The “Youth Opera” programme is an initiative of the Greek National Opera (GNO) with the primary goal of offering young artists who are starting their career the experience of an artistic period in real working conditions under the guidance and supervision of experienced artists and teachers. The John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation continues to support the programme, thus enhancing the process by which young artists acquire the resources and tools that will render them truly qualified professionals according to contemporary requirements in the field of opera.

Artists have the opportunity to attend acting lessons, seminars on the improvement of vocal technique and role preparation by visiting professors and conductors. The first artistic period of the programme was completed with the presentation of the two one-act operas by Giacomo Puccini “Sister Angelica” and “The Cloak” at the Greek National Opera's Stavros Niarchos Hall.

These two operas were first presented at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1918, while in the Greek National Opera they were presented for the first time in 1970, and they deal with issues such as loss, crime and death, difficult subjects that the artists have been called upon to face with sensitivity.

The production of the above works was the culmination of the programme. The presentation, in a large hall and a stage with a full operatic orchestra, in real conditions and production times, gave the artists the opportunity to grasp the standards they will need to set and adhere to on their professional path.

“A young artist needs (apart from talent) to be goal-oriented, fellow travelers and an environment of trust in which they can flourish…

Experiences like the one I had with the Youth Opera have shaped me artistically and spiritually. Through the programme, I explored my personal boundaries at various levels. The faith and persistence of the programme’s coordinators have helped me reach my full potential and the on-stage interaction with my colleagues has filled my “music pockets” with experience and knowledge that would have been impossible to obtain solely by individual study. Finally, our encounter with real-life working conditions (using the Stavros Niarchos Hall and the Alternative Stage of the Greek National Opera, collaborating with the Greek National Opera orchestra and the Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra led by Dionysis Grammenos, etc.) proved the feasibility of our dreams.

Opera, as an art form which is universal and timeless, requires its “Youth” in order to evolve. In the Greece of today, maybe more than ever.”

Marietta Sarris, first programme cycle participant