Paphos opera tickets nearly sold out in Cyprus, Winter events in early 2008

Last minute ticket sales are going well for next weekend’s ninth Paphos Aphrodite Festival, featuring Giuseppe Verdi’s third operatic success, Il Trovatore, at the medieval Paphos castle with the organisers saying that less tickets remain unsold compared to the same time last year.

Stella Siepi, the General Coordinator of the publicly-owned venture that includes local municipalities, the Paphos Chamber of Commerce and the hoteliers association as its main shareholders, told the Financial Mirror that all 7,500 tickets are expected to be sold this year, compared to some 1,000 that remained unsold last year.

“The good seats are going fast and with foreign sales accounting for about 45% of all, there are not many left,” she said, adding that the biggest grouping of ticket holders are traditionally from Nicosia.

“As soon as they see the stage going up, people will come forward for last-minute sales, for which we have a number of tickets in reserve.”

But Siepi does not want to sit on her laurels. Looking ahead and keeping a balance between good quality productions and sound finances is what is going to keep the Paphos opera afloat and on the international scene.

This year’s production staged by the Abai State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre of Kazakhstan will cost the organisers about CYP 235,000 (EUR 402,000), significantly less than last year’s production of Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” by the famous State Academic Mariinsky Theatre of Russia.

However, the finances seem to be better as income from sponsors and ticket sales will help keep a healthy balance sheet, while a long-term debt owed to the Paphos Municipality for the purchase of the 2,500-capacity seating construction is nearing its end.

 

— Greater independence

“This year our board has also decided to establish a separate accounting department as opposed to paying in all revenues to the Paphos Municipality and working on a budget from town hall,” Siepi said. In addition, the shareholders will from now on guarantee the festival company’s loans.

She believes that these moves, as well as creating an executive position for her post which she took up nearly a year ago, will give the organisers greater independence to work throughout the year, as the ticket sales only started in February this year.

Nassos Hadjigeorgiou, Marketing Manager of the Paphos Tourism Board, said that despite the drop in tourist arrivals from Britain and Germany, ticket sales for the opera have done well with the Russian tourists and the Russian community of Cyprus, who, as was the case with the Mariinsky Theatre last year are looking forward to enjoying a performance by a Russian-school operatic and theatre company.

Direct sales also take place through the network of Paphos hotels and travel agents that offer special packages for the opera, while Bank of Cyprus is promoting ticket sales for AmericanExpress card users who get a 10% rebate on their purchases as part of the Dorometro loyalty scheme.

“The end of August and the first week of September traditionally sees a gap in tourist arrivals, sometimes because of the start of the school and the end of family holidays,” Hadjigeorgiou told the Financial Mirror.

But the benefit is even greater for Paphos, he said, because the year-long campaign and publicity for the opera alone attract interest to Paphos as an all-year destination.

 

— Plans for winter festival

 

Savvas Vergas, who as Paphos Mayor is the ex-officio chairman of the Paphos Aphrodite Festival Company, said that tourism is much better this year and is encouraged by the great demand for tickets, particularly online and from foreign residents and tourists.

“Last year we had a difficult summer season in Paphos, but the arrival of the world-class Mariinsky Theatre last year gave a much-needed injection with the performance of ‘Un Ballo in Maschera’,” Vergas said.

“The greatest attraction of our performance and what tourist enjoy most is that the Paphos opera is the only open-air event of its kind, in a beautiful setting of the harbour medieaval castle. It is a challenge for the performers themselves and greatly appreciated by the audience, many of whom now return to Cyprus each year just for the opera,” he added.

Looking ahead, Mayor Vergas told the Financial Mirror that special events are being planned to promote next year’s tenth anniversary festival.

He also revealed that a new concept will be the Paphos Aphrodite Winter Festival, possibly in January or February 2008, that will be within the spirit of the present festival and that he expects the cooperation of the hoteliers and the local tourism sector to make it happen.

“Their cooperation has been granted in the past and I am sure they will be there for us again, as we try to promote tourism in the winter months as well,” Vergas said.

Stella Siepi added that the new administration is already working for the next festival that will be the landmark tenth next year.

 

— More novelties

 

“We have already invited bids for interest for next year’s production that has to be quite different as it is our tenth anniversary.”

She added that the educational aspect of the festival has also been highlighted this year, with students from the Paphos high schools attending the dress rehearsal and hearing first-hand from the officials of the opera about the production.

Louisa Coudounari of Kolizey Productions that is bringing in the opera group from Kazakhstan, said that another novelty this year is the insurance against loss of revenue due to rain, something that secures the festival’s long-term viability despite unforeseen events that could wash out the whole event and its six-figure budget.

As regards the production itself, there will be champagne stands and more reception areas, while additional screens will go up the sides of the spectators’ grandstand to reduce the strong wind effect late in the evenings.

While this is the Kazakhstan opera and theatre company’s first Paphos performance, a number of the performers are no strangers to the town having been involved in the festival’s previous productions. The director, Irkin Gabitov, was Stage Director of the Mariinsky Theatre in 1988 and has since staged many operas including an open-air production of the opera Turandot in Vyborg (2002) and “Un Ballo in Maschera” in Paphos last year.

The other stars of the show are Akhmed Agadi – tenor, Daurbaeva Gulzat – soprano, Alexander Gergalov – baritone and Dina Khamzina – mezzo-soprano. Two Cypriot sopranos will also be taking part in the opera – Maria Papaioannou and Marianna Souri.

All performances will begin at 8 pm and tickets are priced from CYP 20 to 35 (EUR 34.30 – 59.85) for the side stands and CYP 45 (EUR 76.95) fro the central section, the same as last year. As in previous years, there will also be ‘supertitles’ both in English and Greek.

For information, call the toll free number 8000-8005, the main office number – 26822218 or log onto www.pafc.com.cy. Tickets can be booked online and paid for by credit card.