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UNBOXING CALLAS

Parallel Programme

Running alongside the UNBOXING CALLAS: An Archival Exploration of the Pyromallis Collection and the GNO Archive exhibition for its duration will be a parallel event programme featuring tours, talks, and presentations, as well as educational activities for younger visitors. In the events designed for adults, both the exhibition team and the participating artists will enter into dialogue with the public, dialogue sparked by the archival materials, by contemporary art practice, and by Maria Callas herself, while also offering up an experiential narrative through sharing stories from their explorations of the archive.

As part of the educational activities for children, the GNO Learning & Participation Department will be offering young exhibition visitors an innovative experiential tour titled Unlocking the Legend: The Grey Box Bursting With Colour. Children aged 8-12 will be given the chance to imaginatively explore the exhibition, unravelling the legend that surrounds Maria Callas and learning about practices for classifying, archiving, and conserving archival materials as a way of connecting them with the magic of opera.

In more detail:

1. On Tuesdays (5, 12, 19 December 2023 and 9 January 2024), public tours will be given by Steffy Stouri, the exhibition's curatorial associate, and by Dr. Sophia Kompotiati, the exhibition's research associate.
2. On Wednesdays (29 November and 6, 13, 20 December 2023), public tours will be given, with the exhibition's participating artists in attendance.

3. On Fridays (1, 8, 15 December 2023) at 18:00, the following talks and presentations for adults will be given by distinguished guest speakers:

• 1 December: "Maria Callas and Greece" - Sophia Kompotiati, Associate Musicologist at the GNO
• 8 December: "Maria Callas Through Her Recordings" - Panaghis Pagoulatos, Director of Artistic Coordination & Casting at the GNO
• 15 December: "Theatrical Costume Conservation Stories: Conserving Matter, Preserving Memory" - Tatiana Kousoulou, Textile Conservator, Directorate of Conservation of Ancient & Modern Monuments, Hellenic Ministry of Culture

All of the above parallel programme events are free to attend. Places are limited (25 persons per event) and can be booked via ticketservices.gr