The main objective of the Polish-Norwegian Opera Academy project is to strengthen cooperation between Polish and Norwegian artistic milieus by staging opera performances presented in Łódź and Trondheim. One of the main aims of the project implementers is to use the artistic potential of the music community of Polish and Norwegian institutions and universities. The project is an innovative extension of their existing activities.

The performances will be preceded by auditions, masterclasses and workshops. In April (Łódź) and June (Trondheim) 2022, it is planned to perform Joseph Haydn’s opera “Il mondo della luna”, and in 2023, the Norwegian opera selected by the artistic council appointed under the project.

The performances will be available to the public both online and traditionally in concert halls or opera houses. In numbers, the Polish-Norwegian cooperation looks impressive, as Elżbieta Szal-Płaza – the project’s organisational coordinator – recalls: “A total of 12 opera performances and 4 speaking concerts will take place in both countries. The number of participating artists is almost 340 people. We assume that the audience of all project events will reach the range of 8600 people in the audience, including 4000 viewers of the online transmission. According to the plan, the CD albums with the recording of both performances will be published and distributed to music schools in an edition of 1000 copies”.

The project participants assume that the Opera Academy activities will continue in the future as an annual series of workshops and performances jointly prepared by the project partners. They are guided by the slogan of the EEA Funds about joint action for a competitive and inclusive Europe.

The press conference was dominated by statements emphasising the unique mission of the undertaking, which gives young musicians a chance to gain valuable experience and integration. The event was opened by Her Magnificence, Dr Hab. Elżbieta Aleksandrowicz, Prof. AM, Rector of the University of Music in Łódź, who welcomed the guests and thanked all those involved. The Rector expressed her hope for the deepening of international relations and the continuation of cooperation in the years to come.

Professor Piotr Miciński, Head of the Department of Vocal Studies, who coordinates the content of the project, emphasised the multi-faceted benefits that the cooperation will bring to both partners: “This project is of extraordinary importance, not only in artistic terms. It integrates young artists, creates understanding across all possible divisions, where the language of communication is culture and art.” He further stressed the large scale of the joint activities: “For the next two years we have opera performances planned in cooperation with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. It will be an extraordinary opportunity to meet the performance level of the Norwegians. The orchestra will visit Łódź, where in the first weeks of April it will accompany our students and Norwegian singers in their interpretations of Joseph Haydn’s opera “Il mondo della luna”. The next two stagings will take place in early June in Trondheim.”

Roar Leinan – director of the Trondheim Symfoniorkester & Opera – pointed out the particular value of the project: “For us, too, this cooperation is extremely important. We have already carried out several collaborations with Polish cultural institutions, but for the first time we will be working with young artists. If anyone can do something for the freedom and well-being of European society in the future, it is young people working in culture. That is why I think that the most important aspects of the project are the possibility to communicate, to get to know each other and to build a common platform for young artists, who are the future of our countries and Europe”.

Eva Buchmann, Dutch opera director, spoke about the issues of artistic staging of Joseph Haydn’s opera “Il mondo della luna”. „Księżycowy świat” („The World on the Moon”), as that is the Polish title of the work, is the first opera piece realized as part of the project, which was described by the director in the following words: “It is a very funny work, a typical example of commedia dell’arte, paradoxically dealing also with serious matters. An example of this is the use of a phenomenon in the plot, which in psychology we refer to as Gaslighting. It’s a form of mental abuse, of manipulating reality and inducing insanity. It is also interesting to place an action on the Moon, where the ruler can become the servant, and the servant – the ruler. In this way, Goldoni, the author of the libretto, showed inequalities between social classes ”

During the conference, Jan Willem De Vriend, Dutch conductor, responsible for the musical direction of the planned opera, recalled his presence in Łódź in previous years and emphasized the uniqueness of mutual cooperation with young musicians: “I had the opportunity to observe or take part in the staging of Haydn’s “Lo speziale” opera and Haendel’s “Semele” in Łódź. I was very impressed with the talent of the young singers. I learned a lot from them. Now young people will learn from me. However, I have the impression that in this case the benefit of learning and gaining new experiences is mutual.” The conductor also emphasized the universal nature of Joseph Haydn’s operas, which deal with issues that are not lost in the present day.

Looking ahead, Prof. Dr Hab. Urszula Kryger, Vice-Rector for Artistic Affairs of the University, referred with enthusiasm and excitement to further plans related to the preparation of a contemporary Norwegian opera, the premiere of which is to take place in 2023: “Getting to know new music, encountering an unknown material is always a fascinating matter for an artists. We are eager for both new musical experiences and challenges that this project will surely provide us with in the near future.”

After the conference at 1 p.m. the auditions began for the cast of the comic opera “Il mondo della luna” by Franz Joseph Haydn, attended by students of opera singing from the University of Music in Łódź. 32 students applied for the auditions. They were assessed by the teachers of the Department of Vocal Studies, with the participation of the opera director Eva Buchmann, conductor Jan Willem De Vriend and representatives from Norway. Polish young musicians selected in the casting will have the opportunity to perform in opera projects in Łódź and in Trondheim, Norway.

Next Friday, another part of the auditions for the cast of “The World on the Moon” will take place in the capital of Norway. 24 recent graduates of opera singing from Norwegian universities will take part in the casting in Oslo. These are singers who are just taking their first steps on the professional opera market and are looking for opportunities to gain experience and present their skills and talent.

Polish and Norwegian singers will perform together on stages in Łódź and Trondheim, which will allow for integration and exchange of mutual experiences.