Barcelona Liceu Opera House to diversify its audience with Suite Festival
The second edition of Suite Festival, hosted and organised by Barcelona Liceu Opera House, will gather together a wide range of international artists such as Paul Anka, Johnny Hallyday, Michel Camilo and Emir Kusturica amongst others. The aim is to attract new audiences and make the Liceu “more social”, stated its General Director, Roger Guasch. Although the whole programme is still to be confirmed, Suite Festival faces into its second edition organising three more concerts than last year and with a 1.5 million euros budget, 300,000 euros more than in the first edition. The cheapest ticket will cost 15 euros and 180 euros will buy you the most expensive. To promote the opera to new and younger audiences and “break down”the barriers, Guasch assured that Liceu and Clipper, the promotion company of Suite Festival, will compare and mix their databases so that Barcelona Opera House can have as much accurate information on the attendants’profiles as possible.
Barcelona (CNA).- Paul Anka, Johnny Hallyday, Michel Camilo and Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra will be some of the international artists playing at Suite Festival, an initiative of Barcelona Liceu Opera House to open the institution to new audiences. “We think this initiative might help to break down the barriers and attract new and younger people to Liceu’s offering”stated its General Director, Roger Guasch. To achieve this, Liceu and Clipper, the promotion company of Suite Festival, will compare and mix their databases so that Barcelona Opera House can have as much accurate information on the attendants’profiles as possible. Although the whole programme is still to be confirmed, Suite Festival faces into its second edition organising three more concerts than last year and with a 1.5 million euros budget, 300,000 euros more than in the first edition. The cheapest ticket will cost 15 euros and 180 euros will buy you the most expensive.
Suite Festival is Liceu’s initiative “to be more social”, stated Guasch. Last year, the first edition of Suite Festival registered an occupancy rate of 81.3% and to strengthen this trend, the second edition has programmed more concerts and increased its budget to 1.5 million euros. “The aim is to attract new and different audiences”to Barcelona Liceu Opera House “it helps to break down the barriers”and facilitates young people to “ start to be interested in opera”.
8 artists announced, 4 to be confirmed
The second edition of Suite Festival will have 12 artists on its programme. 4 are still to be confirmed but the festival director, Juli Guiu, announced they will be “top-notch artists in their field”able to “fill up”the Liceu.
8 artists have already been announced. The Catalan rock band ‘Sopa de Cabra’will open the festival, on the 17th of January, presenting their first studio album after 15 years.
Paul Anka will play on the 30th of January, Johnny Hallyday’s concert is set for the 8th of March, the same month that will see the Balkan show of Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra (on the 21st). Mexican Pop singer Julieta Venegas will play on the 10th of April, Spanish singer-songwriter Manuel Carrasco on the 13th of April and former Audioslave and Soundgarden singer, Chris Cornell on the 21st. The latest artist to be confirmed, jazz pianist Michel Camillo, is scheduled for the 18th of May.
The wide range of styles covered in Suite Festival emphasises the goal of the initiative to attract as many different audiences as possible. Indeed, to get to know the profile of the festival’s attendants better, Liceu and Clipper, the promotion company of Suite Festival, will compare and mix their databases so that Barcelona Opera House can have as much accurate information on the attendants’profiles as possible.
No New Year’s Eve event
Last year the festival organised a special New Year’s Eve soirée with dinner and a performance by Woody Allen and his band. Although it was one of the highlights of the first edition, the initiative won’t be repeated this year. “We couldn’t find any artist whose profile could fit in this kind of initiative”, said Guiu.