Vienna State Opera opens season with free, all-star gala concert | News

VIENNA, Sept 8, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - No dress code, no stiff atmosphere and no entry fees: Thousands flocked to a Viennese park Sunday as the Vienna State Opera opened its 2025-26 season with a star-studded open-air gala concert for the first time. The free, open-air concert was the state opera's latest effort to "open the house to all - especially new listeners", it said in a statement. Among the world-class singers performing were Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca, German tenor Jonas Kaufmann, Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund and French tenor Benjamin Bernheim. "I'm very happy that I can be a part of such an event because our goal is to communicate with people, regardless their race, nationality, the political situation, and the...