European Opera Days : 7 and 8 May 2011 Young ears

On 7 and 8 May 2011, over 100 opera houses across Europe celebrate the European Opera Days

On the occasion of the European Opera Days, opera houses throughout Europe invite all those curious to discover and open their ears to opera on 7 and/or 8 May 2011. For the 5th year in a row, this celebration continues to bring together European opera houses at the beginning of May, highlighting their common passion for this art – and their desire to transmit it to their visitors.

In 2011, 104 opera houses will be part of the event in 24 countries.

Each year, activities are framed around a common, Europe-wide theme. This year, the focus is Young Ears: children and young people will be guided in their discovery of opera. But regardless of age, a ‘young ear’ is one that listens without prejudices and remains open to music it is not used to. The European Opera Days are therefore also an invitation to people who have never yet listened to opera, as well as to opera lovers – as we all know: one never stops learning!

Opera houses have prepared exciting programmes for their visitors next May: children's operas and concerts based on children's stories; musical introductions to the history of opera, music and song; imaginative games and quizzes to learn more about opera and how it is made; workshops to experience one's own creativity; guided tours and open rehearsals to sneak into the making of a production; unexpected performances around the city; concerts, films, exhibitions, and much more.

This year, the European Opera Days are also celebrated on television, with Arte dedicating a whole day to opera on Saturday 7 May. Outstanding performances (Werther, Rigoletto, Don Pasquale, Adriana Lecouvreur) will succeed each other, with introductions by German star soprano Diana Damrau sharing anecdotes about opera and her life as a singer.

Through all these initiatives, opera houses show the vivacity of their art, but also how it belongs to the history, the cities, the creative and cultural lives of their visitors. The European Opera Days seek to increase awareness of the importance of arts and culture in democratic life and the crucial need for political support at European, national and local levels. That is why the European Opera Days support the campaign we are more – act for culture in Europe!

For more information on the European Opera Days 2011, visit www.operadays.eu.

The European Opera Days are a joint initiative of Opera Europa, the European organisation for professional opera companies and festivals, and RESEO, the European Network for Opera and Dance Education, in partnership with la Réunion des Opéras de France, the UK's National Opera Coordinating Committee and Ópera XXI in Spain.