The Vlaamse Opera (Flemish Opera) is an opera company in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

directed by Jan Vandenhouwe which operates in two different opera houses in two Flemish cities, the Vlaamse Opera Antwerp at Van Ertbornstraat 8 and the Vlaamse Opera

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest i ...

at Schouwburgstraat 3. However, the company shares one orchestra, choir, technical team, etc. The organization is mainly financed by the

Flemish government The Flemish Government ( nl, Vlaamse regering ) 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 and accountable to the Flemish Parliament, ...

and the city councils of Antwerp and Ghent. In its current form, the company 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.

History

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 (

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

) 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 art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...

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 ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...

, 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 the 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. ...

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 Ghent 22 May 1900, died in the same city 16 May 1983 was a Belgian operatic soprano. Rosenthal H., "Vina Bovy". In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera''. Macmillan, London & New York, 1997. She studied ...

:1981 : Alfons Van Impe :1987 :

Gerard Mortier Gerard Alfons August, Baron Mortier (25 November 1943 – 8 March 2014) was a Belgian opera director and administrator of Flemish origin. Biography Born in Ghent, the son of a baker, Mortier attended in youth the Jesuit private school Sint-Barba ...

(ad interim) :1989 :

Marc Clémeur Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...

(till 30/07/2008) :2008 :

Aviel Cahn Aviel ( he, אֲבִיאֵל) is a moshav in northern Israel. It is located south of Haifa within Alona Regional Council, near Zikhron Yaakov and Binyamina-Giv'at Ada. It had a population of in . History The moshav was established by the Herut p ...

(from 1/8/2008) *Chief conductors of the Symphonisch orkest van de Vlaamse Opera (Symphonic orchestra of the Flemish Opera): :1989 :

Rudolf Werthen Rudolf Werthen is a Belgian violinist, conductor and teacher. He is founder and artistic director of the orchestra ''I Fiamminghi'' and was chief conductor of the symphonic orchestra of the Flemish Opera in 1989. He has taught at the Royal Conse ...

:1993 :

Stefan Soltesz Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...

: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, and is the current general director of Opéra national de Bordeaux. His mother, Mary Anne (Wade), i ...

:2000 :

Massimo Zannetti Massimo, also Massimino, and Massimine () is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: Given name: *Massimo Agostinelli (Max Agos) (born 1987), Swiss based Italian American artist, entrepreneur and activist * Massimo Ag ...

:2002 :

Ivan Törzs Ivan Törzs is an American conductor and pianist educated at Princeton University, Mannes College of Music, and the Juilliard School. He worked as a pianist and conductor in Charleston, Spoleto and Santa Fe before moving to Germany in 1981. In ...

:2011:

Dmitri Jurowski Dmitri Jurowski (born 6 November 1979) is a German conductor and the grandson of composer Vladimir Michailovich Jurowski. Early life and education Jurowski was born in Moscow, into a Jewish family with several generations of musicians. At the age o ...

(from 1/1/2011) *Chief conductors of the Koor van de Vlaamse Opera (Choir of the Flemish Opera): :1989 :

Peter Burian Peter Burian (born 21 March 1959) is a Slovak diplomat and the Ambassador at large for human rights. Born in Hlohovec, Slovakia, Peter Burian graduated in Oriental Studies at St. Petersburg University in the USSR The Soviet Union,. offic ...

:1991 :

Simon Halsey Simon Halsey, CBE (born 8 March 1958) is an English choral conductor. He is the chorus director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus (CBSO Chorus), a position he has held since 1983, and has been chorus director of the London Symphony Choru ...

:1994 : Andrew Wise :1997 :

:2002 :

Kurt Bikkembergs Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and is ...

:2008: Yannis Pouspourikas :2013: Jan Schweiger

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