Yesterday, the Teatro Real de Madrid hosted the prestigious International Opera Awards. La Monnaie proudly won the Award for 'Best World Premiere' with Kris Defoort's magnum opus.
In September 2021, La Monnaie opened its season with the world creation of Kris Defoort’s The Time of Our Singing, composed on a libretto by playwright Peter vanKraaij. This work, commissioned by La Monnaie, is based on Richard Powers’ novel of the same name, and follows the quest for identity of the mixed family Strom against the backdrop of segregation in post-war America.
Now, a year after its premiere, The Time of Our Singing was named 'Best World Creation' at the International Opera Awards. La Monnaie is proud of this recognition for its artistic policy, which remains committed to new creations and commissioned works.
A new performance series of The Time of Our Singing will take place later this season at co-producer Theatre Sankt Gallen. A reprise is also planned at La Monnaie in autumn 2024.
Among the other winners, we also find some of La Monnaie's regulars. MM Ambassador Stéphane Degout, soon to be our Yevgeny Onegin, took the prize in the 'Best Male Singer' category and Sabine Devieilhe won the award for 'Best Female Singer'.
Watch the reactions of composer Kris Defoort and General and Artistic Director Peter de Caluwe below.
During a literary encounter with J. M. Coetzee on the stage of La Monnaie, Christina Scheppelmann announced that the 2003 Nobel Prize winner in Literature is writing a libretto for a new La Monnaie opera, to be premiered in the 2027–2028 season: Elizabeth Costello in limbo.
Christina Scheppelmann, who became the first female General and Artistic Director of La Monnaie this season, has been nominated for the ELLE Woman of the Year 2025 award.
On 29 September 2025, the façade of La Monnaie will turn red for World Heart Day. With this symbolic gesture, our opera house joins a global movement raising awareness about cardiovascular diseases.
