Eleftherios Veniadis - Sofia Simitzis - Ventus Ensemble
The Soccer Opera Libretto by Gerhild Steinbuch

Football (also known as soccer in some countries): the most popular sport in the world. We all have childhood and teenage memories from football matches between kids in the neighbourhood and rival schools or matches in squares and local fields. Elefterios Veniadis draws on his own exciting football memories for his new, strikingly original opera. What if you watched a 3x3 soccer match where opera singers and dancers served as players, with two rival choirs as fans, chanting demanding polyphonic songs in place of mottos? And what if the sportscaster stopped commenting on the game and started providing political commentary on world news instead? Set pieces, penalty kicks, yellow cards, protests, goals, missed opportunities, offside, extra time: these are the ingredients of an unexpected libretto by Austrian writer Gerhild Steinbuch, directed into an opera by Sofia Simitzis. The performers/football players are joined on stage by the Ventus Ensemble and the Sonorae Youth Chorus of the “Maria Callas” Music School of Kalamata. Conducted by Faidra Giannelou.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, all performance dates are subject to change

 

Music composition - Concept - Live commentator Eleftherios Veniadis

Directed by Sofia Simitzis

Original text - Libretto - Dramaturgy Gerhild Steinbuch

Translated by Maria Manti

Conductor Faidra Giannelou

Set and costume design Thomas Goerge

Lighting design Eliza Alexandropoulou

Video Dionysis Sidirokastritis

Movement Mikes Glykas, Konstantinos Papanikolaou

Accompaniment - Vocal coaching Beata Pincetić, Christos Sakellaridis

Sound engineer Panagiotis Paraskevaidis - AUX studio

Assistant to the director Giorgos Koutlis

Assistant to the set and costume designer Gina Iliopoulou

Performers Angeliki Zoe Karagkouni soprano, Dionysis Melogiannidis tenor, Dionysis Tsantinis baritone, Irini Tzanetoulakou contralto

Dancer Konstantinos Papanikolaou

Actor Mikes Glykas

Ventus Ensemble consisting of Dimitris Gkogas, Fanis Vernikos trumpets, Giannis Gounaris French horn, Spyros Vergis, trombone, Menelaos Moraitis tuba, George Boukaouris percussion

Sonoare Youth Chorus of the Maria Callas Kalamata Music School

Vocal coaching - Conductor Katerina Tsitsa

Co-production Chios Music Festival

Executive producers Chios Music Festival, Ioanna Valsamidou, Ifigenia Kondyli, Vicky Strataki

Sonorae youth choir supported by Austrian Embassy in Athens, Municipality of Kalamata, "Faris" Kalamata Municipality Charitable Organisation, Peloponnese Region, Sun Bus Stin Kalamata tourist agency