“The sustainability and survival of opera” was the title of the main session, featuring illustrious figures such as the new IVC Director and countertenor Andrew Watts; Karen Stone of Opera Europa; David Stern, Conductor and Director of Palm Springs Opera; and finally renowned Director David Pountney, who flew in from his current production at Teatr Wielki in Warsaw.
Pountney delivered a provocative keynote speech titled “The Future of Competitions: In a world where equality is pushed to the forefront, are competitions a good thing?”. He argued that the “notions of quality” are increasingly under attack from the growing influence of social media, digital communications, and the diminishing attention spans of today's audiences. Additionally, he highlighted the ongoing defunding of culture institutions in various regions, including the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Switzerland—where the city of Basel is voting on a "music variety” initiative that aims to redirect funding away from traditional cultural institutions.
"The determination of quality is a subtle, complex and inevitably subjective process, but that is why we have here our distinguished, experienced and knowledgeable jury. That jury, despite increasing societal and political pressure, must remain steadfast in asking firstly what is the quality they are being asked to assess, irrespective of gender, diversity, social status or background." Sir David Pountney
Recalling the fascinating story of her life and career as a singer, Dame Gwyneth Jones, alongside Andrew Watts, presented an hour-long talk full of nostalgic memories and astounding revelations. “Your breath is like the petrol in your car!” was just one of the many memorable phrases shared in the stories of the great diva. And, remembering the strenuous part of Electra, one of her signature roles, she casually added: “Sometimes you just have to make ugly sounds. You can’t be planning to kill your mother and sing beautifully!”
