Katara general manager Dr D Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti announcing at a press conference the hosting of the fourth edition of the International Opera Awards – Oscar Della Lirica - for the first time in the Middle East, at Katara, the Cultural Village.Dr Alfredo Troisy, secretary-general of the Verona Bella Arena Foundation, and Darwish Ahmed, Katara’s marketing and international relations department manager and the deputy director of the Cultural Affairs Department, were present. “The annual awards will honour various achievements of musicians and artistes of opera and classical music from different parts of the world,” Dr al-Sulaiti said. PICTURE: Thajudeen.
By Joey Aguilar
Staff Reporter
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Qatar will host the fourth edition of the prestigious International Opera Awards - Oscar Della Lirica - for the first time in the Middle East, at Katara, the Cultural Village, on December 12.
“The annual awards will honour various achievements of musicians and artistes of opera and classical music from different parts of the world,” Katara general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti told a press conference yesterday.
This is the first time the International Opera Awards are being held outside its native place Italy.
“Hosting such a prestigious event highlights Qatar’s cultural excellence and the strategic importance of Katara as a cultural centre,” he explained.
“Katara aspires to become a beacon and a place that brings together authors, writers, inventors and educated people from different cultures of the world,” Dr al-Sulaiti pointed out.
The event, promoted by the Verona Bella Arena Foundation and other organisations, was established to honour, popularise and re-launch the world of Lyric Opera, recognised as part of the World Cultural Heritage movement. It is deeply rooted in Italian and European history and is now open to new interpretations.
Organisers have invited well-known opera artistes to the event.
Katara will also honour Qatari musician-artist Abdul Aziz Nasser Obeidan, composer of Qatar’s national anthem.
“He enriched the Katara musical library and we consider him as an asset. He is a devoted Qatari artist who had numerous performances and received many awards,” said Dr al-Sulaiti.
The International Opera Awards categories are divided into 13 categories: soprano, tenor, baritone, mezzo-soprano, bass, contralto, conductor, orchestra, choir, corps de ballet, costume designer, director, and set designer.
For every new edition of the event, the organising committee chooses eight categories among the 13.
Katara also announced that a number of special awards would be given in memory of some of the legends of the opera arts.
Dr al-Sulaiti noted that they had organised a press conference in Milan recently where 40 international and popular websites announced the staging of the awards in
Doha.
Dr Alfredo Troisy, secretary-general of the Verona Bella Arena Foundation, said they would involve some of the biggest music and opera associations in the world.
While they receive many nominations of various artistes for different categories, he noted that a jury of international experts would select the winners.
“What we would like to set to this event is the first co-operation relationship that can be the basis of a cultural bridge with Qatar between Verona and Doha,” he stressed. “I am convinced that culture and art have no borders, it goes beyond the borders and it is a universal concept.”
Darwish Ahmed, Katara’s marketing and international relations department manager and the deputy director of the Cultural Affairs Department, attended the press conference.
