The Vlaamse Opera (Flemish Opera) is an opera company in Belgium directed by Aviel Cahn which operates in two different opera houses in two Flemish cities, the Vlaamse Opera Antwerpen at Van Ertbornstraat 8 and the Vlaamse Opera Ghent at Schouwburgstraat 3. However, the company shares one orchestra, choir, technical team, etc.
The organization is mainly financed by the Flemish government and the city councils of Antwerp and Ghent.
In its current form, it was created in 1996 as a successor to "Vlaamse Opera Stichting" (Flemish Opera Foundation, which had existed since 1988), and "Opera voor Vlaanderen" (Opera for Flanders, which had existed since 1981). Both former institutions were similar fusions between the former opera houses of Antwerp and Ghent. Since the fusion in 1981 the company has been giving performances in two different historical theatres:
Read more about Vlaamse Opera: Direction
Famous quotes containing the word opera:
“Opera once was an important social instrument—especially in Italy. With Rossini and Verdi people were listening to opera together and having the same catharsis with the same story, the same moral dilemmas. They were holding hands in the darkness. That has gone. Now perhaps they are holding hands watching television.”
—Luciano Berio (b. 1925)