Mission
OPERA2DAY creates opera performances that combine relevant stories, compelling music and powerful staging to give the audience a meaningful experience. The combination of music, singing and theatre can move, surprise, amuse and inspire – but also touch the soul deeply and make emotional and social issues tangible. Attending an opera performance thus can have a major impact on the individual visitor and therefore a positive effect on society as a whole.
For OPERA2DAY, artistic innovation and reaching a wide audience go hand in hand. The source is the treasure trove of 400 years of opera repertoire, which is filled to the brim with both beloved repertoire and undiscovered scores. Composers from bygone eras also wanted to move their audiences, but they worked within different conventions than we do today, and the stories do not always affect us as directly as they did then. We, in turn, seek – historically inspired – new means to achieve that goal in our own time.
Over time, OPERA2DAY has developed its own signature style, characterised by a combination of quality, originality and accessibility. We play with all aspects of a performance: the staging, the music, the story, the theatrical codes, the performance location and the audience experience. Various renowned music ensembles, conductors, musicians and (international) singers enthusiastically commit themselves to our artistic principles for each production.
OPERA2DAY prefers to see a broad and diverse audience in the theatre. From our base in The Hague, we reach visitors throughout the country and internationally through our tours, co-productions and special projects. An opera lover sits next to someone who has never been to one before. Both are moved by the music and the story – by the powerful emotions we all share. That is why education and participation are an indispensable part of the artistic concept. In the tour cities, we organise preparatory programmes for young people – schoolchildren and students – and adults with no connection to opera. They then actively participate in the performance in the theatre or the pre-programme in the foyer. In this way, in the evening, they go with their family and friends to see their own performance: the opera they have learned so much about and with which they feel a strong connection. They are proud of their own contribution and enjoy an unforgettable evening in the theatre.
In 2017, an English reviewer wrote that OPERA2DAY had “reinvented” opera for today’s audiences with all its interventions. That sums up our approach nicely: we want to reinvent the genre of opera and individual works for today’s audiences. We ourselves were unexpectedly moved by opera when we were teenagers. It changed our lives. Now we want to give the audience that same wonderful experience.
We warmly welcome you.
International Partnerships
Communication & Content Officer
Chef de Bureau
Coordination Participation & Education
Project management & Casting
Head of Marketing
Business director
International Partnerships
Dramaturgy
Dramaturg Tiara Kobald was originally trained as a violinist at the Fontys Conservatory in Tilburg. She studied violin with Chris Duindam, baroque violin with Franc Polman, and orchestral conducting with Arjan Tien and Etienne Siebens. She works as a freelance violinist with various orchestras and ensembles, including the Ars Musica Orchestra.
After completing her musical training, she studied English and Theatre, Film and Literary Studies at the University of Antwerp. She completed two directing internships at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam and an internship in dramaturgy at Opera Vlaanderen in Antwerp.
For the past year, Tiara Kobald has been a resident dramaturg with OPERA2DAY
Communication & Content Officer
Chef de Bureau
Coordination Participation & Education
Project management & Casting
Head of Marketing
Business director
Musical director
Argentinean-Dutch conductor Hernán Schvartzman is an award-winning and versatile artist who feels as equally at home conducting top historically informed ensembles, cutting edge contemporary music groups as well as leading international big scale opera productions and symphonic concerts.
He has conducted ensembles such as the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Vox Luminis, Asko|Schönberg, Netherlands Bach Society, Het Gelders Orkest, Orquesta del Teatro Argentino de La Plata, Orchestra of the Early Music department of the Royal Conservatoire, New European Ensemble, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Dutch Radio Choir, Cappella Amsterdam, and B’Rock Orchestra.
Hernán is the musical leader of Netherlands-based opera company OPERA2DAY and works as guest conductor for other companies such as Juventus Lyrica, Muziektheater Transparant, Nederlandse Reisopera, Operadagen Rotterdam, Teatro Argentino de La Plata, Dutch National Opera Studio and the Monteverdi Festival de Cremona. A selection of his operatic repertoire includes: Mozart-Da Ponte trilogy, Die Zauberflöte(Argentinean Opera of the Year 2013), Cherubini’s Médee, Charpentier’s La Troupe d’Orphée (Dutch Opera of the Year 2014), the world premiere of Calliope Tsoupaki ’s Mariken in the garden of delights, J.S. Bach – The Apocalypse (Bach-Iliopoulos) (2024), Don Quichot (Vanni Moretto, 2023), Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Rossini’s Le Comte Ory and Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet (nominated for the VSCD ovation price 2018).
He graduated Cum Laude from the Masters in Orchestral Conducting and Early Music opera conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague. His teachers were Jac van Steen, Kenneth Montgomery, Jos van Veldhoven, Ton Koopman and Reinbert de Leeuw. Hernán was part of the selection committee for the “Composers Showcase” organised by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) where he recorded the award-winning chamber music pieces with the wind soloists of the BBC NOW. Hernán teaches Ensemble Leading at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague and held the position of main classical music advisor of the Argentinean Ministry of Culture for the opening of the Centro Cultural Kirchner, where he also gave masterclasses to Argentinean conductors, along with the Argentinean National Youth Orchestra.
Hernán Schvartzman was recipient of the prestigious Huygens Scholarship, awarded by the Dutch Government, and has also been selected as a “Musical Top Talent”, “Creative Top Talent” and “Cultural Ambassador of the City” by the municipality of The Hague.
He was nominated as Best Argentinean Conductor of the Year 2014 by the Argentinean Association of Musical Reviewers.
General Director / Artistic Director
Serge van Veggel is one of the founders of OPERA2DAY. Over the years, he has developed a highly diverse range of productions there as artistic director, writer, and director. Often, he opts for a conceptual approach, creating new works from existing repertoire. This was the case, for example, with La troupe d’Orphée, featuring Charpentier’s repertoire, Dolhuys Kermis with baroque lamenti, Dr. Miracle’s last illusion with romantic repertoire, and the ‘new baroque opera’ Vivaldi – Dangerous Liaisons. Additionally, he directed productions from the repertoire such as The Fairy Queen (Purcell), La Giuditta (Alessandro Scarlatti), Médée (Cherubini), Hamlet (Thomas), Carmina Burana (Orff), and The Fall of the House of Usher by Philip Glass (as part of the Opera Melancholica production). He crafted the libretto and directed the new opera Mariken in de tuin der lusten, with music by Calliope Tsoupaki. Filmmaker Sonia Herman Dolz documented the creative process in the film Mariken, visioen van een opera. Furthermore, he has created music-theatre productions and staged recitals both within and outside OPERA2DAY. In 2023, he collaborated with three choreographers to develop Song of the Dark Forest for Scapino Ballet Rotterdam.
Anne Marie Stordiau has a background spanning government, diplomacy and the cultural sector. She served as Director of Communications and spokesperson to the Minister of Justice and Security, after which she worked as a diplomat at the Dutch Embassy in London. She initially studied viola at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, followed by studies in Law and Public Administration at the Rijksuniversiteit Leiden. She has extensive experience in governance, including roles with orchestras, theatre companies, museums and the Fund for Cultural Participation. With a strategic background and a broad network, she is committed to fostering strong connections between culture and society. Anne Marie has a particular interest in opera as an art form that uniquely brings together music, theatre, visual arts and contemporary social and political themes.
Fatma Kaya (1969) is a connector pur sang and socially involved to the bone. She works as a relationship manager for the JOGG foundation, which stands for healthy youth and a healthy future, and works with municipalities throughout the Netherlands to achieve this. Fatma has always worked in the non-profit sector for trade unions, governments and educational institutions, among others. She was a member of the Supervisory Board of the Koninklijke Schouwburg for six years, was chairman of the Women at Work Foundation in The Hague and is a member of Rotary Club ‘s Gravenhage Kijkduin.
Guus Mostart initially studied medicine. With a scholarship from the then Ministry of C.R.M., he took a stage management course at the London Opera Centre after which he joined the Netherlands Opera Foundation under Hans de Roo. In 1977, he left for the Glyndebourne Festival where he rose from Staff Producer to Associate Director and Director of Production for the Glyndebourne Touring Opera. In the more than 40 years Guus has worked in the opera world, he has held various positions including Director of Artistic Affairs Dutch Opera, Artistic Director Vancouver Opera, Director of Artistic Administration & Dramaturgy English National Opera and Intendant of the National Touring Opera.
Michaël Nieuwenhuizen has over 40 years of experience in positions as director, advisor, policy officer, programme manager, lobbyist and supervisor. He is known in the arts and culture sector as an optimistic stayer who, in combination with a large network, has a broad agenda. Michaël combines substantive knowledge of music, visual arts, heritage and media with business and managerial experience. As a creative and strategic thinker, he is strong in setting out and profiling a new course and creating support.
George Oostrom is a former CEO of a multinational claims management company. He has worked in several countries and was responsible for the business activities in the Benelux and France. He is a member of NIVRE – the Dutch Institute of Registered Experts, of which he has been (vice) chairman for several years. As a board member, he is still associated with the foundation Calamities and Projects, a foundation affiliated with NIVRE.
In addition, George is a member of various boards related to the insurance sector, such as the Institute of Financial Crime, and he is active as an editorial board member of the Salvage Foundation of the combined fire insurers. George Oostrom has a great passion for opera and classical music.