The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) is

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...

's premier venue for musical arts and culture. The opera house is located in

Shati Al-Qurm Shatti Al-Qurum (also written Shatti Al-Qurm) is the most expensive residential locality situated on the coast of Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman. It is also known as Muscat's Diplomatic District due to many embassies being located ...

district of

Muscat Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...

on Sultan Qaboos Street. Built on the royal orders of

Sultan Qaboos Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

of Oman, the Royal Opera House reflects unique contemporary Omani architecture, and has a capacity to accommodate maximum of 1,100 people. The opera house complex consists of a concert theatre, auditorium, formal landscaped gardens, cultural market with retail, luxury restaurants and an art centre for musical, theatrical and operatic productions.

History

Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, who was the ruler of Oman during the opera construction, had been always a fan of classical music and arts. In 2001, the sultan ordered the building of an opera house. Initially called 'House of Musical Arts', the name 'Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM)' was finally chosen. This opera house, which was built by Carillion Alawi, became the first in the world equipped with

Radio Marconi Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

's multimedia interactive display seatback system, Mode23. It was officially opened on October 12, 2011, with a production of the opera ''

Turandot ''Turandot'' (; see below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, posthumously completed by Franco Alfano in 1926, and set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. ''Turandot'' best-known aria is " Nessun dorma", ...

'', conducted by Spanish tenor

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

Prominent guests

The opera house had an impressive first season, with performances by

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fr ...

, and soprano

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for ...

. There have also been music performances by world-renowned cellist

Yo Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma ('' Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the American Ballet Theatre in a production of ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

'', The

Paul Taylor Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954. Taylor originally performed in the companies of ...

, the performance of '' Swan Lake'' by the Mariinsky Ballet, and trumpeter

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...

with New York city's Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. There have been some Arab artists performing at the opera house as well such as

Majida El Roumi Majida El Roumi Baradhy ( ar, ماجدة الرومي برادعي; born 13 December 1956) is a Lebanese soprano singer and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. Early life Majida El Roumi Al Baradhy was born on 13 December 1956 in Kfarshima ...

as well as a tribute in honour of legendary Arab singer Um Kalthoum. In March 2013, Indian violin icon Dr L. Subramanyam performed at the opera house and described it as the only orchestra in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

composed entirely of musicians from the region.

Gallery

File:ROHM Main Lobby by Khalid AlBusaidi.jpg, ROHM's Main Lobby File:Pipe-Organ by Khalid AlBusaidi.jpg, ROHM's Pipe Organ File:Don Quixote - by Khalid AlBusaidi.jpg,

Cuban National Ballet The Cuban National Ballet ( es, Ballet Nacional de Cuba) is a classical ballet company based at Great Theatre of Havana in Havana, Cuba, founded by the Cuban prima ballerina assoluta, Alicia Alonso in 1948. The official school of the company ...

rehearsing on the ROHM's stage File:La Traviata by Khalid AlBusaidi.jpg, '' La traviata'', opera by Giuseppe Verdi, October 2013 File:Turandot by Khalid AlBusaidi.jpg, ''Turandot'', opera by

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

at the stage of the Royal Opera House Muscat File:Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra by Khalid AlBusaidi.jpg, Pipe Organ concert with the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra

References

External links

Royal Opera House Muscat official website
{{authority control 2011 establishments in Oman Theatres completed in 2011 Music venues completed in 2011 Opera houses in Oman Buildings and structures in Muscat, Oman Culture in Muscat, Oman Tourist attractions in Muscat, Oman