They were badly needed: a venue and an occasion for uncommissioned operas, born into the world with great difficulty and of their own accord, along with their creators, to get a chance to announce themselves to the public eye. It then becomes the task of this same public eye – professionals and laypersons alike – to discuss and mention these new works, and to criticise or praise them, as we never know which one will become the new Bátori Mária or Bluebeard’s Castle, or the next The Spinning Room, Blood Wedding, Mario and the Magician or The Stork Caliph. Each hour of the entire afternoon and evening of the Contemporary Opera Showcase (KOSH), opera students will be making their semi-dramatised debuts, accompanied by a pianist and, naturally, the Opera’s own singers. The composers will also get a chance to defend their works and answer questions. We will broadcast the entire programme series on the community page of our media partner Papageno, allowing viewers to vote on their favourites, which might well also serve as guidance for our management, as it is, as set forth in the Opera’s founding document, a duty, as well as a tradition for the institution to commission and present new Hungarian works.

Featuring on piano Mónika Baja and Rita Termes.

Hostess of the event: Melitta Gyüdi