The Liceu is not just a theater, but also a "country project"

There is no tourist who has not set foot on La Rambla. Likewise, there is no Barcelonian who has not strolled along this emblematic and always busy street. There are many buildings and reasons that make this avenue unique and turn it into a mandatory stop for foreigners and locals alike, such as, for example, marveling at the prodigious lyrical voices of the Gran Teatre del Liceu. A musical institution that not only represents the spirit of La Rambla, but also that of a Barcelona that wants to project itself to the world through its commitment to artistic excellence and innovation.

The emblematic hall of opera faces the future with the challenge of attracting new audiences, but without forgetting its more than 185 years of history. "The historical roots of the Liceu are also those that feed its future strategies," assured Valentí Oviedo, general director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, in a new session of the Moments Estel·lars cycle, organized by The New Barcelona Post with the collaboration of Casa Seat, Barcelona Global, Must Media Group and Giny Barcelona, and moderated by journalist and UPF-BSM professor Toni Aira. Elements such as its pedagogical aspect, the commitment to talent and new creation, or the importance of public-private collaboration have marked the Liceu's more than centennial trajectory, but they are also the basis of the projects with which the institution faces the 19th century.

With this foundation, the theater looks to the future with the need to constantly rethink itself to continue moving new audiences, and already complements its usual lyrical programming with dance shows or sessions especially for young people, among others. In addition, to adapt to new times, the Liceu also has on the table an ambitious project to transcend its historic walls, three decades after the fire that devoured it, and open up to the sea through a second venue.

A second hall that will also be located on La Rambla, but at the very end of this emblematic street, in Port Vell. The Liceu Mar project, which was announced more than two years ago, was halted by the celebration of the America's Cup, and has been reactivated after it was ruled out that the competition would be held again in the city. Thus, the port and the theater signed the agreement at the end of October to call for the architecture competition that will define this new cultural facility.

A new venue that, however, still does not have a defined location, as the agreement of intentions of the two institutions does not specify its location ---despite the fact that it had initially been placed in the old Imax cinema---, beyond determining that it will be located in the Moll d'Espanya. The general director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu has assured that the institution is working on this project with the idea that it becomes "a shared project, that listens and adds all relevant voices and entities." The theater's objective with this second venue is to complement its usual programming, offering in this new space an international cycle of newly created opera and reinforcing its commitment to dance shows.

"The Liceu is not just a theater, but, with projects like Liceu Mar, it becomes a country project," Oviedo defended. A shared future project that, however, is based on the historical values of the Liceu, such as its pedagogical and educational aspect, as this second venue also aims to reinforce the family offerings of the venue.

The theater was born precisely with this clear educational vocation, as the seed of the theater germinated in 1837 in the current Portal del Ángel, con the idea of creating a conservatory comparable to the Conservatory of Music and Declamation of Maria Cristina of Madrid. Thus, in 1844 it was decided to build a new building to house this institution in the old convent of the Trinitarians.

For the construction, they also had the money contributed by wealthy families who received, in exchange for their contributions, the right to use boxes and seats. A public-private financing model that has endured in the theater's trajectory until today. With a budget of 54.8 million euros for this season, half of which comes from public administrations and the remaining part is contributed by the musical institution's own income. "The venue continues with the will to be an independent theater, despite its clear public vocation," its general director emphasized.

Before deciding to locate in Port Vell, from the Liceu they also studied other locations, such as the Teatre Principal, currently owned by Grupo Balañà, which reached an agreement with Inversiones Hoteleras Atir, with José María Trénor as CEO. "This is a venue that would seem like the natural option, because it is on the same street, a few steps from the Liceu, but which, however, does not have a stage box," a fact that makes it impossible to execute the theater's plans in this space.

An ambitious project that aims to respond to the demands of the new audience of the 19th century. A goal that the lyrical hall also pursues through initiatives such as Liceu under 35, special sessions designed for those under 35 with subsidized prices. "The purpose of the hall is to touch, inspire and transform; our motivation is to try to move and transform people, and we only achieve this if what we put on stage is very good," Oviedo stressed. A humanist purpose that the hall pursues this season with 206 performances, which include 13 opera titles, 13 concerts or recitals and three dance shows.

"The Liceu is one of the best-valued theaters, and it is because of its commitment to craftsmanship, to its own production, since we always try to work for artistic excellence and even compete with ourselves compared to last year," remarked the general director. Among the 206 performances this season, seven productions have their own Liceu seal, six opera and one dance, such as the world premiere of Wagner's great-granddaughter's version of Lohengrin, "Opera has a universal language that impacts and moves, that makes a hall with more than 2,000 people vibrate and be connected by the same voice and emotion," Oviedo expressed.

Even so, despite the commitment to attracting new audiences, the Liceu does not forget its recurring attendees, such as the more than 15,000 subscribers, with an average age of 64 ---while the age of non-subscribing audiences is 45 years old---. In addition, the institution promotes the Liceu Plus initiative, its new digital platform, which not only allows recovering the great performances that have premiered in the hall, but also seeing them from a new perspective, such as viewing them from the stage manager's point of view or from backstage, or observing it with the score on screen.

Despite these new projects, the Liceu still has pending challenges to face, such as the high price of its tickets, which place it as one of the theaters with the most expensive tickets. "Tickets for our shows are not as accessible as they should be," Oviedo lamented, who estimated that in order to lower prices, annual ticket revenues would have to reach 20 million euros, while now they register around 18 million each year. Among the objectives set by the hall in its Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2026, the acoustic improvement of the theater also remains pending, as well as an even greater commitment to its own productions.