Standing ovation for the Greek National Opera’s La traviata in China

The Shenzhen tour was a resounding success.

The Greek National Opera’s tour to China concluded with unprecedented success. The two performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata were given on 13 and 14 September 2025, at the packed Guangming Culture & Arts Center in Shenzhen, a city of 17 million inhabitants. The tour of La traviata to China was made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) [www.SNF.org] to enhance the Greek National Opera’s artistic outreach.

The Greek National Opera’s first major international tour for the 2025/26 season took place in China, achieving unprecedented success. The entire team of the GNO’s artistic resources traveled to Shenzhen, the fastest-growing city in China and the third most populous after Beijing and Shanghai, to give two performances of La traviata, directed and with sets and costumes by Nikos S. Petropoulos.

The two performances, conducted by Lukas Karytinos, were held on 13 and 14 September 2025 in the packed main hall of the Guangming Culture & Arts Center, which has a capacity of 1,200 seats. The audience gave a prolonged standing ovation to the entire creative team, showering them with cheers.

The role of Violetta Valéry was shared by Vassiliki Karayanni and Dimitra Kotidou, while Alfredo was portrayed by Yannis Christopoulos and Konstantinos Klironomos. Dionysios Sourbis performed as Giorgio Germont. GNO soloists Chrysanthi Spitadi, Eleni Voudouraki, Yannis Kalyvas, Haris Andrianos, Nikos Kotenidis, Yanni Yannissis, Nikos Katsigiannis, and Ioannis Kontellis completed the all-Greek cast. The performances featured the Orchestra, Chorus, and members of the Ballet of the GNO. Ion Kesoulis revived the stage direction, and Christos Tziogkas was responsible for the lighting.

The GNO Artistic Director, Giorgos Koumendakis notes: “This incredibly warm reception of our artistic work by the Chinese audience fills us with joy. The tour to China is a major highlight in the history of the GNO, confirming in the most accurate way our Company’s international standing. I would like to thank our exceptional artists, artistic ensembles, and collaborators, as well as the technical, auxiliary, and the rest of the staff of the GNO, who traveled to China and presented an opera production featuring entirely Greek forces at a higher artistic level in Shenzhen. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of Culture for their support and collaboration, and, of course, to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for making this tour possible through their grant.”

Lead Donor of the GNO & Tour Programme Donor Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)