Over 90 companies in 22 countries will open their doors this weekend for a variety of free activities, including tours, workshops, rehearsals and performances.
Now in its eighth year, European Opera Days is an initiative aimed at bringing new audiences to the art form. This year, participating companies were invited to plan events around the theme ‘Journey to Opera’.
The Italian rail network Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane has teamed up with opera houses around Italy to show opera extracts on screens in train stations over the weekend.
In Lithuania, the National Opera and Ballet Theatre and Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre have devised a schedule of events across the capital Vilnius. Audiences will be invited to attend each event at venues across the city with the aid of an opera map.
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In the UK, seven companies (including English National Opera, the Royal Opera House, Opera North and Scottish Opera) have created a YouTube platform to stream live behind-the-scenes footage. Inside Opera: Live will be streamed 2-6pm GMT on 10 May.
Photo: English National Opera’s Thebans © Tristam Kenton
