Communication and educational challenges of the arts in new media: the case of the opera

Abstract

In the XXI century, art industries aim to reach younger and wider audiences. Driven by this aspiration and immersed in the new digital era, opera has decided to base its strategy to approach larger audiences on audiovisual communication and education. This article discusses how these two lines of action are taking shape and questions if in its relationships with the media, either in its communicative or educational schemes, opera sufficiently knows how to take profit from all the abilities of the young to connect with them and modulate their culture. Our study concludes that in order to achieve the objectives it has set for itself, opera should refocus its strategy, step up and face a real mediatic audiovisualisation of its actions, rather than trying to exploit through more channels media’s capacity to broadcast on live. In short, this is nowadays opera’s real communicative and educational challenge.