In this episode of Opera Road Trip, host Sebastian Schwarz turns to Croatia as a revealing case study for the operatic realities of smaller European countries. The episode argues that Croatia exemplifies a broader structural paradox: strong national institutions, permanent ensembles, and a rich operatic tradition operating under conditions of limited scale, modest international visibility, and constant pressure to justify public funding. Tracing the development of opera from Austro-Hungarian and Italian influences through the Yugoslav period and into the present, the discussion shows how history, politics, and geography continue to shape artistic life today. Alongside historical context, the episode features voices from within the Croatian operatic ecosystem — Iva Hraste-Sočo, general and artistic director of the Croatian National Theatre, Diana Haller and Marko Mimica, two Croatian born and raised and internationally sought-after singers.

In this episode of Opera Road Trip, host Sebastian Schwarz turns the spotlight from national operatic traditions to a crucial gateway for emerging artists: singing competitions. Against the backdrop of increasingly opaque casting processes, the episode explores why competitions continue to play a decisive — and controversial — role in operatic careers today.

Opera Road Trip’s fourth episode is dedicated to opera in Vienna. We hear from Kristine Tornquist and Jury Everhartz, founders and directors of Sirene Operntheater, about the work of the independent opera companies and their newest opera Abendsonne, set in a retirement home. We speak with Stefan Herheim, Intendant of Theater an der Wien, about his thoughts on running an opera house. 200 years ago, Vienna’s most prominent music critic Eduard Hanslick was born – known for his scathing reviews especially of Richard Wagner’s work. Time to have a look at the role of the critic – back then and today - with Vienna’s leading music journalist and critic Walter Weidringer.

Opera Road Trip’s third episode is dedicated to opera in Ireland. We hear from Rosetta Cucchi, Artistic Director of Wexford Festival Opera about rediscovering forgotten repertoire; from Fergus Sheil and Diego Fasciati, respectively Artistic Director and CEO of the relatively young Irish National Opera about the birth of their national institution, and from the three mesmerizing Irish mezzosopranos Ann Murray, Tara Erraught and Niamh O’Sullivan about their paths to opera in a country without a developed operatic infrastructure.

Opera Road Trip’s second episode is dedicated to opera in Ukraine. We hear from Anna Gadetzka, program direction of Open Opera Ukraine about creating alternatives to the state-run opera factories; from Vasyl Vovkun, director of the Lviv National Opera, Bogdan Strutynsky, director of the National Operetta of Ukraine and Galyna Grygorenko, first deputy minister of culture of Ukraine, about the country’s operatic heritage and repertoire and about the current challenges of running opera companies.

Opera Road Trip’s first episode is, dutifully, dedicated to opera in Italy. We hear from Danila Grassi, a young conductor making her way in what in Italy is still a male-dominated world; from author, critic and librettist Alberto Mattioli and from the CEO of the Rome Opera house (Teatro dell’Opera di Roma) Francesco Giambrone about the current state of opera in the country of its birth, political influence and what seems to be working in the search for new audiences.