De Nederlandse Opera
De Nederlandse Opera (DNO) is the leading opera company of the Netherlands. Its home base is the Muziektheater in Amsterdam, a modern building designed by Cees Dam which opened in 1986. The DNO is renown for its adventurous and theatrical stagings, its mixed repertoire of modern and established operas, and its strong ensemble orientation.DNO was established shortly after the end of World War II as a repertoire company with a permanent ensemble. In the postwar period, it toured extensively in the Netherlands from its home base in the Stadsschouwburg, a fin de siecle theater on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam.
In 1964, it was renamed De Nederlandse Opera Stichting. (The Dutch Opera Association), and the company adopted a stagione orientation; for each new production, different soloists and artistic teams were attracted.
In 1986, the company moved to the new Muziektheater building on the Amstel river, which it shares with the Dutch National Ballet, and become thereafter known as the De Nederlandse Opera.
Since 1988, the French-Lebanese theater director Pierre Audi has been artistic director of DNO; musical director is the Dutchman Edo de Waart, its chief guest conductor is Hartmut Haenchen. The DNO has its own choir of sixty singers and a technical staff of forty.
DNO produces on average eleven productions per year, with nearly all performances sold out. While most performances are in the Muziektheater, the company has also performed in the Stadsschouwburg, Koninklijk Theater Carré, and Westergasfabriek industrial terrain in Amsterdam. For many years, the June production is organized in the Holland Festival and includes the participation of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
DNO has lent its productions to foreign companies; recent DNO productions have been seen at the Metropolitan Opera, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Lincoln Center Festival in New York, as well as the Adelaide Festival in Australia.
