“The journey so far has been incredible, a fantastic endeavour for me, personally, to have had the opportunity to lead. We’ve staged over 200 shows featuring over 2,000 artists for a live audience of over 200,000.” – Jasper Hope When Dubai Opera first opened its doors in the summer of 2016, all eyes were on this new realm of entertainment in the region, with the king of opera, Plácido Domingo himself, gracing the stage. Now, almost two years later, having wrapped up several iconic shows including Mary Poppins, Les Misèrables and Romeo & Juliet, Dubai Opera has carved a niche for itself as a hub for arts and culture in the Middle East.“We’ve staged over 200 shows featuring over 2,000 artists for a live audience of over 200,000,” says Jasper Hope. “But we always have the next event to look forward to.” Everyone’s attention is now turned to the new season of shows lined up at Dubai Opera in the months ahead including Georges Bizet’s Carmen in September as well as Ghost – The Musical and Swan Lake by the Houston Ballet in October.
But, legendary productions aside, Dubai Opera promises a lot more in the months ahead. Earlier this year, 90’s pop sensation Steps took to the stage for a musical extravaganza. And the line-up of pop artists doesn’t stop there. Fans can look forward to live music concerts featuring popular Arab artist Assala, folk singer Suzanne Vega and Irish singer Imelda May.
But that’s not all! Stand-up comedy fans can also expect some side-splitting entertainment at the venue with performances by celebrated artists Al Murray, Omar Hamdi, Esther Manito, Prince Abdi and Karim Duval.
While it might seem like the venue is deviating from its traditional format of entertainment, Hope argues: “Dubai Opera was always intended to be a multi-purpose venue offering the best from a wide variety of genres. We vary our programme frequently so as to appeal to as many different interests as possible. It doesn’t mean we don’t have opera, ballet and classical music as a key part of our programme each year – we do – it just means that we can think broader than that.” So, when it comes to marking our social calendars, Hope promises there’s something for everyone.
Being the man behind the scenes is certainly no easy feat, as Hope points out. “It takes a lot of hard work, while also being surrounded by a great team working just as hard.”
But the role does come with its perks. Talking about his favourite opera moment, he says: “It’s difficult to beat the opening night. Welcoming His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and introducing him to Plácido Domingo is a moment I shall treasure forever.” As for the future, his sights are set high. All he leaves us with is: “If you happen to come across Adele’s number, please pass it on.”
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