Teatro Real

The Teatro Real is the main opera house in Madrid, the capital of Spain. Located opposite the royal palace.

It was built in 1850 by order of Queen Isabella II and opened on November 19 of the same year with Donizetti's opera "The Favorite". In 1867, the Madrid Conservatory was located in the same building. In 1863, Giuseppe Verdi attended a performance of his opera “Force of Destiny” at the theater; in 1925, Nijinsky and Stravinsky attended the Russian Ballet tour. In the same year, during the construction of the metro, the building fell into disrepair and the theater was closed. It was renovated only in 1966, but the building was converted into a concert hall, where the National Orchestra of Spain and the Symphony Orchestra of the Spanish Radio and Television performed, and in 1969 the Eurovision song contest was held here. The building then underwent another renovation, and in 1997, with a program of ballets by de Falla and the premiere of an opera by contemporary composer García Abril, the Royal Theater reopened as an opera house.

From 1997 to 2001, its musical director was Luis Antonio García Navarro, and from 2003 to 2010, Jesus López Cobos.

The artistic director of the theater since 2013 is Joan Matabosch.