The Amazonas Opera Festival is an annual event which takes place between April and May every year at Teatro Amazonas, the stunning Belle Époque opera house in Manaus, Brazil.
The festival is a great occasion to visit the opera house, opened in 1896 during the heyday of Brazil's Rubber Cycle. Considered the most important architectural heritage site in Amazonas State, the opera house has a capacity of 701 and was completely restored in 1990.
Other cultural venues in Manaus, such as Centro Cultural Palácio da Justiça, host some of the festival's events.
Besides the staging of operas and the gathering of Brazilian and international musicians for chamber concerts and other musical presentations, the festival is also known for its academic programs.
The festival takes place around late April and May. Check the official website (www.amazonasfestivalopera.com) for updates on the 16th edition of the event, in 2012.
Accessibility and Inclusion in the Amazonas Opera Festival:
The 2011 edition of the Amazonas Opera Festival brought some important developments in inclusion and accessibility.
The festival's closing performance at the wheelchair-accessible Centro Cultural Largo de São Sebastião had audio description services. The live performance and the video transmissions were translated to Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). Information is not available about perspectives in English or other sign languages in future festivals.
