recognising that digital has become an essential addition to live performance in conveying the message of opera, we and our partners are this month launching OperaVision Next Generation which over the next three years will learn from the past and develop the medium for the future, sharing both content and expertise across and beyond the sector. Expect to hear more about its plans on 17 June at our conference in Prague, for which you will find the detailed programme on our events page. Meanwhile, discover what is on offer at www.operavision.eu
Next Stage is a new initiative, devised together with FEDORA, the European Circle of Philanthropists of Opera and Ballet. Its aim is to engender transformative change in the areas of Sustainability, Inclusivity and Digital Transformation, whereby its participants will become leaders in the field. We believe in acting now, and are seeking ‘lighthouse’ projects, some of which will be on display at our inaugural Next Stage event on 29 and 30 April in Düsseldorf. Read more on our events page.
In addition, you will find previews of our renewed live and in-person forum meetings this spring in Berlin, Belgium and Helsinki.
Both OperaVision and Next Stage are partnerships involving many members and with the potential to deliver benefits for many more. At a time of political conflict, when constructive dialogue is more than ever necessary, they represent beacons of faith in the power of culture to heal wounds and bind communities together.
Nicholas Payne