Enoa

enoa (European network of opera academies) was created in 2009, at the initiative of several institutions willing to join forces and to create more cooperation among them, for the benefit of the artists of the sector. This unique initiative has enabled hundreds of talents from all over Europe to perfect their technical skills and thrive in their artistic practice, to broaden their prospects and fuel new creative ambitions. Having become a privileged space for experimentation and the development of new works, enoa is also a place for a large community of artists and institutions, brought together with a shared aim: to contribute to the vitality of opera, to maintain high standards of quality while opening up the doors to a large diversity of new and exciting artists.

In order to achieve these ambitions and challenges, the network was lucky enough to be supported by the European Union, through the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission.

From 2011 to 2015, the network developed its inaugural programme, called European network of opera academies. During this first cycle of activities, enoa brought its partners together to organise and share workshops focused on artistic development. The objective was to train emerging artists and promote their mobility, while encouraging the creation and performance of new operas all over Europe.

From 2016 to 2020, enoa launched its Young Opera Makers programme. It elevated career trajectories and fostered innovative creative processes on a European scale. In a rapidly changing industry, where the role of creation, the development of new forms, the exploration of innovative creative processes and audience renewal are among the major challenges for opera professionals, the issue of the training and occupational integration of young creators and performers was of crucial importance. Young Opera Makers programme’s aim was, through a wide variety of activities hosted by enoa, to offer them excellent training, with an interdisciplinary and contemporary approach to opera, enable them to perform and experience creative processes, help them to develop their artistic project step by step, and increase their visibility and access to international recruitment circuits.

From 2020 to 2024, the network went a step further. With the Empowering Opera programme, enoa once again demonstrated the network's ability to innovate, thanks to the even stronger connections among the different partners and sector. The members of enoa believe that the future of opera in Europe depends on the sector being open to a greater diversity of artists as well as being open to exploring innovative operas telling inclusive stories that reflect the world today.  This third programme aimed to empower the operatic sector so that is more open and representative of the society. It was designed to give the greatest possible diversity of artists the chance to be part of the opera world and flourish professionally. It aimed to inspire, support and showcase innovative opera projects which tell new stories that reflect contemporary societies. Its implementation also intended to remove artistic and financial barriers as well as subconscious bias that hinder the appearance of new artistic expressions in all areas of the opera sector, from training and artist recruitment to opera production and programme.

Through these initiatives, enoa has supported bold and inclusive opera projects that resonate with contemporary society. This legacy of creativity and collaboration would not have been possible without the incredible artists and the dedicated network of partners and associates who make up the enoa community.

In its 15 years of activity, enoa has supported over 2.000 artists, as well as the development and European touring of 22 opera productions, including 17 world premieres.

After successfully securing a Creative Europe grant for three consecutive cycles (2011-2024), the network recently applied for a fourth project, focusing on the sustainability of the opera sector and its stakeholders. Unfortunately, the network was not successful this time: the ambitions were high, but so was the competition. enoa is currently reflecting on its next chapter!

The enoa partners who participated in the Empowering Opera programme (2020-2024) were the following:

The network also had a pool of 11 associated partners and networks:

Over the years and since 2009, enoa also collaborated with other partners institutions on the previous programmes, who are still part on our enoa ecosystem:

From 2025 onwards, the enoa network is no longer developing a programme supported by the European Commission, as it has done in the previous years. Nevertheless, the enoa partners are eager to maintain the spirit of enoa and continue fostering meaningful connections across the sector. As we are navigating through this new chapter, the enoa partners are still committed to exploring new ways to support artistic creation and artist mobility, staying true to enoa’s core values of equality, diversity, and inclusion.

The network will remain open to new collaborations and opportunities that support artists and institutions alike, and will ensure ways to share these opportunities widely to our community.

You can still reach us at info@enoa-community.com.

Alternatively, feel free to contact our partners directly and to subscribe to our newsletter here to get updates about opportunities and enoa’s next development!