From 23 May to 1 June 2025, O. Festival for Opera. Music. Theatre celebrates its 20th anniversary with performances by Silbersee, Nicole Beutler and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and more. In 20 years, the Rotterdam festival (once started under the name Operadagen Rotterdam) has become an international example in the field of opera innovation. The festival is characterised by its unique combination of innovation and accessibility. During the 2025 edition, a major role is reserved for (amateur) choirs, as in the opening performance Café de Verlossing and in Anima Obscura*. During the festival, performances and concerts can be seen throughout the city. From works in progress to world premieres, made by young makers and established names from home and abroad.
‘A common thread running through next year’s programming is the use of vocal choirs. More than ever, it is becoming clear how important it is for us to connect people, and what could do more for that than singing together? At O., we bring together all types of voices, from professional to amateur, from young to old, from Western to far beyond and from classical to contemporary’. Guy Coolen, artistic director O.
Opening performance
On Friday 23 May, Silbersee O. 2025 kicks off with Café de Verlossing, an imaginative folk opera by composer Akim Moïseenkov in which seniors, recruited locally, play the role of a lifetime. The cast also includes singers Fanny Alofs and Florian Slangen, percussionist Baue Kunstman and the Café choir of ‘forgotten old souls’. After the opening night, Café de Verlossing can be seen until 28 May.
The first names
On the first weekend of the festival, Hannibal at TR25 Schouwburg provides a sizzling mix of opera, slam, house and more. On the same days, 24 Italian Songs & Arias by Brian Lobel with Gweneth-Ann Rand (soprano) and special guests can be seen at Kantine Walhalla, a performance about being rejected in the professional world.
In Dante Songbook, Sterre Konijn (i.c.w. Silbersee) descends into the dark caverns of Dante’s world and her own soul, in search of love as well as darkness. In NOW WE ARE EARTH, all earthlings – humans, animals, plants, fungi and technology – go in search of balance. Nicole Beutler, artist in residence, is the creator of this musical, visual dance opera with a vision of the future.
The festival concludes in the last weekend of May with *Anima Obscura, the human quest for immortality in an innovative total experience with dance, live music, holograms, animations and video performance. For this performance, four Rotterdam-based parties, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in collaboration with Laurens Symphonic, Luxor and O., are working closely together. In the same weekend, artist in residence Andrea Voets (Resonate Productions) presents CHORA, in which she makes an attempt at recovery for people who have been fundamentally excluded, oppressed and humiliated during their lives.
The full programme
The full programme will be announced in early April, which is also when individual ticket sales for performances will start. Day tickets (24, 25, 29, 30 and 31 May) and passe-partouts (23 May to 1 June) are already on sale now at o-festival.nl/tickets for an advantageous early booking price.
Locatie
O. gebruikt haar stad als podium en decor. Veel voorstellingen zijn op onalledaagse en onontdekte locaties in de stad: pleinen, woonkamers, kerken, een oude wasserij, winkel, bovenop de Bijenkorf en zelfs een fitnesscentrum.