A young girl gets lost in a residential neighbourhood, somewhere in Luxembourg’s cultural melting pot. In search of her grandmother, her Tété, she gets to know the pigeon woman, a janitor, a couple and the many other residents. Together, they help the girl find her grandmother again. That, in brief, is the story of “pOpera”.
It is a story – inspired by Romeo and Juliet – about home and community.
The aim of ‘pOpera’ was not simply to put on an enjoyable performance, but to create a platform where people from different cultures and with different life experiences could come together, learn from one another and share their stories through music. Over a period of three years, amateur talents and professional artists wrote, composed and staged this so-called community opera for the main stage of the Philharmonie. It all started with a refugee choir. Later, Luxembourg residents also joined.
‘pOpera’ reflects the many voices that make up our society, with seven languages spoken in this project. Rehearsals and singing took place in English, Spanish and French. A truly special experience, above all for the many amateur participants who brought their own stories into the project.
Alongside many others, such as the composer Tim Wollmann, the musicians of the Luxembourg Philharmonic and author Antoine Pohu, soloist Stephany Ortega is among the professional artists who accompanied and trained the many amateur talents from the very beginning. For her, too, this project is about much more than an artistic performance. It is about the human experience, about building trust and social bonds through music.
The idea came from the Fondation EME and its artistic director Paulo Lameiro.
