Creative Europe
Desk UK
for Culture

The Centre became operational as a European cultural and training organisation in 1997 following extensive consultation with the European Parliament and European Commission. With its focus purely on young people based in Europe, it remains the only body of its kind in opera. The Centre has two broad aims: to help young Europeans from education to employment in opera; to develop audiences for opera across Europe. The Centre works through a series of projects leading to performance, whether in staged opera productions or in the recording studio. Trainees are chosen through open competition; to date singers have been assisted in 45 cities across Europe; trainees selected to study at the Centre have come from 35 European countries. Its work has been recognised through a major international award: the original version of the animated opera film instigated by the Centre was voted best music or dance programme made for television at the International Television Festival Golden Prague.