Description
Seville, Spain, is home to the Teatro de la Maestranza opera house. It was created as one of the main cultural venues for Expo '92 and first opened its doors in 1991, shortly before the start of the World's Fair. In 2005, the theater was renovated.
Although the Teatro de la Maestranza's main focus is opera, it also features performances of the Spanish operetta Zarzuela and other musical performances.
The theater's resident orchestra is the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville (ROSS), and its artistic director is Pedro Halfter. The theater is the main concert hall of ROSS and home to the choir of the Society of Friends of the Maestrantsa Theater.
One of the most tragic events that occurred in the theater was an incident that occurred on July 16, 1992 during a rehearsal of Verdi's Othello at the Paris National Opera. A suspended platform forming part of the set collapsed onto the stage, killing one of the choir members and injuring 41 others, some of them seriously.