Camps: “The programming at the Palau de les Arts will be on par with the world’s great opera houses.”

22.02.2006

The President of the Generalitat, Francisco Camps, announced today in London that "the programming of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía will be on par with the great opera houses of the world."
“A program that we will ensure achieves international prestige and that will culminate in an architectural and cutting-edge project that is today one of the emblems of modern Spain,” he emphasized.

President Camps made these statements after presenting the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in London's Covent Garden to an audience of more than 120 prominent figures from the cultural, economic, tourism, social and media sectors of international scope.

“The program we will offer will be of a level, both in quantity and quality, befitting this building, opera, and this presentation,” the President added. Furthermore, during his address, Camps announced that work is already underway to stage six major operas for the Palau de les Arts' inaugural year of programming.

In this regard, it is worth noting that the Palau de les Arts has extended the application deadline for musician-professor positions in its resident orchestra until January 20, 2006, given the high demand and anticipation generated worldwide. As of December 15, the scheduled closing date for this second call for applications, more than 1,500 applications had been received from musicians around the globe. This number almost equals the 1,600 applications received during the first call last August.

International launch of the Palau de les Arts

This is the first time a Spanish opera house has performed at this iconic London cultural center, located in one of the world's capitals of music and culture.

The aim of this presidential trip is to publicize and explain to key British opinion leaders the cultural opportunities and attractions that will open up for tourists and music lovers from all over the world with the start of the first season at the Palau de les Arts in October 2006.

Camps also took advantage of the significant media impact of the opening concerts to highlight the Valencian Community as one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations in Europe, with excellent investment opportunities.

The trip to London is part of a broader promotional tour program for the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, designed by the Valencian Government to introduce the opera house to the international opera circuit. The program began in New York City last May when President Camps, along with tenor Plácido Domingo, presented the Valencian theater at the Cervantes Institute. Subsequently, this past November, again in New York City, the President met with the director of the Metropolitan Opera House, Peter Gelb, and the promotional program will continue next year in the world's leading capitals of music and opera.

This presentation in London was introduced by the Chief Executive of Covent Garden, Tony Hall, and was attended by the Spanish Ambassador to London, Carlos Miranda. Also present were prominent music agents, theatre directors, musicians, tour operators, event organizers, and members of the London media.

Another objective set by the Generalitat with this trip is to finalize operatic co-productions with Covent Garden with a view to offering a program of the highest artistic quality.

The inaugural concerts last October marked the international launch of the Palau de les Arts; a circumstance that the Generalitat intends to reinforce with a view to the start of the first season.