Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

; "Opera Ballet Flanders") is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

and ballet company in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

directed by Jan Vandenhouwe. It operates in two different opera houses in the Flemish cities of

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

and

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. However, the company shares one orchestra, choir, ballet company, technical team, etc. The organization is mainly financed by the

Flemish government The Flemish Government ( ) is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President of Flanders, Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Par ...

and the city councils of Antwerp and Ghent. Opera Ballet Vlaanderen emerged from a fusion between The Flemish Opera (''Vlaamse Opera'') and the

Royal Ballet of Flanders The Royal Ballet of Flanders is a dance company based in Antwerp, Belgium, specializing in classical, neoclassical and contemporary ballet. In its current incarnation, the company was established in 1969. It tours internationally. History The ...

(''Ballet Vlaanderen'') in 2014. The Royal Ballet of Flanders was founded in 1969. The Flemish Opera was created in 1996 as a successor to the Flemish Opera Foundation (''Vlaamse Opera Stichting,'' which had existed since 1988), and the Opera for Flanders (''Opera voor Vlaanderen,'' which had existed since 1981). Both former institutions were similar fusions between the former opera houses of Antwerp and Ghent. Since the fusion in 1981, the company has been giving performances in two different historic theatres. It received the "Opera Company of the Year" award at the 2019

International Opera Awards The International Opera Awards is an annual awards ceremony honouring excellence in opera around the world. Origins The International Opera Awards was founded in 2013 by Harry Hyman, a UK businessman, philanthropist and supporter of opera, and ...

History

Opera House Antwerp

The first public opera performances in Antwerp date back to 1661. Performances took place on the stage of the ''Schouwburgh van de Oude Voetboog'' (Theatre of the Guild of Crossbowmen) at the Grote Markt. The theatre gradually lost its popular Flemish character as French artists were engaged and the performances were no longer performed in the local (

) language, but in French, the adopted language of the Flemish elite. In 1709 a new theatre was installed in the "Tapissierspand", a former covered market for

tapestry Tapestry is a form of Textile arts, textile art which was traditionally Weaving, woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical piece ...

where alternately Italian and French operas were performed. The new auditorium burnt down in 1746 and was replaced by a new "Grand Théâtre" which opened in 1753. During the period of the

United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed from 1815 to 1839. The United Netherlands was created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars through the fusion of territories t ...

, the theatre was promoted to "Théâtre Royal". At that time the old theatre was already in decay and it became too small to house the growing public. Plans were made to tear down the old building and to replace it by a new and more prestigious building. In 1829 the last performance was given in the "Tappisierspand". The new theatre opened after the

Belgian revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

in 1834. (This building is now known as the ''Bourlaschouwburg'' and is used today for regular theatre performances.) The French repertoire (and, to a lesser extent, the Italian repertoire in French translation) continued to dominate. The opera house closed in 2005 for a two-year renovation of the entire building. In November 2007, exactly 100 years after the grand opening in 1907, the opera opened again for a new season. New office buildings were constructed, the main auditorium was updated with new seating, a new heating system, and the walls were painted in a new fresh green colour. Behind the scenes all the offices are combined in the new 'Office territory' behind and next to the stage. Major improvements are the leveling of the stage floor (which had a rake of 4° due to 19th century practice), a big new side stage, updated lighting and mechanical structures. Because of budget limitations (the first budget estimate for the entire renovation was 33 million euro but, after certain non critical phases were removed from the master plan, the total budget was 24 million euros), only the most urgent tasks were executed. Therefore, not all the ornaments where cleaned and the public hallways are painted white. It is expected that when new funds are available, the golden ornaments and hallways will be updated.

Administration

*Directors :1947–55 :

Vina Bovy Vina Bovy (Malvina Bovi Van Overberghe) born in Ghent on 22 May 1900, died in the same city on 16 May 1983 was a Belgian operatic soprano.Harold Rosenthal, Rosenthal H., "Vina Bovy". In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera''. Macmillan, London & Ne ...

:1981 : Alfons Van Impe :1987 : Gerard Mortier (ad interim) :1989 : Marc Clémeur :2008 : Aviel Cahn :2019 : Jan Vandenhouwe *Chief conductors of the Symfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (Symphonic Orchestra of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen): :1989 : Rudolf Werthen :1993 : Stefan Soltesz :1997 :

Marc Minkowski Marc Minkowski (born 4 October 1962) is a French conductor of classical music, especially known for his interpretations of French Baroque works. Minkowski was musical director of Mozartwoche in Salzburg, Austria, from 2013 to 2017 and was gene ...

:2000 : Massimo Zannetti :2002 : Ivan Törzs :2011 : Dmitri Jurowski :2019 : Alejo Pérez *Chief conductors of the Koor Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (Choir of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen): :1989 : Peter Burian :1991 : Simon Halsey :1994 : Andrew Wise :1997 : Peter Burian :2002 : Kurt Bikkembergs :2008: Yannis Pouspourikas :2013: Jan Schweiger

References

External links

* {{authority control Opera houses in Belgium Theatres in Belgium Buildings and structures in Ghent Culture of Ghent Tourist attractions in East Flanders Theatres completed in 1709 Theatres completed in 1753 Theatres completed in 1834 Music venues completed in 1709 Music venues completed in 1753 Music venues completed in 1834 1709 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire