Project Butterfly nominated for International Opera Awards sustainability prize

Project Butterfly, an initiative focused on boosting environmental awareness in opera creation, has been nominated for the Sustainability category at the 2026 International Opera Awards. Led by the Teatro Comunale Pavarotti-Freni in Modena, the project is a collaboration involving Opera BOX in Helsinki, Opera Baltica in Gdansk, the environmental agency AESS, and partners Heimspiel and GOPAcom.

Co-financed by the European Creative Europe program, the initiative aims to implement sustainable practices throughout all stages of opera production. The project successfully reduced its carbon footprint by more than 50% through the use of modular scenery, ecological materials, the elimination of unnecessary transport, and remote musical rehearsals developed by GARR.

The International Opera Awards, often referred to as the ‘Oscars of the lyrical world’, will hold its official ceremony on November 21, 2026, at the MusikTheater in Vienna.