The Teatro Real was honored this Thursday evening with the International Opera Awards for Sustainability, considered the Oscars of opera, for the energy efficiency improvements made to the roof and interior of the building and for its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Justin Way, production director of Teatro Real, expressed his gratitude after receiving the award: “This is not only recognition for what we have achieved, but also a motivation to move forward with even more energy and commitment, being a benchmark in sustainability”, and shared the recognition with all opera houses “as we all move forward trying to build a better future”.
The International Opera Awards were created by the British magazine Opera in 2012. Teatro Real had already distinguished itself in previous editions: in 2021 it was recognized as the best company in the world, first prize of these awards, for its programming during the 2019 season. Furthermore, in 2022 it was the host of the trophy presentation gala, in its first celebration outside London.
The award was announced during a ceremony at the Greek National Opera, attended by representatives of the Teatro Real – in addition to Way, Enrique Collell, general secretary and Nuria Gallego, director of infrastructure and general services – received the award from Sofia Dimtsa, director of corporate affairs and communications of the PPC Group.
Since 2019, the Teatro Real has developed an energy optimization work called Teatro Più Sostenibile with the aim of being a building with almost zero energy consumption. At the beginning of this year, “a fifth façade” facing the sky debuted on the building, a traversable roof of photovoltaic panels, financed by European Next Generation funds. The Madrid building was the first Property of Cultural Interest (BIC) in Spain to obtain energy certification.
The recognition also consolidates the upward trajectory of a Colosseum that emerged in 1997 after a silence of seventy years in which it remained closed and which took just three decades to reach great houses such as the Metropolitan in New York, La Scala in Milan or the Royal Opera House in London. Already at the time of reopening, after expensive rehabilitation works to equip itself with the most modern machinery, the institution demonstrated its vocation for investing in cutting-edge technologies.
The other nominees competing with Teatro Real in this category were Wuppertal Opera (Germany), Santa Fe Opera (USA), Vienna Folk Opera (Austria), Longborough Festival (UK) and Leipzig Opera (Germany).
