Bintou Were, a Sahel Opera is being performed in Africa, the first shows have been confirmed and will take place starting with a dress rehearsal on 2 November in Bamako, Mali. After that the opera will travel to other countries, here are some dates that have been confirmed;
Bamako, Mali, dress rehearsal on 2 November
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on 6 and 7 November
Nouakchott, Mauritania on 13 and 15 November
Dakar, Senegal on 20 and 21 November
Bamako, Mali on 27 and 29 November
Bintou Were, a Sahel Opera was received very well in Théatre du Châtelet in Paris where it was performed on 25, 26 and 27 October 2007. Links to some Reviews
Read the article by Koulsy Lamko on Bintou Were for Nukta Art Magazine
HM Queen Beatrix, HRH Prince Friso and HRH Princess Laurentien attended the European premiere of the Sahel Opera on 7 June in the muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam.
The performace was part of the Holland Festival and practically sold out all performances in the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam on 7,8,9, and 10 June 2007.
HM Queen Beatrix, HRH Prince Friso and HRH Princess Laurentien with members of the cast and artistic team of Bintou Were, a Sahel Opera. Photo was taken after the European premiere on 7 June in the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam.
Photo: Capital Photos
An extra performance of ‘Bintou-Were, a Sahel Opera’, during the Holland Festival was scheduled on 10 June in the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ. Ticketsto the performances on 7, 8 & 9 June sold out.
The team of Bintou Were, a Sahel Opera, arrived at Schiphol 2 June 2007, here is a photo with the Director of the Prince Claus Fund, Els van der Plas and persons of the artistic team and the cast who is ready to perform the Opera
in the Muziekgebouw
in Amsterdam - photo Capital Photos
The premiere of the Sahel Opera was originally scheduled for November 2006 but was delayed due to the sudden death of production coordinator, Michel Mavros.
On February 17th, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Friso, Princess Mabel, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands attended the world premiere of ‘Bintou Were, a Sahel Opera’ in Bamako, Mali. This unique African production was held on a specially built open-air theatre on the banks of the Niger before an audience of 2000. Prince Friso and Prince Constantijn are the Prince Claus Fund’s honorary chairmen.
The three main singers and four musicians performed a scene from the opera at the 2006 Prince Claus Awards Ceremony, December 13, 2006, in Amsterdam, giving that international audience a taste of the production to come.
On Monday 9 October 2006 Michel Mavros passed away in his home in Paris. Michel Mavros played a central role in the production of the Sahel Opera as production co-ordinator and talent scout for Africa. read more
