Opera Studies

Since its creation, opera has consistently figured as an important research area in CESEM. Within this it has assumed extremely diverse forms both in terms of subject matter, approaches and in how it has been structured. The theme of opera and its related genres is a central element in the Music in the Modern Period and Critical Theory and Communication Research Groups, though the question of the continuity of opera as a genre and the notion of theatricality as a compositional element are also very live issues in the Contemporary Music Research Group. This thematic strand parts from a broad conception of what constitutes ‘opera studies’, encompassing not only opera in the strict sense but also other related genres that were performed in the same spaces.