Divino Sospiro - La Statira: The Emergence of Modern Opera

La Statira: The Emergence of Modern Opera

This concert forms part of the “From the City to the Atlantic” project, conceived as an operational framework for promoting the international mobility of teachers and students and contributing to the creation of a stable and lasting network between Italian, Spanish and Portuguese institutions active in the fields of music education and musicological research.

The project also aims to involve students not merely as recipients, but as active protagonists in the educational process. Their participation in the production of Alessandro Scarlatti’s ‘La Statira’, their interaction with peers from different countries, and the experience of artistic placements in highly qualified international settings enhance the appeal of the educational pathway, making it equally attractive to students from third countries.

Cooperation between the Santa Cecilia Conservatory of Rome, the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, the Escola de Música do Conservatório Nacional de Lisboa, the Complutense University of Madrid and NOVA University Lisbon — institutions of excellence that are key reference points for music education in the European Mediterranean region — is based on the sharing of expertise, educational experience and artistic practices. It takes shape through workshops, joint seminars, open rehearsals, masterclasses, study periods and musical production projects developed in partnership.

The project promotes the international mobility of students and teachers, actively contributing to the consolidation of the European Higher Education Area. These structured collaborations, built around shared objectives, strengthen the reputation of the institutions involved and foster their internationalisation.

Through the practical laboratory dedicated to Alessandro Scarlatti’s ‘La Statira’, the project not only encourages the exchange of good practices and the academic and artistic mobility of students and teachers, but also proposes a replicable model of cultural co-creation and co-production. The choice of a historically informed production bears witness to the high level of specialisation of the participating institutions and to the educational value of the expertise they bring to the project.

At the same time, the consolidation of lasting relationships between European institutions fully supports the objectives of internationalisation strategies, in line with the European vision of higher education as an integrated system. It also enables the creation of a strategic Mediterranean axis capable of attracting talent from other international contexts, both within and beyond Europe.

This process has also been supported by guidance and mentoring activities designed to assist students and teachers throughout the different stages of their international experience — preparation, participation and subsequent follow-up.

Tonight’s performance is therefore the tangible expression of this project. On stage, internationally acclaimed artists will share the stage with students from the partner institutions, symbolising an ideal passing of the torch between the period of training and the beginning of an artistic career that we hope will be filled with success and achievement.

Parques de Sintra, always committed to fostering an ecosystem grounded in artistic, aesthetic and human values, joined this initiative from the outset, supporting its development and making a decisive contribution to its realisation.

DIVINO SOSPIRO

PROGRAMME:

• Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725): La Statira, opera in three acts

What's Included

• Admission to the concert venue from 20:30 pm.
• Concert at 9.00 pm.

Additional Information

• Recommended for audiences aged 6 and over.
• Late admission is not permitted.
• Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded except in the event of a change of date or cancellation.
• Please plan your journey in advance according to your chosen means of transport to ensure you arrive on time.

Getting there

• The National Palace and Gardens of Queluz are located at the following coordinates: 38º 45’ 1.46” N 9º 15’ 28.40” W.
• Public transport: Approximately a 15-minute walk from the Palace, the “Queluz – Quatro Caminhos” stop is served by Carris Metropolitana bus routes 1717, 1601, 1530 and 1602. Route no. 1513, operated by the same company, stops directly in front of the Palace.
• Private vehicle: On the IC19 (between Lisbon and Sintra), take the “Queluz-Palácio” exit.
• Parques de Sintra’s responsibilities are limited to the parks and monuments under its management. The company is not responsible for external circumstances, namely access routes and transport to the sites.

Nights of Queluz 2026

• Artistic Director: Massimo Mazzeo
• Promoter: Parques de Sintra
• Partner: Divino Sospiro
• Support: Sintra Municipality
• Media Partner: Antena 2