In an unprecedented collaboration, aimed at generating opportunities for national artists, both entities will jointly carry out a talent development program, an audition for Chilean singers abroad , as well as the realization of the Latin American phase of the international Paris Opera Competition, among other initiatives.

In order to create improvement opportunities and contribute to the development of the careers of young national singers, Teatro Municipal de Santiago and Fundación Ibáñez Atkinson (FIA) sealed an unprecedented working alliance.

This is a collaboration agreement – the first between a private entity and the Teatro Municipal de Santiago after the arrival of Carmen Gloria Larenas to the general management – which includes the joint implementation of various training initiatives, including the launch of a young artists program, an audition for Chilean singers abroad, as well as the realization of the Latin American phase of the Paris Opera Competition, a strategic ally of FIA, among others.

For these purposes, and as detailed in the agreement, Teatro Municipal de Santiago will not only offer its infrastructure but also open its spaces for the participants of these initiatives to attend and internalize the opera productions, while Fundación Ibáñez Atkinson will be in charge of developing these improvement programs together with leading international experts in the main cultural center of the country. This is a work that FIA has been developing since 2013, with a view to promoting lyrical singing in the country and being a bridge between artists and the international industry and which, to date, has benefited 446 Chilean artists.

“Teatro Municipal de Santiago is the place where the great processes of creating an opera in Chile take place, for this reason and because of the commitment we have with Chilean singers, we will open our spaces to enrich their training,” explains Carmen Gloria Larenas, General director of Teatro Municipal de Santiago.

For his part, Andrés Rodríguez Spoerer, Music Manager of Fundación Ibáñez Atkinson, details that the importance of this alliance lies in closing gaps in the face of the few opportunities for improvement for the singers that exist in Latin America, unlike what happens in Europe and USA, where there are many theaters and multiple options to gain experience.

“As a Foundation, we have dedicated ourselves to being a bridge between Chilean lyrical singers and musicians and the international industry, and also to generate improvement opportunities that help them develop their careers. That is why it is so significant that we begin this joint journey with Teatro Municipal de Santiago, which is the main opera house in our country, which lives in permanent production and, therefore, is the natural place where Chilean singers can grow and develop. ” , added Andrés Rodríguez Spoerer, Music Manager of Fundación Ibáñez Atkinson, an institution that has supported outstanding artists such as Javier Arrey, Alyson Rosales, Ramiro Maturana, among others.

Rodríguez adds that the first training initiatives of this agreement will begin to run once the coronavirus emergency ends, and that leading international professionals such as Diane Zola and Michael Heaston, casting directors, have already been confirmed for the development of the young talent program. the New York Metropolitan Opera; David Gowland, artistic director of the Jette Parker program at the Royal Opera House; John Norris, main vocal and body coach of the Young Artist Program of the Bayerisches Staatsoper München, Staatsoper Berlin, Neue Stimmen Competition, among others.