Opera is a form of musical and dramatic work in which singers convey the drama.
Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition.
An opera performance incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes incorporates dance.
The performance is usually given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble.
Dafne (1597) by Jacopo Peri is commonly regarded as the first opera, but the first great composer of the new art form was Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643), whose works are still performed today.
Opera soon spread from Venice and Rome throughout Italy and the rest of Europe: Schütz in Germany, Lully in France, and Purcell in England all helped to establish their national traditions in the 17th century. However, in the 18th century, Italian opera continued to dominate most of Europe, except France, attracting foreign composers such as Handel. Opera seria was the most prestigious form of Italian opera, until Gluck reacted against its artificiality with his "reform" operas in the 1760s.
The most influential figure of late 18th century opera was Mozart, who began with opera seria but is most famous for his Italian comic operas, especially The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi Fan Tutte and The Magic Flute, a landmark in the German tradition.
The first third of the 19th century saw the highpoint of the bel canto style, with Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini all creating works that are still performed today.
The mid to late 19th century is considered a golden age of opera, led by Wagner in Germany and Verdi in Italy. The golden age continued through the verismo era in Italy and contemporary French opera through to Puccini and Strauss in the early 20th century.
At the same time, new operatic traditions emerged in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia and Bohemia.
The 20th century saw many experiments with modern styles, such as atonality and serialism (Schoenberg and Berg), Neo-Classicism (Stravinsky), and Minimalism (Philip Glass and John Adams).
With the rise of recording technology, singers such as Enrico Caruso became known to audiences beyond the circle of opera fans.
Africa
Cairo Opera House
Egypt
Cairo Opera House, Cairo
Said Darwish Theatre, Alexandria
Damanhur Theatre, Damanhur
Eritrea
Asmara Opera House, Asmara
South Africa
Artscape Opera House (Cape Town Opera Company), Cape Town
State Theatre, Pretoria
Johannesburg Civic Theatre
Americas
Argentina
Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires
Brazil
Teatro Amazonas, Manaus
Teatro Arthur Azevedo, São Luís
Teatro da Paz, Belém
Teatro José de Alencar, Fortaleza
Teatro Santa Isabel, Recife
Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro
Teatro Municipal, São Paulo
Teatro São Pedro, Porto Alegre
Canada
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, a theatre of the Place des Arts, (Montréal
Opera), Montréal, Quebec
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (Canadian Opera Company),
Toronto, Ontario
Southam Hall, National Arts Centre, (Opera Lyra Ottawa), Ottawa,
Ontario
Queen Elizabeth Theatre, (Vancouver Opera), Vancouver, British
Columbia
Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, (Edmonton Opera), Edmonton,
Alberta
Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, (Calgary Opera), Calgary,
Alberta
Chile
Teatro Municipal, Santiago
Colombia
Teatro Colon, Bogota, Colombia
Teatro Jorge Isaacs, Cali, Colombia
Teatro Municipal, Cali, Colombia
Costa Rica
Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica, San José
El Salvador
Teatro Nacional de El Salvador (National Theatre of El Salvador),
San Salvador
Mexico
El Palacio de Bellas Artes, (Palace of Fine Arts), Mexico City
Teatro Aguascalientes, (Aguascalientes Theatre), Aguascalientes
United States
Academy of Music (Opera Company of Philadelphia), Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Bass Performance Hall (Fort Worth Opera), Fort Worth, Texas
Benedum Center (Pittsburgh Opera), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Brown Theater, Wortham Theater Center (Houston Grand Opera),
Houston, Texas
California Theater, (Opera San Jose), San Jose
Central City Opera House (Central City Opera), Central City,
Colorado
Civic Opera House (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Chicago, Illinois
Crosby Theatre (Santa Fe Opera), Santa Fe, New Mexico
Detroit Opera House (Michigan Opera Theater), Detroit, Michigan
Dicapo Opera Theatre (Dicapo Opera), New York, New York
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (Los Angeles Opera), Los Angeles,
California
Ellie Caulkins Opera House (Opera Colorado), Denver, Colorado
Harrison Opera House (Virginia Opera), Norfolk, Virginia
Howard Gilman Opera House, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, New
York
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Opera House (Washington
National Opera), Washington, D.C.
Lyric Opera House (Baltimore Opera), Baltimore, Maryland
Marcus Center (Florentine Opera), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
McCaw Hall (Seattle Opera), Seattle, Washington
Metropolitan Opera House (Metropolitan Opera), New York, New York
New York State Theater (New York City Opera), New York, New York
Newberry Opera House (South Carolina Opera and Asheville Lyric
Opera), Newberry, South Carolina
Sarasota Opera House (Sarasota Opera), Sarasota, Florida
War Memorial Opera House (San Francisco Opera), San Francisco,
California
Segerstrom Hall (Opera Pacific), Costa Mesa, California
Winspear Opera House (Dallas Opera), Dallas, Texas, opening 2009
Ziff Ballet Opera House, Miami, Florida
Uruguay
Teatro Solís, Montevideo
Asia and Oceania
The Sydney Opera House.
Australia
Sydney Opera House, (Opera Australia), Sydney
State Theatre, The Arts Centre (also known as the Victorian Arts
Centre), (Opera Australia), Melbourne
Lyric Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane
Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide, South Australia
His Majesty's Theatre, Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia
Theatre Royal, Hobart, Tasmania
Canberra Theatre, Canberra
Playhouse, Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin, North Territory
New Zealand
St. James Theatre and Opera House, Wellington
Oamaru Opera House, Oamaru
China
China National Grand Theatre, Beijing
Century Theatre, Beijing
Poly Theatre, Beijing
People's Liberation Army Opera House, Beijing
Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai
Oriental Opera Hall at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Shanghai
Hangzhou Grand Theatre, Hangzhou
Harbin Opera Theatre, Harbin
India
Royal Opera House (Mumbai) -- defunct
Israel
Tel Aviv Opera House at the Performing Arts Centre, Tel Aviv
Japan
Bunkamura Orchard Hall, Tokyo
NHK Hall, Tokyo
New National Theatre, Tokyo (NNTT), Tokyo
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo
Aichi Arts Centre, Nagoya
Biwako Hall, Otsu, Shiga
Kanagawa Kenmin Hall, Yokohama
Yokosuka Arts Theatre, Yokosuka
Kazakhstan
Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, Astana
Malaysia
Palace of Culture, Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall, Singapore
South Korea
Seoul Arts Center Opera House, Seoul
Seongnam Arts Center Opera House, Seongnam
Daegu Opera House, Daegu
Thailand
Thailand Cultural Centre, Bangkok
Siam Opera, Siam Paragon, Bangkok
Turkey
Ankara Opera House, Ankara
Leyla Gencer Sahnesi, Ankara
Operet Sahnesi, Ankara
Atatürk Cultural Center, İstanbul
İzmir State Opera and Ballet, Elhamra Palace İzmir
Mersin State Opera and Ballet, Mersin
Antalya State Opera and Ballet, Antalya
Vietnam
Hanoi Opera House, Hanoi
Saigon Opera House, Ho Chi Minh City
Europe
Austria
Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg
Schönbrunn Schlosstheater, Vienna
Theater an der Wien, Vienna. Historic theatre associated with
Mozart's time.
Volksoper Wien (Vienna People's Opera), Vienna
Wiener Kammeroper (Vienna Chamber Opera), Vienna
Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera), Vienna
Belgium
Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie (De Munt), Brussels
Opéra royal de Wallonie, Liège
Vlaamse Opera, Antwerp
Vlaamse Opera, Ghent
Bulgaria
National Opera and Ballet Sofia, Sofia
Varna Opera Theatre, Varna
Croatia
Croatian National Theatre (HNK) in Zagreb
Hrvatsko Narodno Kazalište
(Croatian National Theatre) , Zagreb
Hrvatsko Narodno Kazalište
(Croatian National Theatre), Split
Hrvatsko Narodno Kazalište
(Croatian National Theatre), Rijeka
Hrvatsko Narodno Kazalište
(Croatian National Theatre), Osijek
Hrvatsko Narodno Kazalište
(Croatian National Theatre), Varazdin
Czech Republic
Národní Divadlo (National Theatre), Prague
Státní opera Praha (Prague State Opera), Prague
Stavovské divadlo (Estates Theatre), Prague
Denmark
Operaen (The Copenhagen Opera House), Copenhagen
Det Kongelige Teater (Royal Danish Theatre), Copenhagen
England
Buxton Opera House, (Buxton Festival and International Gilbert and
Sullivan Festival), Buxton
Coliseum Theatre (English National Opera), London
Glyndebourne (Glyndebourne Festival Opera), East Sussex
Grand Theatre (Opera North), Leeds
The Lowry Centre (Opera North), Manchester
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
Sadler's Wells Theatre, London
Estonia
Estonian National Opera (Estonian National Opera), Tallinn
Finland
Kansallisooppera (Finnish National Opera), Helsinki
France
Grand Théâtre, Angers
Grand Théâtre, Bordeaux
Nouvel Opéra, Lyon
Opéra Bastille, Paris
Opéra Théâtre de Besançon, Besançon
Opéra-Comique, Paris
Opéra de Lille, Lille
Opéra Théâtre de Limoges, Limoges
Opéra national de Lorraine, Nancy
Opéra de Marseille, Marseille
Opéra national du Rhin, Strasbourg
Opéra de Rennes, Rennes
Opéra de Rouen, Rouen
Opéra-théâtre de Saint-Étienne, Saint-Étienne
Opéra-Théâtre de Metz, Metz
Opéra de Toulon, Toulon
Opéra de Tours, Tours
Opéra et Orchestre National de Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon,
Montpellier
Palais Garnier, Paris
Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse
Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris
Théâtre Graslin, Nantes
Germany
Aalto-Theater, Essen
Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe
Bayreuth Festspielhaus (Bayreuth Festival Theatre), Bayreuth
Deutsche Oper am Rhein (German Opera of the Rhine), Düsseldorf
Deutsche Oper Berlin (Berlin German Opera), Berlin
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden (Baden-Baden Festival Theatre),
Baden-Baden
Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera), Frankfurt
Hamburgische Staatsoper (Hamburg State Opera), Hamburg
Komische Oper Berlin, Berlin
Markgräfliches Opernhaus, Bayreuth
Musiktheather im Revier, Gelsenkirchen
Nationaltheater, Mannheim
Nationaltheater (Bavarian State Opera), Munich
Oper Leipzig (Leipzig Opera), Leipzig
Opernhaus Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf
Opernhaus Halle, Halle
Opernhaus Kiel, Kiel
Theater Lübeck, Lübeck
Prinzregententheater, Munich
Semperoper or Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera),
Dresden
Staatsoper Hannover, Hannover
Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin State Opera), Berlin
Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, Munich
Staatstheater Kassel, Kassel
Staatstheater Stuttgart, Stuttgart
Theater Duisburg, Duisburg
Greece
Greek National Opera, Athens
Athens Concert Hall, Athens
Hungary
Budapesti Operettszínház (Budapest Operetta Theatre), Budapest
Erkel Színház (Erkel Theatre), Budapest
Magyar Állami Operaház (Hungarian State Opera House), Budapest
Ireland
Cork Opera House, Cork
Grand Opera House, Belfast
Italy
Arena di Verona, Verona
Sferisterio, Macerata
Teatro degli Arcimboldi, Milan
Teatro alla Scala, Milan (La Scala)
Teatro Argentina, Rome
Teatro Carignano, Turin
Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa
Teatro Comunale Alighieri, Ravenna
Teatro Comunale, Bologna
Teatro Comunale, Ferrara
Teatro Comunale, Florence
Teatro Comunale, Modena
Teatro della Pergola, Florence
Teatro Donizetti, Bergamo
Teatro La Fenice, Venice
Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, Trieste
Teatro Fraschini, Pavia
Teatro Francesco Cilea, Reggio Calabria
Teatro Giuseppe Verdi, Busseto
Teatro della Gran Guardia, Livorno
Teatro Grande, Brescia
Teatro Lirico, Cagliari
Teatro Malibran, Venice
Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele, Palermo
Teatro Massimo Bellini, Catania
Teatro Municipale, Piacenza
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Rome
Teatro Politeama, Lecce
Teatro Ponchielli, Cremona
Teatro Regio di Parma, Parma
Teatro Regio Torino, Turin
Teatro Rossini, Pesaro
Teatro di San Carlo, Naples
Teatro Sociale, Como
Teatro Valli, Reggio Emilia
Latvia
Latvijas Nacionālā opera (Latvian National Opera), Riga
Lithuania
Lietuvos nacionalinis operos ir baleto teatras, Vilnius
Malta
Royal Opera House, Valletta.
Monaco
Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Netherlands
Muziektheater (The Netherlands Opera), Amsterdam
Norway
Den Norske Opera (Norwegian National Opera), Oslo
New National Opera House (Oslo)
Operaen i Kristiansund
Poland
Baltic State Opera House, Gdańsk
Kraków Opera House, Cracow
Opera Nova, Bydgoszcz
Silesian Opera, Bytom
Teatr Wielki, Łódź, Łódź
Teatr Wielki, Poznań, Poznań
Teatr Wielki, Warsaw (Polish National Opera), Warsaw
Warszawska Opera Kameralna, Warsaw
Wrocław Opera House, Wrocław
Portugal
Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Lisbon
Romania
Romanian National Opera
Opera Naţională, Bucureşti
Opera Braşov
Romanian National Opera, Cluj-Napoca
Opera Naţională Română, Iaşi
Opera Naţională Română, Timişoara
Russia
Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow
Konstantin Tachkin Ballet Theatre, Saint Petersburg
Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg
Moscow State Theatre, Moscow
Musorgsky Opera and Ballet Theatre, Saint Petersburg
Novaya Opera Theatre, Moscow
Novosibirsk opera and ballet theatre, Novosibirsk
Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, Moscow
Taganrog Theatre, Taganrog
Scotland
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Theatre Royal, Glasgow (Scottish Opera), Glasgow
Serbia
Srpsko narodno pozorište (Serbian National Theatre), Novi Sad
Narodno pozorište u Beogradu (National Theatre in Belgrade),
Belgrade
Madlenianum, Belgrade
Slovakia
Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava
State Opera in Banská Bystrica, Banská Bystrica
Slovenia
Slovensko narodno gledalisce, (Slovenian National Theatre) Ljubljana
Slovensko narodno gledalisce, (Slovenian National Theatre) Maribor
Spain
Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
Teatro Real, Madrid
Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall, Bilbao
El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, Valencia
Palacio de la Ópera, A Coruña
Teatro Campoamor, Oviedo
Teatro de la Maestranza, Seville
Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid
Teatre Principal de Maó, Mahón
Sweden
Drottningholms Slottsteater (Drottningholm Palace Theatre),
Drottningholm
GöteborgsOperan (Gotherburg Opera), Gothenburg
Kungliga Operan (Royal Swedish Opera), Stockholm
Folkoperan, Stockholm
Malmö Opera och Musikteater (Malmö Opera and Music Theatre), Malmö
Norrland Opera, Umeå
Switzerland
Grand Théâtre de Genève, Geneva
Opernhaus Zürich, Zurich
Theater Basel, Basel
Stadttheater Bern, Berne
Stadttheater Luzern, Lucerne
Theater Biel-Solothurn
Opéra de Lausanne, Lausanne
Ukraine
Kiev Opera, Kiev
Lviv Opera and Ballet Theater, Lviv
Odessa Opera Theater, Odessa
Dnipropetrovsk Opera, Dnipropetrovsk
Kharkiv Opera, Kharkiv
Donetsk Opera, Donetsk
Wales
Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru (Wales Millennium Centre) (Welsh National
Opera), Cardiff
