First English, then Welsh. Now Dutch opera faces the chop

Opera Zuid, the opera of southern Netherlands, has posted a petition that appeals for public signatures to secure its survival.

The Dutch parliament is expected to cut its funding next week, a decision that the company warns will lead to rapid bankruptcy.

The conductor Antony Hermus writes:
Opera Zuid holds a very special place in my heart. My first opportunity to conduct an opera in the Netherlands came with them in 2009, with Rimsky Korsakov “Tsar Saltan”, in a regie by Sybrand van der Werf. This experience played an essential role in my own journey as a conductor, just as it has for countless Dutch singers, conductors, and artists who found their first footing with this company.
Now, with their funding drastically cut, the very existence of Opera Zuid is in jeopardy. This decision is not only disheartening, but it risks erasing a vital path for new talent and a key piece of cultural life in the south of the Netherlands. Our country’s opera landscape is already sparse; preserving Opera Zuid is more essential than ever.
I deeply hope that a solution will be found so that Opera Zuid can continue inspiring audiences and nurturing artists for generations to come. We need to safeguard our cultural institutions, as they shape not only careers but communities and the artistic future of our country.

Sign here.