2023 World Opera Day European Statement

In 2022, the European Opera industry represented a budget of close to 10 billion €

World Opera Day is celebrated every year on 25 October, a day that commemorates the birth of Georges Bizet and Johann Strauss, but is mostly a day to focus on the contributions of Opera to society in general.

Culture is at the heart of the European project, and Opera is an important part of the European cultural heritage. As were all performing arts, Opera was hit hard by the pandemic:  companies suffered theatre closures, diminished productivity and change of audience habits, but a year on and the sector is showing growth!

A representative study of Opera Europa’s membership* shows a lively recovery, and extrapolating these figures, we see that in 2022, the budgets of European opera companies totalled close to 10 billion Euros and that over 20.000 performances of some 3.500 productions of over opera 1.000 titles were staged in large and small theatres as well as outdoor and fringe venues, catering to over 13 million people of which 2 million were young audiences.

The economic impact is considerable: European opera companies employed around 200.000 people, half of which were on permanent contracts; 63% of opera companies have their own set workshops and 68% their own costumes workshops, employing skilled and passionate craftsmen, maintaining and transmitting their expertise and traditions. 60% of companies offer permanent employment to professional musicians in their orchestras and 65% to singers in their choruses.

With the return of activities and audiences to a higher level in 2023, and despite challenging decreases in public support in some countries, Opera shows that it is still alive and kicking. Opera companies are showing resilience and creativity, with continued investments in world creations, young artists’ programmes and inventive ways to reach new and diverse audiences.

*Opera Europa analysed data from its casting and production database www.operabook.org and  a survey of its members about the year 2022 conducted in the summer of 2023.