O. Nominated For The International Opera Awards 2023

O. Festival for Opera. Music. Theatre. has been shortlisted for the International Opera Awards 2023. It is one of six nominees in its category. The award ceremony will take place at Teatr Wielki in Warsaw on 9 November. 

 
“O. wants to break open opera as an art form and to increase its significance in the lives of a large, diverse audience. We are honoured that this has been noticed, leading to our nomination for the prestigious award as part of an impressive list alongside other international top festivals,” says Guy Coolen, O.'s artistic director.
 
O. surprised visitors with opera and music theatre in amazing locations in Rotterdam in 2023. The performance VACUÜM took place in a drinking water cistern where theatre maker Mees Vervuurt created a mysterious subterranean world. The walking performance Solitude Hotel, by Annelinde Bruijs and Suze Milius, guided the festival-goers as they weaved through hotel rooms and met the guests. A truck drivers' diner was the setting for Truckstop Frau Man, a performance by Frau Bakker. MAKTUB created a memorable ‘pub night' for O. Oh. Rotterdam that entertained, antagonized, and played with audience expectations.

Visitors could enjoy the city to the fullest during Dit Is Rotterdam that featured over 50 acts telling their own urban stories in and near Schouwburgplein, Kruiskade and Rotterdam Centraal on Ascension Day (a Dutch public holiday). For this free and accessible urban festivity, which attracted more than 4,000 people, the festival brought together stories, communities, and opera from Rotterdam. 
 
The International Opera Awards were founded in 2012. They celebrate opera from around the world. The goal is to recognize and reward opera's extraordinary successes, to strengthen opera as an art form, and to generate funds for aspiring operatic artists. The shortlisted nominees are adjudicated by a panel of professionals in the field, chaired by John Allison, editor of Opera Magazine. The winners will be announced on Thursday 9 November.