OPERAFEST Lisboa

The new opera festival in town

18 August to 9 September 2023

Garden Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga

"From heaven to hell"
From supreme desires to deepest fears

Operafest Lisboa is back, in its 4th Edition, under the moto "From heaven to hell" to its wonderful epicenter, in the garden of National Museum of Ancient Art, right in the city center with a mind-blowing view over Tagus river.

After the success of its first editions, with great public adhesion, excellent international critics, reaching new audiences with inedited results - 37% of its audience in 2022 enjoyed opera alive for the first time, directed by soprano Catarina Molder and produced by Ópera do Castelo, has been affirming itself as one of most "out of the box" European opera festivals, showcasing emerging national talent,  crossing tradition and avant-garde opera, always aiming at bringing opera closer to the world and the audience of today,

Exploring opera material with embracing diversity, it offers a Summer program  meeting all audiences, divided in cycles following multiple proposals and objectives: GREAT CLASSICS ( "Carmen"  Bizet, 18,19,21,23 & 25 AUG, Garden MNAA) GREAT CLASSICS & CREATIONS in double-bill ( "Suor Angelica"  Puccini + "Rigor mortis or The house of rings" Francisco Lima de Silva, in absolute premiere (26 e 27 AUG, Garden MNAA), GREAT CLASSICS &  AUDIENCE OF THE FUTURE to introduce opera to younger ones ("The Magic Flute" Mozart, 2, 3 e 5 SEP, Garden MNAA) , contemporary contest MARATONA ÓPERA XXI , betting on emerging singing talent ("Great singers for the opera of today", 6 SEP, CCB), the launch of CINE-OPERA, blending opera and cinema, in partnership with Cinemateca Portuguesa (7 & 8 SEP) OPERA SATELLITE proposing new opera insights and experiments, "Lyric Machine" (26 e 27 AUG, Guilherme Cossoul) "Occult Forces" Performance by actor and visual artist Gustavo Sumpta ( 1 SEP, Roman Theatre), free course "Opera discovery" (4 e 6 SEP, Auditorium El corte inglés), conference "The Callas Phenomenon" (7 SET, Auditorium El corte inglés) and operaci rave "From heaven to hell" (9 SEP, Garden MNAA).

The desire to reach a higher level is an unquestionable human aspiration- a level of harmony, beauty and supreme pleasure, in the opposite extreme is human terror for situations of extreme suffering -  Human supreme desires and fears- "Heaven and Hell", are Operafest Lisboa 2023’ motto, having as cross-cutting subject women condition and fight for women's freedom and rights.

Welcome to Operafest Lisboa and to the tragic world of opera!

Echos Operafest Lisboa 2022:

"Bal tragique à Lisbonne", Pierre Brévignon for Première Loge

"L'Operafest de Lisbonne illustre les 'Vertiges du destin' avec Un Ballo in maschera de Verdi", Emmanuel Andrieu for Opera Online

"Une 'nuit américaine' à l'Operafest de Lisbonne", Emmanuel Andrieu for Opera Online

"Meeting with Catarina Molder", Emmanuel Andrieu for Opera Online