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5 May 2025

Ana Rita Coelho Wins Grand Prix Égide at the Cascais Ópera Final at the Gulbenkian

The Final of the competition took place this Sunday at the Grande Auditório of the Calouste Gulbenkian Founda...
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2 May 2025

Cascais Ópera and Sustainability: Art with Purpose

Beyond artistic excellence, this international vocal competition is deeply committed to sustainability, aligni...
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1 May 2025

Cascais Opera celebrates nature and fosters connection among artists during a special outdoor day

On May 1st, the contestants were invited to enjoy an outdoor experience designed to promote well-being, connec...
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30 April 2025

Semifinalists’ Concert fills the Palácio da Cidadela with talent and emotion

On the evening of April 30, the Palácio da Cidadela de Cascais — the official summer residence of the Presi...
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29 April 2025

Teresa Berganza and Maurício Bensaude Prizes Celebrate Opera Legends at Cascais Ópera Final

On Sunday, May 4, at 5:00 PM, the Grand Auditorium of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon will host t...
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28 April 2025

Meet the 8 finalists of the second edition of Cascais Opera

The Final of Cascais Ópera takes place at the Grand Auditorium of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Anna Te...
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27 April 2025

At Cascais Opera, the audience is also part of the jury

One of the initiative’s main goals is to bring the public closer to the world of opera. More than just a com...
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26 April 2025

Cascais Ópera 2025 Semifinalists announced

Twenty singers have advanced to the next stage of the competition’s second edition.The semi-finals of Cascai...
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25 April 2025

Contestants begin first rounds of the competition

The first rounds of Cascais Ópera 2025 are already underway, closely observed by the prestigious internationa...
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25 April 2025

Cascais Opera trains Portugal’s first “Image Whisperers” in the field of classical music

In its second edition, Cascais Opera partnered with the “Sopradores de Imagem” (“Image Whisperers”) pr...
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24 April 2025

The second edition of Cascais Ópera has begun

The second edition of Cascais Ópera 2025 officially began this Wednesday. Contestants are now competing for t...
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22 April 2025

Cláudia Anjos shines in Jenůfa at the Centro Cultural de Belém

With great pride, we share that Cláudia Anjos, a contestant in the 1st edition of Cascais Ópera, was part of...
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22 April 2025

Cascais Ópera Joins the Amazon Creative Corridor and Launches the Carlos Gomes Prize in Partnership with the Amazonas Opera Festival

Cascais Ópera – International Vocal Competition has officially joined the Amazon Creative Corridor, an inno...
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13 February 2025

The 44 candidates from 19 countries who will compete for the prizes at the 2nd edition of Cascais Opera have been selected.  

The grand final takes place on May 4 at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Grand Auditorium. The Casca...
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13 February 2025

Final of the 2nd edition of Cascais Opera at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Tickets now available The Grand Auditorium of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will host the Final of the Ca...
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21 November 2024

Adriano Jordão, artistic director of Cascais Opera and Jorge Chaminé, president of Centre Européen de Musique dialog.

Q. The purpose of this prize is to encourage and support emerging talents and rising personalities in opera. W...
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18 November 2024

Cascais Ópera becomes the first Portuguese member of Opera Latinoamérica (OLA), and participates in the 17th Annual Conference in Chile

Cascais Ópera – International Singing Competition has become the first Portuguese member of Opera Latin...
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24 October 2024

Presentation of the 2nd Edition of Cascais Opera

Oleh Lebedyev Ukrainian baritone Oleh Lebedyev based in Germany.  In the 2019/2021 season he was a part o...
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23 October 2024

2nd Edition of Cascais Opera Presented in Paris on World Opera Day

Image credits: Jorge Carmon Following the great success of its inaugural edition, the 2nd edition of Cascais O...
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16 October 2024

The 2nd edition of Cascais Opera returns to Cascais to find talent in the world of opera

Applications open on 1st October  Following the great success of its first edition, the second edition of...
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14 April 2024

Cascais Ópera – 1st International Vocal Competition Ends in Grand Applause!

Following a fiercely contested final yesterday, which was a true celebration of the art and dedication require...
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Over the past three decades, primarily in London, Portugal and Amsterdam, Dr Jorge Balça
has developed a strong portfolio of work and a unique combination of skillsets – as a stage
director (of theatre, opera, and hybrid forms), a teacher and workshop leader, a presentation
skills, acting and creativity coach, and practice-based researcher. His work in all these
domains is distinguished by his commitment to and skill in making fantasy and invention
emerge from precise knowledge and training – and by his ability to inspire a similar alchemy
in his collaborators.

Classically trained as an actor and countertenor, he studied theatre directing in London and
Moscow, specialising in Shakespeare, techniques of adaptation, Meyerhold and commedia
dell’arte. Jorge also holds a PhD exploring the dramatic training of opera performers.
With a love for site-specific projects and collaborative forms, and an equal flair for comedy
and drama, his work is dramaturgically inventive, visually striking, and physically engaged.
He was the artistic director of Bloomsbury Opera and associate director of The Opera
Makers, both in London. In Portugal, he has recently directed L’Heure Espagnole and The
Turn of the Screw at Centro Cultural de Belém, and Don Giovanni and La Voix Humaine at
Festival de Ópera de Óbidos.

Jorge is committed to his work as a teacher, having taught at the Dutch National Opera
Academy, Morley College London, Universidade de Évora and other institutions. He
maintains an international coaching private practice and is the acting coach at the Neil
Semer Vocal Institute in Italy.

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Over the past three decades, primarily in London, Portugal and Amsterdam, Dr Jorge Balça
has developed a strong portfolio of work and a unique combination of skillsets – as a stage
director (of theatre, opera, and hybrid forms), a teacher and workshop leader, a presentation
skills, acting and creativity coach, and practice-based researcher. His work in all these
domains is distinguished by his commitment to and skill in making fantasy and invention
emerge from precise knowledge and training – and by his ability to inspire a similar alchemy
in his collaborators.

Classically trained as an actor and countertenor, he studied theatre directing in London and
Moscow, specialising in Shakespeare, techniques of adaptation, Meyerhold and commedia
dell’arte. Jorge also holds a PhD exploring the dramatic training of opera performers.
With a love for site-specific projects and collaborative forms, and an equal flair for comedy
and drama, his work is dramaturgically inventive, visually striking, and physically engaged.
He was the artistic director of Bloomsbury Opera and associate director of The Opera
Makers, both in London. In Portugal, he has recently directed L’Heure Espagnole and The
Turn of the Screw at Centro Cultural de Belém, and Don Giovanni and La Voix Humaine at
Festival de Ópera de Óbidos.

Jorge is committed to his work as a teacher, having taught at the Dutch National Opera
Academy, Morley College London, Universidade de Évora and other institutions. He
maintains an international coaching private practice and is the acting coach at the Neil
Semer Vocal Institute in Italy.

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