The 4th Baltic Contemporary Opera Network Meeting took place in Riga on 7-9 November. It brought together Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian creators, researchers and producers from various disciplines and interdisciplinary arts, as well as contemporary music theatre practitioners from other countries.
The Baltic Contemporary Opera Network was launched this year, with three meetings already held in Vilnius, Aknysta (Latvia) and Tartu (Estonia). During the meeting in Riga, the network partners presented two contemporary new opera works – the music theatre production “Monstera Deliciosa” (a joint project of Latvian and Estonian creators Līva Blūma, Linda Krūmiņa, Barbara Lehtna and Karolina Poska) and the one-act / one-person opera “#DiToo” (by Kaspars Rolšteins and Dita Lūriņa).
The meeting also focussed on the infrastructure for the creation / performance of contemporary performing arts that already exists or is currently being developed in Riga: Richard Wagner’s Hall in his memorial house in Riga’s Old Town, which is undergoing a radical renovation and will re-open in 2027; the concert halls in the former industrial building Hanzas Perons, located away from the city; the Dirty Deal Teatro adapted for contemporary performances, and the brand-new scenery workshop sand rehearsal rooms of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, which have been designed for longer residencies and performances.
The main objectives of this year’s network meetings were further implemented in Riga, namely –establishment of closer contact between the representatives of the Baltic contemporary opera field, initiation of cooperation and development of the network’s operational strategies. The meeting also outlined the future plans of the network: in 2025, creative residencies will be organised in each Baltic country, aimed to bring together international creative teams, and to discover and refine creative ideas that could be further developed as international co-productions.
The activities of the Baltic Contemporary Opera Network in 2024 were sponsored by the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme of Culture, Vilnius City Municipality, the Lithuanian Council for Culture, the Estonian Cultural Foundation, the Estonian National Museum, Mia Köök, the Latvian Cultural Foundation, and Jekabpils county council.