Oman Opera kicks off new season on Saturday

The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) is kicking off its fourth season this Saturday with an impressive line of stellar Arab and international operatic and symphonic performances. In press remarks Thursday, ROHM Director General Christina Scheppelmann said the house is keen on cultural diversity of its annual programs, as well as on interactive and educational works and performances. This new season is starting with performances of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" by Teatro San Carlo of Naples, Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro". This is in addition, she said, to introductory lectures on Operatic Arts by specialists and academics. The director said this year's program reflects ROHM's philosophy of bringing together different cultures and arts from across the globe to enrich local and regional culture awareness and art appreciation. In view of the star performances, and some of the world's great Operas that are performed for the very first time in the region, this season was dubbed 'A Season of Stars', she noted. The program treats the audience with a performance by Julio Bocca, one of the most important ballet dancers of the later part of the 20th century, and there is also a sold-out concert for Kadim Al-Sahir, a concert for Magida El-Roumi, and other renowned artists. This is in addition to dance performances by the National Ballet of Uruguay, Russian Mariinsky Ballet, and the Bavarian National Ballet, Scheppelmann said. Overall, the season includes 44 performances by artists from 33 countries from the world's six continents, and the audiences get the chance to attend performance by Oman's own Royal Guard and Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra, and other groups that are to take part in performances marking Omani Women's Day, which is celebrated annually on October 17. Royal Opera House Muscat was officially launched in October 2011 as the first Opera house in the Arabian Gulf region, and is Oman's premier venue for musical arts and culture. It is located in Shati Al-Qurm district of Muscat, built on the royal orders of Sultan Qaboos. The building is of contemporary Omani architecture, with a capacity to accommodate up to 1,100 people. Further information and details are accessible through the ROHM website, www.rohmuscat.org.om