OUR STORY
Cape Town Opera, which celebrates its 25th birthday in 2024, is one of the largest full-time performing arts institutions in South Africa, with 57 full-time employees, and is the only continuously active opera company on the African continent.
We offer a diverse array of productions annually, including mainstage operas, site-specific performances, touring productions, musicals, and concerts. We cater to audiences of all ages — from captivating shows designed for toddlers to community concerts and educational programmes for school learners. Our commitment to creating jobs spans the entire theatre industry, supporting everyone from singers to set builders and fostering the incredible talent found in every corner of South Africa.
Our role in championing South Africa’s vocal talent is crucial. We provide support and development opportunities through initiatives like the National Schools Tour, the Foundation Studio for high-school learners and the Judith Neilson Young Artist Programme for postgraduate singers, pianists, and conductors.
As a recipient of numerous accolades, Cape Town Opera is a torchbearer for excellence within the theatre and arts industry. We are dedicated not only to safeguarding opera as part of South Africa’s cultural heritage but also to providing an aspirational, internationally-recognised and enduring platform for South Africa’s world-class singing talent!
Judith Neilson Young Artist Programme
This unique, three-year training programme provides unmatched skills development and hands-on training to young artists from across the country and around the world.
OUR VISION
To be South Africa’s best-positioned opera company, able to give full expression locally and internationally to the excellence of the country’s world-class singing talent in the operatic art form.
MISSION
- To produce a diverse programme of operas and other musical works, including core repertoire, new commissions and innovative projects, which serve South African performers and audiences;
- To nurture and provide the best training to develop South African voices to the highest level of excellence;
- To engage with local communities to create jobs and provide education about opera as an art form, thereby investing in the future of opera in South Africa;
- Build capacity for the future of opera as a performing art;
- To engage in the global business of opera as a respected and equal partner.