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Cologne | With the last performances of The Barber and The Magic Flute, an era came to an end at the Staatshaus. dr Birgit Meyer says goodbye after ten years as director of the Cologne Opera, ten years after the closure of the opera house on Offenbachplatz, during which the opera had to reorient itself.
After stops at the Palladium and the Musical Dome, Birgit Meyer and her employees established the StaatseHaus as a permanent interim venue in 2015 and realized their vision of an opera for everyone in the former exhibition halls: open, inspiring and connecting.
The permanent work in an exceptional situation, plus the challenges of the pandemic, have created a strong cooperation at the Cologne Opera,” said Meyer. “I see it as necessary to maintain the goals and visions and one day to carry them to Offenbachplatz, so that the opera can continue to take its place in the middle of society and remain open to dialogue.
Cologne Opera enjoyed great response
The 2021.22 season, which is now ending, also enjoyed a great response from the young audience, and apart from a few cancellations due to the pandemic, all planned performances were implemented. With more than 200 performances played, the proportion of school and student tickets was 25% over the entire season; in the case of »Carmen« and »Magic Flute« it was even 30%. Opera as a cross-generational experience – it could be realized in Cologne.
Meyer: “The StaatsHaus venue challenged us in this regard, but also encouraged us. In particular, he has reduced fears of the unknown in the audience and has proved to be attractive and appealing to many young people. Opera that has a lasting effect on a city society must be more than just exemplary theater with guest world stars.”
Cologne Opera honored for branding process
At the beginning of the month, the Cologne Opera House received the German Brand Award in the category “Excellence in Brand Strategy and Creation – Brand Strategy – B2C” for its branding process “Wir sind Oper Köln” in Berlin. In addition to companies such as Bosch and Vodafone, the Cologne Opera was the first and only cultural institution among the awardees. The Cologne Opera has thus faced the competition for general attention for its offer.
A three-volume book is now intended to look back on turbulent times and show opportunities for the future. Available from September 2022 from Verlag Walther König, it documents the work of recent years.
The three-volume publication with the titles »Kosmos StaatsHaus« (2015.22) / Chronology (2006.07 – 2021.22) / “What Opera Can Do!” (2012.13 -2021.22) is not only a multifaceted review of the last few years, but also impressively conveys what opera can do and gives impulses on how we can lead them into the future in a lively and powerful way.
Three-volume publication appears in September
The first volume – »Kosmos StaatsHaus« – presents a richly illustrated retrospective, including the pioneering work done and the feat of creating an opera from a trade fair hall within a few weeks. The book also highlights the great opera moments in the Staatshaus, reports on the challenges of a pandemic and deals with the main topics of the directorship Meyer.
The second volume serves as a chronological reference work and documents – chronologically – all productions, venues, cast and production teams from 2006.07 to the end of the 2021.22 season.
The 3rd volume »What opera can do« focuses on the work of the Cologne Children’s Opera from 2012.13 to 2021.22 and once again travels to those places where director Birgit Meyer and her team made a particularly noteworthy contribution to society have worked into. With the help of impressive photos and moving texts, the trilogy is finalized with exciting discussions of the work of the Cologne Children’s Opera and the “Theater and School” department and shows how the Cologne Opera has had an impact on the heart of urban society. (red03)
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