Events of the Official Circle of Friends
Membership of the Official Circle of Friends enables you to actively experience the social and cultural events of the Vienna State Opera and to enter into an active dialogue with like-minded people. We organize artist meetings with stars such as Jonas Kaufmann, Elīna Garanča and Piotr Beczała, along with interesting panel discussions and glimpses behind the scenes. Invitations to the annual season presentation or – depending on the membership level – management receptions are also included in the benefits.
In this event series, exclusively conceived for the Official Circle of Friends, the State Opera invites interesting personalities and artists alongside guests from all kinds of other disciplines to take part in stimulating panel discussions. These events relate to current themes around opera, art and culture, and are moderated by the dramaturgs of the Vienna State Opera, Dr. Andreas Láng and Dr. Oliver Láng. The monthly event in the Gustav-Mahler-Hall begins and ends with musical performances by the emerging singers of the Young Artist Program along with members of the stage orchestra of the Vienna State Opera.
Taking time out from their long hours of rehearsals for current productions, famous opera singers come for a relaxed conversation in the Gustav-Mahler-Hall. In this exclusive event for the Official Circle of Friends, members have the opportunity to experience their favourite artists in person, to hear interesting stories from their day-to-day artistic life, to learn about their career trajectory and to ask questions. The discussion is opened and closed with video and audio recordings.
The Young Artist Program of the Vienna State Opera opens its doors to members of the Official Circle of Friends: We’d like to offer the young Official Circle of Friends members in particular the opportunity to get to know the singers of the Young Artist Program better and to enter into dialogue with them. They’ll also be able to see and hear these emerging talents performing in rehearsal situations before rounding off the evening with a friendly discussion panel with Michael Kraus (artistic director of the Young Artist Program) and the Official Circle of Friends team.
Shortly before the premieres of the new opera productions, Jendrik Springer, Musical Assistant to Music Director Philippe Jordan, offers a one-hour introduction. With the aid of a piano and in conversation with a Vienna State Opera dramaturg, he leads the audience through each work and presents the central features of the score along with exciting musical details and contexts. The new event format »Musik verstehen« is an exclusive offer for the higher supporter categories of the Official Circle of Friends.
The Official Circle of Friends receives a limited allocation of tickets for performances, concerts and events of the Vienna State Opera, such as introduction matinees, ensemble matinees, studio concerts of the Young Artist Program, the Opera School concert, ballet events, the open day and many more. The Official Circle of Friends members are kept informed about these offers with regular newsletters.
EXCLUSIVE TOURS – A GLIMPSE BEHIND THE SCENES
Over the course of a stroll through the immediate neighbourhood of the Vienna State Opera, we track down the connections between Vienna and important composers of operas from the current season. Starting at the »Haus am Ring« and accompanied by our dramaturgs, we’ll spend around an hour roaming to some central sites of the composer’s musical life, noting and investigating highlights of their life.
The format »...noch Fragen?« offers technical insights as seen from the central box to the stage. It features anecdotes from the Technical Director as well as artistic matters, with opera stories from a member of the ensemble of the Vienna State Opera in the splendid Tea Salon, which once served as a reception room and retreat for the Emperor.
The decoration workshops of the company ART for ART Theaterservice GmbH in the Arsenal (Object 19) are among the largest and most important in Europe. In the joinery, metalwork, sculpture and upholstery workshops and the painting halls, the craftspeople work with the set designers to create the perfect illusion for every stage. Members of the Official Circle of Friends receive an exclusive tour of the decoration workshops, where scenery and decorations are created for performances including those of the Vienna State Opera.
ART for ART Theaterservice GmbH is known for its creative work behind the scenes of artistic and cultural productions. The costume workshops produce true masterpieces for the stage, which enchant audiences.
The team there make the ideas of directors and costume designers a reality. These will be presented to Official Circle of Friends members in this exclusive tour through the women’s and men’s tailoring, needlework, millinery, shoemaking, costumepainting and jewellery departments.