One of the most modern opera houses in the world, the Dutch National Opera & Ballet is also one of the most prestigious music institutions in the world renowned for the quality and innovative aspects of its productions. It’s rots go back to the opera house based in the the Stadsschouwburg, the municipal theatre in Amsterdam, where a national opera company was operating since the establishment of the new theatre in Leidseplein at the end of the 19th century. For many years there were discussions about building a new site which would host both the city council and an opera house in Amsterdam and it was only in 1986 that a new theatre was inaugurated in Waterlooplein which would be the base for what is now the Dutch National Opera & Ballet.
The new functional building was designed by Dutch architect Cees Dam and Wilhelm Holzbauer on the site that was once a daily market in the middle of Amsterdam. A flea market with several stall still survives to this day, in the area around the modern opera house.
The Dutch National Opera (DNO) has its own choir of 60 singers but does not enjoy a resident orchestra. Its musical productions are assisted by other Dutch orchestras, ncluding the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (NPO), the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra (NKO), the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Residentie Orkest, Den Haag (The Hague Philarmonic). For the 2021/22 season Lorenzo Viotti will be the principal conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Dutch National Opera. Lorenzo Viotti takes over from Marc Albrecht who has been the principal conductor of the orchestra for almost 10 years.
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