The beloved dance workshop Dad… Shall we dance?, supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), will visit two cities in Greece, starting from Nafplio. The programme invites fathers with children aged between 4 and 8 to a highly entertaining dance performance, full of tenderness and ballet figures. By participating in a classical dance and playful dancing class, fathers, along with their children, will have the chance to explore their skills and strengthen their bond through movement activities, improvisation, and games. But, most importantly, they will have fun by dancing against stereotypes!

Additional cities and dates will be announced soon.

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

Narrations by I Katsikes Xeroun Ton Dromo company (Elli Giannaki, Elsa Kuding, Dimitris Kourtis) will take children, teenagers, and adults on a journey across the magical world of fairy tales through stories from all over the world. The project will be held during the 2024/45 season in Athens and two other cities in Greece, with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

Narrations consists of three different music and storytelling performances with a live music accompaniment aimed at audiences of all ages, including children, teenagers, and adults. The programme promises to sweep us away on a delightful adventure full of amazing and imaginary happenings, lots of magic, goblins, Norwegian countryside trolls, queens, fairies, and weird occurrences. The performances are accompanied by traditional songs and melodies from many different parts of the world. They draw inspiration from the unique characteristics and symbolisms of fall, Christmas, and Carnival, borrowing stories from old storytellers to offer us plenty of laughter and valuable popular wisdom teachings.

The Tales of the Rainy Month

Join us to listen to tales about rain and winds. Legends about tree and flower spirits. Through our stories, the elements and spirits of nature will be revealed to you in all their glory. We will climb on enchanted trees, run among the fallen leaves, and find warmth in houses that appear to be small…. But sometimes appearances can be deceiving! Especially when Nasreddin Hodja arrives riding his donkey backward, always giving the best advice.

A while before the end of “Vrocharis” – the month known for abundant rainfall – or, in other words, “Niastis”, which means the time when people plow the land for the last time, we will listen to autumn tales that will stir up the fertile ground of our imagination and sow it with new seeds. These tales will give us directions from ancient wisdom on how to live kindly and with gratitude, using the land without destroying its vitality. They will teach us how to navigate the natural world when the wind rages, how to fearlessly move through the realm of senses and instinct when it rains, and how to safely wander across the collective unconscious when the cold is unbearable.

Storyteller: Elli Giannaki

Musical accompaniment: Nikos Karydis, Dimitris Kourtis

 Running time: 50 minutes

FOUGARO ARTCENTER – NAFPLIO

Performance date: 23 November 2024

Starts at: 12.00

Free admission

Reservations for seats are necessary; you can contact us by phone at 27520 47370 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

GREEK NATIONAL OPERA – STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CULTURAL CENTER

Performance date: 30 November 2024

Starts at: 10.30 & 11.30

VIP Lounge of the Greek National Opera – Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

Ticket price: 5€ / per person

Tickets on sale from 14 October 2024: GNO Box Office (daily 9.00-21.00 | 2130885700) and www.ticketservices.gr

Warm Stories about Winter and Christmas

Children and grown-ups, come with us on a journey of stories and music! Three folk tales and one contemporary story will transport us to distant lands where the snow is soft and the cold is piercing. But fear not, as the stories will warm up your soul! On our journey, we will encounter goblins, frozen rivers, and the old woman Befana from Italy, who gives children presents. Seven mothers and six daughters will host us somewhere in Norway, and when we reach Scotland, we will help a queen get rid of the cold that has engulfed her heart and entire kingdom.

A select programme for the whole family featuring stories that will inspire laughter, reflection, and warmth in our hearts! In harmony with the Christmas spirit, we will all gather to listen to three folk tales and one contemporary story, accompanied by musical instruments such as the violoncello, accordion, oud, and Constantinopolitan lyre. The musical pieces we will hear are adapted songs from the traditions of the countries where the fairy tales come from. Through these stories, we will see images from magical lands with the eyes of our imagination. We will learn how important it is to be able to forgive and help each other, seize the opportunities that arise in front of us, be able to view things from many different standpoints, and not forget to seek advice from the older generations.

Storyteller: Elli Giannaki

Musical accompaniment: Nikos Karydis, Dimitris Kourtis

Music and storytelling performance for the whole family

Running time: 50 minutes

FOUGARO ARTCENTER – NAFPLIO

Performance date: 14 December 2024

Starts at: 12.00 & 13.30

Free admission

Reservations for seats are necessary; you can contact us by phone at  27520 47370 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GREEK NATIONAL OPERA – STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CULTURAL CENTER

Performance date: 21 December 2024

Starts at: 10.30 & 12.00

VIP Lounge of the Greek National Opera – Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

Ticket price: 5€ / per person

Tickets on sale from 2 December 2024: GNO Box Office (daily 9.00-21.00 | 2130885700) and www.ticketservices.gr

Underneath the Cherry Tree

Come along with us to hear stories about private parts that speak clearly and loudly and talkative behinds that are especially revealing and extroverted! Nature awakens and runs wild, sparking popular imagination. You will encounter knights, peasant men and women in wild situations, with special demands and gifts. Fairies ready to have fun and Norwegian countryside trolls offering accessories inappropriate for minors promise you an evening you will never forget!

Our carnival fairy-tale repertoire includes legends, facetious accounts, and medieval stories, all interspersed with pure, traditional wedding songs! We will hear caustic, wise, deep, comic, and dirty stories that praise fertility and the joy of love with humor. All of them were derived from Greek folklore and the unbridled imagination of European troubadours. This year, during the Carnival season, we will laugh and celebrate without restraint underneath the cherry tree.

Storyteller: Elli Giannaki

Musical accompaniment: Nikos Karydis, Dimitris Kourtis

Music and storytelling performance

Running time: 60 minutes

Age group: adults and teenagers aged over 16

Performance date: 16 February 2025

Starts at: 19.30 & 21.00

VIP Lounge of the Greek National Opera – Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

Ticket price: 5€ /per person

Tickets on sale from 27 January 2025: GNO Box Office (daily 9.00-21.00 | 2130885700) and www.ticketservices.gr

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor &

GNO Outreach Donor

The interactive educational programme Pocket Opera & Ballet, which garnered so much love from children, is back for a second year.  

Six of the opera and ballet repertoire works to be presented by the Greek National Opera this year have been adapted to miniature size, inviting preschoolers and primary school children to join them as both performers and audience members. Participants will take part in theatre, music, and dance workshops and will be encouraged to cultivate their creativity and imagination by generating their own artistic ideas, which they will later integrate into the condensed versions of the works. One of the productions from this educational programme will visit two cities in Greece on dates to be announced soon, as part of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s (SNF) grant to enhance the GNO’s artistic outreach.

Iphigénie en Aulide & Iphigénie en Tauride

Designed & implemented by: Georgios Iatrou (concept, dramaturgy, baritone, performer), Ioanna Piata (concept, dramaturgy, actress, animator), Katerina Konstantourou (musician)

Age group: 8-12 years old

Workshop & interactive performance dates: 2, 3, 9, 10 November 2024

Starts at: Saturdays at 17.00, Sundays at 11.00

Ticket price: €5 / per children

Tickets on sale from 15 October 2024: GNO Box Office (daily 9.00-21.00 | 2130885700) and www.ticketservices.gr

Don Quixote

Designed & implemented by: WINGS company (Angeliki Bozou – visual artist, Tatiana Bre – performer, Konstantinos Papathymnios – musician, Dimitra Papastavrou – music educator, Selina Papoutseli – performer)

Age group: 4-7 years old– adult accompaniment required

Workshop and interactive performance dates: 7, 8, 14, 15 December 2024

Starts at: Saturdays στις 17.00, Sundays στις 11.00

Ticket price: €5 / per children

Tickets on sale from 11 November 2024: GNO Box Office (daily 9.00-21.00 | 2130885700) and www.ticketservices.gr

Tchaikovsky

Designed & implemented by: Echorroes Team (Phivos-Angelos Kollias – composer, interactive music designer, project coordinator, Christina Stouraiti – applied theatre facilitator, educational project designer, Niki Psychogiou – set designer, Anna Sbokou – light designer)

Age group: 1-3 years old – adult accompaniment required

Workshop and interactive performance dates: 15, 16, 22, 23 February 2025

Starts at: Saturdays στις 16.00 & 17.30, Sundays στις 10.00 & 11.30

Ticket price: €5  / per children

Tickets on sale from 27 January 2025: GNO Box Office (daily 9.00-21.00 | 2130885700) and www.ticketservices.gr

Travelling with Turandot

Designed & implemented by: Maya Myriam Papageorgiou (animator), Marietta Sarri (soprano), Thodoris Ziarkas (musician)

Age group: 4-6 years

Workshop and interactive performance dates: 15, 16 March 2025

Starts at: Saturday at 17.00, Sunday at 11.00

Ticket price: €5  / per children

Tickets on sale from 28 February 2025: GNO Box Office (daily 9.00-21.00 | 2130885700) and www.ticketservices.gr

Lucia di Lammermoor

Designed & implemented by: Mata Katsouli (conductor, soloist, artist director of Opera Stigmis company, Dimitris Tigkas (double bassist, performer, musicologist), Dimitra Papadopoulou (educator, special educator, soloist), Maria Charalambidou (soloist, psychologist)

Age group: 8-12 years old

Workshop and interactive performance dates: 5, 6, 12, 13 April 2025

Starts at: Saturdays στις 17.00, Sundays στις 11.00

Ticket price: €5 / per children

Tickets on sale from 19 March 2025: GNO Box Office (daily 9.00-21.00 | 2130885700) and www.ticketservices.gr

Rigoletto

Designed & implemented by: WEAVE company (Vasilis Tzavaras – music score and onstage performance, Michalis Nivolianitis, Erato Tzavara – video design and onstage performance, Miranda Vatikioti – dramaturgy supervisor, Maria Pavlopoulou – activities consultant for participants aged up to three years old and their companions, Natalia Moschakou – space design, WEAVE – executive producer)

Age group: 1-3 years old – adult accompaniment required

Workshop and interactive performance dates: 9, 10, 16, 17 May 2025

Starts at: Saturdays στις 16.00 & 17.30, Sundays at 10.00 & 11.30

Ticket price: €5 / per children

Tickets on sale from 30 April 2025: GNO Box Office (daily 9.00-21.00 | 2130885700) and www.ticketservices.gr

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor &

Educational Programme Donor

As part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0.” which is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU

Experiential training workshops series for trainers focusing on issues related to individuals aged 65 and over

May 2024 – July 2025

The series of experiential training workshops for trainers focusing on issues related to individuals aged 65 and over has been designed for cultural professionals, art and non-formal education educators, and all those who wish to engage in artistic education. Using music theatre, music, and theatre,  participants will learn how to incorporate the concepts of inclusion and accessibility in designing, organizing, and implementing educational activities for 65+ adults.

Experiential training workshops series for trainers focusing on issues related to disabled individuals

May 2024 – July 2025

The series of experiential training workshops for trainers focusing on issues related to individuals with disabilities has been designed for cultural professionals, art and non-formal education educators, and all those interested in inclusion and accessibility issues. The workshops aim to develop and disseminate the necessary know-how to help participants achieve greater inclusion and accessibility in designing, organizing, and implementing educational activities for groups of disabled individuals or mixed groups, including disabled individuals.

Training the GNO staff on issues concerning individuals aged 65 and over and disabled individuals

October 2024 – June 2025

Committed to truly integrating the concepts of accessibility and inclusion in the Greek National Opera, the theatre’s staff will attend educational seminars to acquire essential skills related to accommodating people with disabilities and those aged 65 and older, with the goal of optimizing audience services and improving the theatre's overall functioning. More specifically, participants will learn how to develop inclusive practices for audience reception and broader artistic programming. They will also receive training and support on mobility and communication issues.

Melisma, the diverse year-long series of artistic and educational workshops for individuals of all ages in Northern Evia, is back in a renewed version.

In the next phase, the programme will center on the local traditions and history of the area through arts and crafts. It will attempt to link traditional practices with modern art and creative expression, with the goal of developing and producing a fresh piece of music theater through a creative process. This new music theatre piece will focus on a contemporary perspective regarding the various local musical traditions, dances, mores and customs, contrasts, and shared elements from the broader region of Northern Evia.

Moreover, the upcoming cycle of the Melisma programme will feature a series of events (concerts, dance performances, projections, etc.) scheduled to take place in various villages across Northern Evia. These events aim to bring local residents closer to opera, dancing, and the repertoire of the Greek National Opera.

Melisma is funded by the Ministry of Culture

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

The Learning & Participation Department of the Greek National Opera participates in the first phase of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture’s Cultural Prescription Pilot Projects with two trimestral cycles of music therapy workshops titled Women’s Paths and Bridges: Exploring Women’s Experiences through Voice, Music, and Storytelling. The programme aims to expand and bring out the psychotherapeutic properties of the arts. During the workshops, participants will have the opportunity to enjoy musical experiences based on the use of fundamental music therapy techniques, such as improvisation, performance, composition, and music listening. These techniques are related to singing, vocal exercises, playing musical instruments, and storytelling through analysis of the lyrics and narration of stories. The programme also includes attending selected opera, music theatre, and ballet performances.

The programme is part of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture’s Cultural Prescription Pilot Projects, which falls under the “NextGenerationEU” programme that is funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0.” 

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

As part of the Project “SUB.1.1.6  Attracting individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with disabilities to events of the Greek National Opera”

The new intergenerational workshop Let Me Tell You A Fairy Tale brings to the foreground known and unknown fairy tales from around the world. The programme is designed for individuals aged 65 and over and children aged 8 to 12. It invites them to embark on a fascinating voyage through time using stories, songs, and storytelling, with the goal of building communication bridges between the generations.

Starting with fairy tales and stories derived from the folk traditions of many countries, participants will partake in a wide range of experiential games and technical exercises focused on the art of storytelling. They will sing melodies based on the stories and use basic musical instruments to co-create original soundscapes that will accompany the storytelling process.

The programme will be carried out in schools across the Attica region – outside the regular curriculum –  following prior agreement with the respective school principals.

The programme will be implemented in schools in Attica, outside the regular curriculum, during November 2024, January, February, March, April, and May 2025, following prior agreement with the respective school principals.

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture is the funding body for the Project “SUB.1.1.6 Attracting individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with disabilities to events of the Greek National Opera”. This project is part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0.” and  is funded by the European Union -  NextGenerationEU.  

Coordination & Educational Supervision of the Project: Kiki Kerzeli

Assistant Project Coordinator: George Papadakis

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

An intercultural opera hub for a mixed group of 30 Athenians and unaccompanied asylum-seeking young persons aged 14-18 from across Attica

 Winner of the FEDORA Education Prize 2019

After a successful four-year run, the intercultural opera hub for teenagers, Co-OPERAtive, is back for a fifth season and has upgraded its goals.

Foregrounding the importance of interculturality in artistic creation, the program hosts a group of 30 young individuals of diverse nationalities, Athenians and minor asylum seekers, every year. They participate in a series of weekly workshops with distinguished artists from the realms of music, theatre, and dance, which eventually lead to the co-creation and presentation of an original music theatre work in front of a wide audience. This season, esteemed artists will guide participants to develop a shared artistic language and collaborate on creating their own music theatre piece. The final presentation will take place at the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the Greek National Opera, which offers seating for 1,400 audience members.

This year’s team of educators/artists consists of Panos Iliopoulos (musician, composer), Markellos Chryssicos (conductor), Vasilis Vilaras (director), Lemonia Gianniri (dramaturg), Pavlos Thanopoulos (set & costume designer), Giota Kouitzoglou (theatre workshop manager) and Ilias Hatzigeorgiou (dancer, choreographer). This year’s project will be inspired by Franz Schubert's song cycle Winterreise, which is set to poetry by Wilhelm Müller. The final performance will take place on 7 June 2025 in the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the Greek National Opera at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.

In collaboration with the non-profit organizations European Expression, Zefxis, Home Project and the humanitarian organization Kinoniko EKAV

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

In this year’s educational cycle, the GNO Intercultural Choir welcomes even more new members and expands its pursuits over an even greater gamut of musical traditions, continuing to explore the potential of voice and its connection to body and movement. Functioning as an open, active, and constantly evolving ensemble, the Intercultural Choir is set to participate in the final performance of Co-OPERAtive, the beloved intercultural opera hub for teenagers, on 7 June 2025, in the Stavros Niarchos Hall at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

Having completed eight years of operation, the GNO Intercultural Orchestra tirelessly continues to hold weekly meetings, exploring its sound and communicating the immediacy and connective power of music through the richness of its diverse influences and timbres. In addition to its journey through the world’s musical traditions, the Intercultural Orchestra has expanded its repertoire – already from the previous season – by incorporating original pieces derived from the longstanding and meaningful collaboration among its members.

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

This year, the number of fully accessible productions to be presented at the Stavros Niarchos Hall and the GNO Alternative Stage has significantly increased, with the intent to achieve full accessibility in all performances gradually. The selected productions that will be fully accessible in the first trimester at the Stavros Niarchos Hall are Aleko / Bluebeard’s Castle on 21 and 23 November 2024, Don Quixote on 20 and 24 December 2024, and La bohème on 31 December 2024 and 2 January 2025. The Learning & Participation Department will also present two fully accessible music theatre performances as part of its programmes 3^rd Bell Opera and Co-OPERAtive, on 1 and 7 June 2025, respectively. The selected productions of the Alternative Stage that will be fully accessible are The Loser on 13, 17, and 19 October 2024, Isadora Duck on 29 and 30 November 2024, and Mataroa in the Horizon on 15 and 18 December 2024.

For the second and third trimesters, on dates to be announced soon, the list of the full accessible productions at the Stavros Niarchos Hall includes, Lucia di Lammermoor, and the Golden Age. The Alternative Stage list includes the operetta I Want to See the Pope!, the works Mythos and Madre Salonico, and the modern opera The Fall of the House of Commons.

In these selected performances, there will be designated seats for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and use Greek Sign Language, places for those who rely on captions (CAPS) covering the entire audio channel, as well as seats for individuals who are blind or have limited access to the visual channel of communication and will be able to use the audio description (AD)service.  Guide dogs for the visually impaired will also be permitted.

The fully accessible performance of the production The Loser is part of the series of fully accessible events All Together at the Opera, which is made possible with the support of Alpha Bank.

The presentation of the remaining fully accessible performances falls under the Project “SUB.1.1.6 Attracting individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with disabilities to events of the Greek National Opera”, which is implemented as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0.” with funding from the European Union -  NextGenerationEU. 

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

As part of the Project “SUB.1.1.6 Attracting individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with disabilities to events of the Greek National Opera”

The new experiential artistic programme for a mixed group of adults with or without a disability, An Irrational Tale, focuses on everyday life in all its aspects, drawing inspiration from Greek folk poetry and paralogés (a special category of Greek folk poetry) that speak of human life adventures in a fairy-tale-like style.

Participants, under the guidance of the animators, will have the chance to explore the narrative and epic-lyrical character of paralogés and use extralogical and made-up elements to co-create a contemporary paralogí: an updated “irrational” multiverse song/piece with a central focus on a theme inspired by the everyday lives of the group members and the mythological-urban landscape of Athens.

During the 2024/25 season, the programme An Irrational Tale will be implemented in four separate educational cycles.

The first cycle will is carried out in collaboration with the Union for Disabled Individuals “Ermis.”

The second cycle is carried out in collaboration with the Panhellenic Association of Adapted Activities ALMA.

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture is the funding body for the Project “SUB.1.1.6 Attracting individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with disabilities to events of the Greek National Opera”. This project is part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0.” and  is funded by the European Union -  NextGenerationEU.  

Coordination & Educational Supervision of the Project: Kiki Kerzeli

Assistant Project Coordinator: George Papadakis

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

With interpretation into Greek Sign Language

* As part of the series of fully accessible programmes All Together at the Opera

What shape does a melody have? What is the sound of a circle or a square? Can aluminum foil make music? Does an everyday use object have rhythm? Can I describe my favourite song using a piece of wire? How many different ways can I tell the same story? If the warm and cold shades of colours were the parts of my body, what colour would my dancing be?

After successfully completing its first implementation stage in the previous season, the interdisciplinary educational programme Moving Soundscapes, aimed at a mixed group of Junior High School and High School students with or without visual or hearing impairments, is now entering its second stage. The programme continues its collaboration with the Special School for Deaf & Hard of Hearing students in Agia Paraskevi, the Special School for the Deaf in Argyroupoli, the Artistic Junior High School in Peristeri, the 3^rd General Junior High School in Peristeri, and the Musical Junior High School in Alimos. It aims to bring out physical expression as a form of communication and dialogue. This year, it also focuses on evolving the non-verbal, fun, and accessible artistic language it shaped last year by expanding its pursuits over a wide range of communication methods through movement, visual arts, and sound.

The series of programmes All Together At the Opera is sponsored by 

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

The relationship between sound, music, and space has always been close. Historically, it has served as a “barometer” for tracking the changes and often radical transformations in the process of composition and the perception of sound. This specific relationship will be the focus of the sound art workshop cycle Latent Space, designed for young artists who explore sound as a medium for creating. Following an extremely successful first run last year, this season, the workshops will centre on Béla Bartók’s subversive opera Bluebeard’s Castle, encouraging young composers and sound artists to select a text that explores the concept of space and use it to experiment with creating sound compositions. Moreover, participants will have the opportunity to be involved in the creation, design, and set-up of a unique multi-channel sound system, which will be showcased at the National Library of Greece’s Book Castle on 27 March 2025.

In collaboration with the National Library of Greece

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

For another year, the Learning & Participation Department of the Greek National Opera will continue its programme of artistic workshops in Penitentiaries across Greece, focusing on music, body, and rhythm. The workshops aim to foster creativity, teamwork, interaction, and free expression. In the 2024/25 season, with the support of the S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, body percussion workshops are scheduled to take place at the Special Youth Detention Center in Volos and the Penitentiary in Thessaloniki, a music workshop at the Penitentiary in Chania, and a movement and dance workshop at the Female Penitentiary of Eleonas in Thebes. Each workshop will culminate in a final performance showcasing the result of the entire creative journey.

Body percussion workshop at the Special Youth Detention Center in Volos

Participants will participate in a creative and fun process, learning body percussion techniques, cooperating, improvising as a team, and producing their own compositions. They will also have the opportunity to explore the connection between movement, dance, music, and singing through the physical expression of rhythm.

Body percussion workshop at the Penitentiary in Thessaloniki

Participants will receive body percussion lessons and will be encouraged to experiment with the sound of the body and improvisation, as well as to develop rhythmic skills in order to co-create an improvisatory musical composition.

Music workshop at the Penitentiary in Chania

Participants will be guided through the traditional music of the wider Mediterranean region using string and percussion instruments. Embarking on a melodic journey to their homelands, they will reminisce, converse, and work collectively.

Movement and dance workshop at the Female Penitentiary of Eleonas in Thebes

Participants will be encouraged to activate their bodies, develop their creativity through their acquaintance with alternative dance genres (street dance, traditional folk dances from various countries, intercultural dances, jazz, etc.), work in teams, interact with one another, and explore dance as a way to experience joy and well-being and as a means of promoting communication, and freedom of expression.

Donor of the Educational Programme in Penitentiaries

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

As part of the Project “SUB.1.1.6 Attracting individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with disabilities to events of the Greek National Opera”

Prima Volta, a new programme for individuals aged 65 and over, has been launched, starting a big nostalgic celebration in the city of Athens. The programme will take place in ten different parts of Athens, inviting adults aged 65 and over to participate in a game, in which music, theatre, neighbourhood evening parties, the past, and imagination will blend into a celebration filled with songs, joy, memories, and toasts to the future.

The Friendship Clubs in the areas of Amerikis Square, Agios Eleftherios, Kato Petralona, Ellinoroson Kolokynthous, Grava, Koukaki, and Pagkrati, as well as the Olympia Municipal Music Theatre "Maria Callas" and the Greek National Opera at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, will be the ten different locations where group members will meet to co-create. Through photographs and memories, they will tell stories from their neighborhoods, remember familiar tunes, learn new songs, and bring new worlds to life through the process.

The 2024/25 season will see the implementation of thirteen programme cycles, with the support of the City of Athens in collaboration with eight Friendship Clubs, whereas for two cycles it will be hosted by the Olympia Municipal Music Theatre "Maria Callas".

With the support of the City of Athens

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture is the funding body for the Project “SUB.1.1.6 Attracting individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with disabilities to events of the Greek National Opera”. This project is part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0.” and  is funded by the European Union -  NextGenerationEU.  

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

As part of the Project “SUB.1.1.6 Attracting individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with disabilities to events of the Greek National Opera”

Free concerts at elderly care centres across Attica continue for the 2024/25 season, aiming to connect seniors with the enchanting world of opera and promote active aging.

Through a rich repertoire of arias and duets from popular operas and operettas, as well as songs from the Greek interwar period, Rafi Music Theatre Company (Anastasia Kotsali, Leto Messini) and accordionist Kostas Zigkeridis will take the residents of Care Centres for the Elderly on a journey back in time, encouraging them to activate their memory, sing, and dance. The programme also aims at giving seniors a chance to engage in creative activities that foster socialization and interaction, as well as at connecting them with the art opera and contemporary social life.

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture is the funding body for the Project “SUB.1.1.6 Attracting individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with disabilities to events of the Greek National Opera”. This project is part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0.” and  is funded by the European Union -  NextGenerationEU.  

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

A digital educational platform for secondary education educators and students.

What exactly is opera? Is it the singing, music, drama, and dance? A phantasmagoria, a work lasting only a few minutes, an ancient drama revival, a comedy, an epic endeavour? Or, could it be, perhaps, all of the above?

OperaBox, the Greek National Opera’s digital education platform, launched in the  2023/24 season, as part of the educational programme for secondary education schools Opera Interactively Into Schools, is available online, inviting individuals of all ages to a journey across the past, present, and future of opera. Using interactive activities and applications, new and archival audiovisual material, musicological and historical texts, as well as the imaginative video game Helen of Solidarity, OperaBox serves as an educational tool for formal and non-formal education that enables the introduction of teenagers into the world of opera and the familiarization of students and professors with the preparation of music theatre performances.

For secondary education educators who want to enhance their knowledge of using OperaBox in the classroom, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) will support more than 600 free online training seminars across Greece.

The programme Opera Interactively Into Schools was co-funded by Greece and the European Social Fund through the Operational Programme “Human Resources Development, Education, and Lifelong Learning”.   

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

A new artistic hands-on programme titled The Cat has been added to the activities for primary education schools. 

The Cat, a mini operetta based on a fairy tale of the same name from Eastern Thrace, is the foundation of the new educational programme, in which primary school students will get actively involved in the process of creating and executing a musical performance under the guidance of three musician-animators.

The programme aims to stimulate children’s creativity by involving them in the preparation of an artistic work, cultivating their critical thinking and self-observation, enhancing their concentration, memory, and physical control, boosting their confidence and empathy, and encouraging them to foster collaboration and participation.

The programme will be piloted in five schools located in the First Regional Division of Athens.

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

Turandot, Giacomo Puccini’s remarkable opera, inspires the new educational performance programme for kindergartens in Attica, Travelling with Turandot. This programme will take children aged between 4 and 6 on a fascinating journey into the world of music and the other arts that make up opera.

Travelling with Turandot, an interactive performance based on the Italian composer’s last opera, will be the basis for a series of activities, including puppet theatre, music and movement exercises, and active listening, through which children will be introduced to the skills of voice as a musical instrument and explore the potential of their own voice. In addition, participants will have the chance to become familiar with the libretto and selected melodies from the opera Turandot, play with rhythmic motifs, and get an up-close introduction to the distinct characteristics of musical instruments such as the double bass, metallophone, and bendir.

GNO Learning & Paartcipation Lead Donor

The educational programme involving interdisciplinary artistic and pedagogical activities 3rd Bell Opera is back for a fifth consecutive year, sponsored by Piraeus Bank. The programme invites primary education educators and students to take part in a unique introduction to the captivating world of music theatre. It is aimed at primary schools in the Attica Region, and its goal is to actively involve participants in the creative process of preparing and presenting a music theatre performance using modern and groundbreaking tools. The final performance is scheduled to take place in the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the Greek National Opera at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, on 1 June 2025.

The 3^rd Bell Opera programme runs for a fifth consecutive year. It is sponsored by Piraeus Bank as part of its multifaceted Corporate Social Responsibility programme, “EQUALL—For a Society of Equal People,” and falls under the Young Generation pillar.

During the 2024/25 season, the programme will focus on the new music theatre piece Journey to the Land of the Ugly, exploring the concepts of inclusion, harmonious co-existence through respect for individuality, acceptance, and appreciation of diversity. The work was composed by Trevor Grahl, Andriana Minou penned the libretto, and Theano Metaxa is responsible for the stage direction. The musical ensemble will be conducted by Kyriaki Kountouri. The creative team of educators/artists comes complete with Sofia Ketetzian (soloist) and Ilias Vogiatzidakis (actor).

Educational Programme Sponsor

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor

Κύκλος βιωματικών εργαστηρίων εκπαιδευτών σε ζητήματα 65+

Μάιος 2024 – Ιούλιος 2025

Ο βιωματικών εργαστηρίων εκπαιδευτών σε ζητήματα 65+ απευθύνεται σε κύκλους του εκπαιδευτικού πολιτισμού, σε εκπαιδευτικούς καλλιτεχνικούς και μη τυπικής εκπαίδευσης, αλλά και σε όσους επιθυμούν να έρθουν σε επαφή με την καλλιτεχνική εκπαίδευση. Με το μουσικό θέατρο, τη μουσική και το θέατρο, οι συμμετέχοντες/ουσες θα αποκτήσουν την απαραίτητη τεχνογνωσία ενσωμάτωσης των εννοιών της συμπερίληψης και της προστασίας στον σχεδιασμό, την οργάνωση και την υλοποίηση εκπαιδευτικών δράσεων για ενήλικες 65+.

Τα πρώτα εργαστήρια πραγματοποιήθηκαν τον Μάιο του 2024 στο Ναύπλιο (Φουγάρο – Κέντρο Τέχνης), συνεχίστηκαν στην Καβάλα (ΔΗΠΕΘΕ Καβάλας) και στη Βέροια (ΔΗΠΕΘΕ Βέροιας), ενώ μέχρι τον Ιούλιο του 2025 που έχουν ακόμη κάνει έξι επιπλέον προορισμούς (Κέρκυρα, Μυτιλήνη, Κρήτη, Θεσσαλονίκη, Βόλο, Πάτρα). Παράλληλα θα γίνουν τρεις κύκλοι εκπαιδεύσεων στην Αττική και τρία από αποστάσεως εκπαιδευτικά εργαστήρια για όσους επιθυμούν να συμμετάσχουν διαδικτυακά.

Κύκλος βιοματικών εργαστηρίων σε ζητήματα ΑμεΑ

Μάιος 2024 – Ιούλιος 2025

Ο κύκλος βιωματικών εργαστηρίων εκπαίδευσης εκπαιδευτών σε ζητήματα ΑμεΑ απευθύνεται σε επαγγελματίες του πολιτισμού, εκπαιδευτικούς καλλιτεχνικούς και μη τυπικής εκπαίδευσης, καθώς και σε όσους ενδιαφέρονται να εστιάσουν σε ζητήματα συμπερίληψης και προσβασιμότητας. Τα εργαστήρια αποσκοπούν στην ανάπτυξη και τη διάχυση της τεχνογνωσίας για έναν περισσότερο συμπεριληπτικό και προσιτό τρόπο στον σχεδιασμό, την οργάνωση και την υλοποίηση εκπαιδευτικών δράσεων που απευθύνονται σε ομάδες ΑμεΑ και μεικτές.

Ο πρώτος κύκλος εργαστηρίων πραγματοποιήθηκε τον Ιούνιο του 2024 στη Βέροια (ΔΗΠΕΘΕ Βέροιας), ενώ οι επόμενοι κύκλοι θα γίνουν σε εννέα ακόμη γεωγραφικές περιοχές της Ελλάδας κατά τη διάρκεια της καλλιτεχνικής περιόδου 2024/25. Παράλληλα, θα γίνουν και τρεις ακόμη εξ αποστάσεως κύκλοι ανοιχτοί σε ακόμα περισσότερους συμμετέχοντες/ουσες.

Εκπαίδευση προσωπικού της ΕΛΣ σε ζητήματα 65+ και ΑμεΑ

Οκτώβριος 2024 – Ιούνιος 2025

Επενδύοντας στην ουσιαστική ένταξη των εννοιών της προστασίας και της συμπερίληψης στους κόλπους της Εθνικής Λυρικής Σκηνής, το προσωπικό του θεάτρου θα παρακολουθήσει εκπαιδευτικά σεμινάρια με στόχο την αφομοίωση της τεχνογνωσίας συμπερίληψη ατόμων με αναπηρία και ενηλίκων 65+ με στόχο τη βελτιστοποίηση των υπηρεσιών του κοινού, αλλά και της συνολικής λειτουργίας του θεάτρου. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, οι συμμετέχοντες/ουσες θα αναπτυχθούν πρακτικές χωρίς αποκλεισμούς στους τομείς της υποδοχής του κοινού καθώς και του γενικότερου καλλιτεχνικού σχεδιασμού, ενώ ταυτόχρονα θα εκπαιδευτεί και θα ενδυναμωθεί σε ζητήματα κινητικότητας και επικοινωνίας.

Φορέας χρηματοδότησης των εκπαιδεύσεων εκπαιδευτών και στελεχών της ΕΛΣ είναι το Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού, στο πλαίσιο του Έργου: «ΥΠΟ.1.1.6 Προσέλκυση ατόμων 65+ και άτομα με αναπηρία σε δράσεις της Εθνικής Λυρικής Σκηνής», που αναπτύσσεται στο πλαίσιο του Εθνικού Σχεδίου Ανάκαμψης και Ανθεκτικότητας «Ελλάδα 2.0» με τη χρηματοδότηση της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης – NextGenerationEU.

Συντονισμός & Εκπαιδευτική Επιμέλεια του Έργου «SUB.1.1.6 Προσέλκυση ατόμων 65+ και ατόμων με αναπηρία σε δράσεις της Εθνικής Λυρικής Σκηνής»: Κική Κέρζελη

Βοηθός Συντονιστής Έργου: «SUB.1.1.6 Προσέλκυση ατόμων 65+ και δράσεις ατόμων με αναπηρία σε θέσεις της Εθνικής Λυρικής Σκηνής»:   Γιώργος Παπαδάκης

 Μέγας Δωρητής Εκπαιδευτικών & Κοινωνικών Δράσεων ΕΛΣ