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21-445: The organization is responsible for a wide variety of activities, including the presentation of opera performances, ballet, and musical theatre; in addition, symphony concerts, special presentations of opera and ballet performances for children, and the Opera and Ballet Studio help young artists achieve professional standards. The GNO has created and now organizes a national archive of music,

42-698: A feature. With help from the state, the Ballet has acquired its own fuller rehearsal studio for training purposes and consequently has improved its artistic standard. Particularly important in her contribution to the development of ballet at the National Opera was Tatiana Mamaki . In 2017, the Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra was established at the Greek National Opera. Stavros Niarchos Foundation The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)

63-632: A music library, a costume museum, stage models, musical scores and many items from great performances presented by the company. The company tours both within Greece and internationally. The performances of the Greek National Opera are presented on three stages: Recently, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation has funded the construction of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center , a new venue since December 2016 for

84-466: The Herodion Ancient Theatre have included many of the standard operatic works, with Kostas Paskalis featuring in major roles. The Chorus of the Greek National Opera, in existence since 1939, is composed of professional singers. In addition to the major operatic works, its repertory covers a broad range of Greek composers, operettas, oratorios and many religious musical works, also taking in

105-468: The 20th century classical repertoire. Its first "Ballet Evening" was presented in 1960; this is aside from its participation in operas and operettas, so the company prepares several evenings of ballet each winter season and performs at the Athens Festival each summer. In addition to the standard classic and romantic repertory, contemporary dance by Greek and foreign professionals is established as

126-460: The Festival as a major international event were conductors Tullio Serafin and Nicola Rescigno , singers such as Ghena Dimitrova , Maria Chiara , Giuseppe Taddei , and Rolando Panerai , and well-known directors and set designers such as Giancarlo Menotti , Dinos Giannopoulos , Spyros Evangelatos , Nikos Georgiadis , Dionyssios Fotopoulos , and Nikos Petropoulos . Recent Festival productions at

147-570: The Greek National Opera on 20 June 1940, and returned twenty years later, with Kostas Bastias once again, for performances at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus . In 1960, she sang Norma in the Bellini opera, and in 1961 took the role of Medea in Cherubini ’s Medea . Other important singers have included Elena Souliotis , Kostas Paskalis , Nicola Zaccaria , and Agnes Baltsa . Since 1955, when

168-653: The Greek National Opera, the Greek National Library and a cultural and environmental park at the Faliron area in Attica . The new 28,000 m² (301,000 sq. ft.) auditorium is an architectural jewel, designed to enhance the opera experience for patrons and artists alike. During the late 1880s, the first Greek Opera was presented at the old Theatre in Athens (then Royal Theatre , now National Theatre of Greece ). Between 1888 and 1890

189-580: The Greek Opera toured regions with then substantial Greek diaspora populations such as Egypt , Turkey and Romania , presenting operas such as Mozart ’s The Abduction from the Seraglio , Donizetti ’s La favorite and Lucia di Lammermoor and Bellini ’s La sonnambula . After 1924, following its tour of the United States and establishment as a significant cultural institution at home and abroad,

210-512: The Greek government recognized the company’s effort by providing support. It was in 1939 that the Greek National Opera was formally established under the management of Kostis Bastias , and from 1944 the company operated as an autonomous organization in its present form. On 5 March 1940 the company had its first official opening with the Johann Strauss operetta, Die Fledermaus . Two days prior to

231-709: The Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires in 1974-75, where she sang Tosca, Turandot, Andrea Chenier, Il trovatore and Don Carlo. Her Turandot is also preserved in a video of the Arena di Verona production from 1983, with Nicola Martinucci and Cecilia Gasdia . In 1987, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York performing the same role. Dimitrova once said of the role: "Turandot may not be my favorite part, but it shows off

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252-563: The declaration of the Second World War , the company presented Puccini ’s Madama Butterfly in the presence of Puccini’s son. Foremost among the many singers to take part in performances for the National Opera and later successfully establish reputations abroad is Maria Callas , the greatest of the country's opera performers and a leading singer of the century. Born in the United States, she signed her first professional contract with

273-697: The early Nabucco productions, the final optional high C is omitted in the cabaletta, Salgo già , which she would include later in her career. Dimitrova won the Sofia International Singing Competition in 1970, the prize including a course of study at La Scala 's Scuola di Perfezionamento . She made her Italian debut as Turandot in Treviso in 1975, and essayed the same role for her 1983 La Scala debut opposite tenor Plácido Domingo in Franco Zeffirelli 's lavish production. She also sang at

294-735: The program against the Greek Crisis, a second phase was introduced in June 2015, announcing the allocation of another $ 112 million (€100 million), intensifying the efforts against the ongoing crisis in Greece and providing immediate support to the most vulnerable groups of society. SNF announced a $ 100 million global initiative to help alleviate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. SNF's grants include: Ghena Dimitrova Ghena Dimitrova ( Bulgarian : Гeна Димитpова , 6 May 1941 – 11 June 2005)

315-462: The socio-economic crisis in Greece, SNF announced a grant initiative of additional $ 130 million (€100 million) over three years to help ease the adverse effects of the deepening crisis. A new initiative, Recharging the Youth, was announced in 2013 to help create new opportunities for Greece's younger generations and committed an additional $ 130 million (€100 million). Upon the completion of the first phase of

336-524: The summer festival first began, the Greek National opera has presented special performances for the ancient Roman-era amphitheatre, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus ; its first presentation was Gluck ’s Orfeo ed Euridice , and in conjunction with the Greek opera company a number of famous international performers of all types have performed at the festival down the decades. In its early years, helping to establish

357-602: The title role and Luciano Pavarotti as Radames; and Eboli from Verdi's Don Carlo . After retiring from the stage in 2001, Dimitrova remained active working with young singers. One of her students is the soprano Elena Baramova. Dimitrova died of cancer in Milan on 11 June 2005. After her death the Bulgarian Government promised to establish a fund in her name for promising young singers. Dimitrova Peak in Antarctica

378-753: The voice to great advantage. The way the music is written, you need a voice like a trumpet to do it justice." Her debut in the United States was in 1981 performing the role of Elvira in Ernani . She sang at the Barbican Arts Centre in Ponchielli 's La Gioconda in 1983 before making her Covent Garden debut in the same year. Her late debut she later attributed simply to "politics". Dimitrova also sang some mezzo-soprano roles in her repertory. The most notable of these were Amneris, which she did at La Scala's 1985 staging of Verdi's Aida opposite Maria Chiara in

399-579: Was a Bulgarian operatic soprano . Her voice was known for its power and extension used in operatic roles such as Turandot in a career spanning four decades. Ghena Dimitrova was born in the Bulgarian village of Beglezh , some 25 km from Pleven , in 1941. She started singing in the school choir and her powerful voice led to her being offered a place at the Sofia Conservatory studying under Christo Brambarov between 1959 and 1964. While she

420-628: Was established in 1996 to honor Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos (1909–1996). Niarchos was one of the world's largest transporters of oil and owned the largest supertanker fleet of his time. The foundation's board of directors includes: The foundation has staff in Athens, Greece ; Monte Carlo , Monaco; and New York City . Since 1996, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation has provided more than 4,700 grants totaling more than $ 3 billion to non-profit agencies. In 2012, in response to

441-530: Was initially classified as a mezzo-soprano , she was recognised as a soprano in her second year. After finishing her studies at the Bulgarian State Conservatory , she started teaching singing. Her breakthrough came in 1967 as Abigaille in a Bulgarian National Opera production of Giuseppe Verdi 's Nabucco after a couple of other sopranos dropped out. In the early recordings Dimitrova's voice had not yet reached its signature size, and in many of

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