Young Opera for all of Sweden

With the initiative Unga Operan för hela Sverige (Young Opera for all of Sweden), the Royal Swedish Opera, Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet, is taking a decisive step towards contributing to the right of all children to the performing arts. Over the next five years, Unga Operan will reach all 290 municipalities in Sweden through educational activities, such as interactive opera and ballet workshops and several tours.

The initiative is made possible by a support from the Olle Engkvist Foundation of SEK 27.5 million spread over five years. The foundation sees the support as an opportunity to contribute to children throughout the country having the chance to discover and experience opera and ballet, and thereby inspire meaningful leisure time and a lifelong interest in culture.

»Now that the Stockholm Opera House is to be renovated, there is a golden opportunity for us to meet more children and young people in new places for us. The support gives us the opportunity to realize our dream of visiting 290 municipalities during this five-year period and thereby increase cultural equality in Sweden. When we move back to the Opera House in 2032, we hope that the Young Opera will have become a matter of course for children and young people throughout the country,« says Ellen Lamm, artistic director of the Young Opera.

The foundation's support also enables a greater number of performances at the Museum of Performing Arts – the home stage of the Young Opera when the Opera House is renovated. The initiative also provides a chance to develop new forms of cooperation with municipalities and local cultural actors and thereby create new ways to complement and strengthen local and regional cultural life.

The Young Opera for the whole of Sweden has been preceded by development work that has been made possible through established collaborations with the Opera's partner Wallenius and the Signatur foundation.

About the Young Opera

The Royal Swedish Opera's activities for children and young people make opera, ballet and music accessible to children and young people throughout the country through performances of the highest artistic level and inclusive educational activities. Each year, the Young Opera performs around 700 performances and activities that reach 50,000 children, both in school and during their free time.

About the Olle Engkvist Foundation

The Olle Engkvist Foundation supports scientific research with identified focus areas within the humanities, natural sciences and technology, and medicine. The foundation also provides grants to organizations that work for children, the elderly and the disabled. Read more about the foundation here.