Birmingham Opera Online Thank you for all your support in making great opera happen in the first place; either through a direct donation, or through the public funding, or the wealth of human experience carried in the work to which you all contribute. Why this work online? Why now? We know that times are very uncertain for many of our audiences, artists and volunteers at the moment. Together we have made some great opera over the years with support from public funds, trusts and foundations and individuals enabling much of our work to remain free or at a very low cost to new audiences and participants. “These troubled times have exposed once again how far our society is from being equal or fair. We need to do better. Birmingham Opera Company has spent the last 20 years experimenting, researching and exploring ways of presenting opera that will engage and embrace each and every element of our socially diverse city. Tens of thousands of Birmingham citizens have helped shape and create the projects we are able to stream. These epic live events were steps along a way that is always a struggle. But when our Birmingham peoples together recoil in horror at Verdi’s Othello, are swept up in the violence of The Ice Break and transported by Stockhausen’s Wednesday, there is light at the end of the tunnel.” - Graham Vick, Artistic Director ON NOW Beethoven's FIDELIO Streamed as part of WORLD OPERA DAY, hosted by Opera Europa, OperaVision and Ópera Latinoamérica On Saturday 24th October, in celebration of World Opera Day and Beethoven's 250th anniversary celebrations, Birmingham Opera Company, the team behind a new animation WALPURGIS and Garsington Opera came together in a live conversation 'Following Fidelio' hosted by theatre/opera director Gitika Buttoo to tackle the question 'how does Fidelio speak to us today?' If you missed it, you can catch up below! Following the discussion, OperaVision streamed our 2002 production 'Fidelio' directed by Graham Vick. Birmingham Opera Company's Beethoven's 'Fidelio', a story of personal, political and social lockdown, was originally transmitted to celebrate the launch of BBC4 in 2002 and won The South Bank Show Award for Opera. Fidelio takes place in a gigantic circus tent pitched in the grounds of Aston Hall. Over 200 volunteers took part as actors or in the chorus. Participating in the incredible sound world of Beethoven's only opera, they shared and performed their own imprisonments - and experienced freedom. You can catch the stream below via OperaVision's Youtube channel for the next 4 months - enjoy! STILL ON Birmingham Opera Company Re-imagined Orchestrations In these COVID times, many prestigious opera companies are choosing to present productions based on our versions of classic operas which have been brilliantly re-orchestrated. Over the coming months, watch out for ENO's Live and Drive La Boheme on Sky Arts and many more. Or find out more about our music hire. Stanisław Moniuszko's The Untouchable- Winner, Best Production, XIV Theatre Music Awards One more online treat. 2019 marked 200 years since the birth of Stanisław Moniuszko, revered as the father of Polish national opera. Poznań Opera, in collaboration with Birmingham Opera Company, presented Moniuszko's final opera The Untouchable (or Paria in Polish) in a new production by Graham Vick. The production was recently awarded 'Best Production' at the XIV Theatre Music Awards. The Untouchable tells the story of Brahmin princess Neala and warrior Idamor. Having led a series of victorious campaigns against rival territories, Idamor wins Neala's hand. But when his true caste comes to light, what does this "untouchable" stand to lose? Didn't make it over to Poznań to find out? No worries! Head over to Poznań Opera or watch it below... PAST STREAMS Stockhausen’s Mittwoch Aus Licht/Wednesday from Light Thanks to everyone who joined the Stockhausen Mittwoch Aus Licht watch parties online on 4th and 5th July! There ain't no party like a Stockhausen watch party. It was an amazing weekend with hundreds of you joining in to relive the memories of the original production or to experience it for the first time. Stockhausen created seven operas in the Light cycle, one for each day of the week. We staged Wednesday. If you think that sounds like the easy option - think again! Wednesday from Light was previously thought to be unstageable, with its flying instrumentalists and string quartet in helicopters. Not to mention the camels. The opera doesn't have a traditional plot, but four scenes plus a Greeting and a Farewell. It finally reached its world premiere in Birmingham in 2012 after two decades of failed attempts by opera houses across the world. It was selected as one of the New Yorker's Events of the Decade. If you missed the unmissable, here are some fragments of the stream. Pick up your free Mittwoch programme. Ritual Weekender Online Read on to see what we got up to with Ritual Weekender! West Midlands Weekenders is a brand-new series of events over three weekends, showcasing our region’s incredible arts and culture. The first of these unmissable WM Weekenders took place here on Saturday 29th August from 2pm - 11pm, with artists from across the region responding to the theme of 'Ritual'. In collaboration with Friction Arts, Coventry 2021 Front Room Sessions and BBC Introducing on behalf of Culture Central, the evening showcased some amazing singers, songwriters and artists from across the region. Esther Turner, Attrition, Silinder Pardesi, Abz Winter,DeeLayDee, YNES, Nicky Ager, Mr Macee, Kioko, Rosso, Bella Deanie, Ace Ambrose, Daniella Dee, The Session, Karina Diaz,Lady Sanity, Daddy Woody, T8pes, Shai Brides and more! We had Black Sparta, a film by Birmingham-based writer for stage and screen Jude Gatiss. We had Shakespeare Snapshots - fast-paced, no-frills performances from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Actor and playwright Tyrone Huggins presented monologue Theatre Rituals, exploring the idea of audiences going back to the theatre of old for the first time. Four of the UK's most exciting and diverse artists - Shakka, Diztortion, Terri Walker and Saskilla - embarked on a global music adventure in Punch Record's Homelands. We had poetry from Lorna Meehan, film from Sian Macfarlane, music and choreography from Rusconi and Monin, Kathak from Sonia Sabri Company, extreme physicality from Motionhouse with Knot, The Protest: Eva's Story by Tamaira Hesson, we dipped into Asylum Art Gallery, Bertz Associates LTD & Iconic Production’s Dreaming Tower Ballroom. Not only that, we went live to Hannover for BCMG’s Stockhausen event and there was a film from Birmingham Opera Company. Thank you to everyone who joined us! Manage Cookie Preferences