IE University and Madrid’s Teatro Real bring the opera to students from 140 countries

IE University and the Friends of the Teatro Real Foundation today launched an educational project that will bring classical music and the world of opera to the academic institution’s students from 140 countries. Over the course of this academic year, IE University will screen four operas in the auditorium of IE Tower, its new technological and sustainable headquarters in Madrid, as well as at its historic campus in Segovia. Students will have the opportunity to attend masterclasses given by experts from the Teatro Real, winner of the International Opera Awards 2021 for opera company of the year.

The four works are Turandot and La bohème by Giacomo Puccini, The Flying Dutchman, by Richard Wagner, and Cossì fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The screening of each opera will be preceded by a masterclass given by the respective department heads involved in the Teatro Real, who will share their experience on technical aspects such as lighting, stage management, technical direction and artistic direction.

To guarantee as large an audience as possible, IE University’s Division of Arts and Humanities will be streaming the operas and masterclasses live from IE Tower and the Segovia campus, located in the 13th century convent of Santa Cruz la Real in the UNESCO World Heritage city.

This project joins IE University classical music initiatives, such as the Teatro Real’s La Universidad a Escena (The University to the Stage), to boost young people’s understanding and appreciation of the world of opera and arts management.

For Macarena de la Figuera, Director and Manager of the Friends of the Teatro Real Foundation, “young people are the driving force and the future of culture. It is essential for cultural institutions not only to open their doors to them, but also to go out to meet them, understand their communication codes and their way of relating to art. Helping them connect with our cultural and artistic heritage is the best legacy we can make for the sustainability of culture and of course, opera.”

“The arts and humanities are built-in at IE University and part of the DNA of the experience we offer to all our students.”
Catalina Tejero, Executive Head of the Division of Arts and Humanities at IE University

Catalina Tejero adding: “this joint project with the Teatro Real creates a unique space for our community to be formed also outside the classroom, stimulate their senses, develop their sensitivity, creativity and empathy. The management of these skills is key to the development of the talent demanded by the society of the future, both from a personal and professional point of view.”