Brazil – Opera takes centre stage in Sao Paulo

The history of the opera and opera singing will take centre stage in Sao Paulo in a two-lecture event hosted at the Theatro Sao Pedro on 25 and 26 April. The two events are organised by the Italian Institute of Culture (IIC) and the theatre. The first lecture will be by Gianni Tangucci and will give an overview of the current situation of the opera in Europe, Asia and America, highlighting the importance of existing Opera Academies and the participation of young singers in the theatres’ opera seasons. Mr Tangucci was the director of theatres like La Scala in Milan, the theatres of Bologna and Parma, the La Fenice theatre in Venice, the Arena in Verona, in addition to the Maggio Fiorentino festival, and is a regular member of the jury of the world’s major singing contests. The second lecture will be by Davide Garattini and will focus on the relationship between traditional and contemporary opera. Mr Garattini is a young Italian theatre critic and director who has worked in several theatres in Italy and abroad. He is professor of Stagecraft at the Academy of the Teatro alla Scala di Milano and co-editor and critic of the magazine “L’opera italiana”. The two lectures aim at giving an overview of the history of the opera and opera singing and open a debate on the direction opera is likely to take in the future.