Co-OPERAtive

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

fedora prize

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.