Three opera companies pool their talent

In a truly unusual case of sectoral collaboration, three leading Dutch opera comanes have agreed to share their talent development plans. The details are not quite clear, but the initiative will certainly benefit young singers.

Here’s the press release:

In Maastricht Waut Koeken (intendant Opera Zuid/Opera South), Sophie de Lint (director Dutch National Opera) and Bart van Meijl (interim director Nederlandse Reisopera/Dutch National Touring Opera) signed a covenant in which the three opera houses made long-term agreements about collaborating on talent development. It is the first time that the three companies have explicitly expressed their ambition to work together. …

The tangible result of the collaboration will be an annual co-production with the three companies, which will be distributed nationally with a tour. The National Opera Studio will play a major role in these co-productions, but alongside the young singers from this international talent programme, there will also be collaboration with young Dutch singers or singers trained in the Netherlands. Talent development is not limited to singers, however: the three companies see a great need for development opportunities for young theatre makers, composers and artistic teams within opera. The planned annual co-production provides a new presentation opportunity for this target group, in addition to the regular programming of the three companies.