​Òpera Oberta and research and education networks bring opera to students across the world

The Challenge

Allowing students interested in the arts to experience cultural performances is central to sharing knowledge and helping them learn. However, the scale and size of many productions, such as operas, mean that they cannot be staged locally due to a lack of resources and budget.

To introduce students to opera by combining world-class performances with the latest broadcasting technologies, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona has created the Òpera Oberta programme.

​La fille du regiment, ©David Cabrera

The Solution

The number of universities involved and their locations across the globe make simultaneous transmission a technical challenge. This is solved through a collaboration between a growing number of National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) and their international counterparts.

Performances are broadcast simultaneously using multicast technology across national and international research and education networks, such as GÉANT and RedIRIS, providing a compelling experience for students around the world.

Key Benefits

Wherever they are students can learn about and experience the beauty of opera through high quality broadcasts, thanks to the collaboration between Òpera Oberta and research and education networks.

Since its foundation in 2001, Òpera Oberta has grown rapidly, and now has an average of 1,300 students from universities in Europe and Latin America watching every broadcast.

Over the last 12 years, operas from composers as varied as Britten, Mozart and Donizetti have been shared globally through Òpera Oberta’s broadcasts.

By merging art, academia and technology thousands of students across the world have been introduced to opera, providing a rich cultural and learning experience thanks to the combination of Òpera Oberta and the power and reach of research and education networks. 

​“When the Òpera Oberta programme set itself the unprecedented technological challenge of offering live opera broadcasts to the academic community, research and education networks as well as the availability of suitable communications technologies became an essential player, without which the project would not have been possible. Flexibility, service adaptation and community are the contributions which GÉANT has provided to the Foundation of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, making possible its objective to carry out innovative initiatives for the cultural and artistic empowerment of society.” Xavier Carreras Diaz, Technical Coordinator, Òpera Oberta

 

​Partners in the project:
​Òpera Oberta: www.operaoberta.org CSUC: www.csuc.cat RedIRIS: www.rediris.es GRNET: www.grnet.gr GÉANT: www.geant.net RedCLARA: www.redclara.net