The future of leadership in cultural organisations, the challenges of institutional governance, and new sustainability and fundraising strategies will be amongst the themes addressed at OLA’s gathering, which will be held in Lima for the first time, with the Teatro Municipal de Lima as host. The 19th OLA Annual Conference will take place between 16 and 19 June, and will also include networking sessions, professional exchange, and a marketplace with representatives from some of the leading theatres, festivals, and cultural organisations in Ibero-America.

In a world where 70% of people — according to the latest 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer report — admit they no longer trust those who think differently, placing people at the centre of our attention becomes essential. Growing pessimism, polarisation, international conflicts, forced displacement, and economic crises challenge humanity across every sphere. Against this backdrop, the 19th Annual Conference of Ópera Latinoamérica (OLA) will focus on governance and leadership, bringing together directors and leaders of opera houses, festivals, and lyric companies from around the world at the Teatro Municipal de Lima.

“This gathering strengthens relationships amongst member organisations, not only across Latin America, but also with European and North American opera houses. Cooperation lies at the heart of what we do, and we firmly believe in a connected, collaborative world, open to ideas and new possibilities, with organisations equipped to face the challenges of our times,” says Carmen Gloria Larenas, chair of the board of Ópera Latinoamérica.

The 19th Annual Conference is organised by OLA in partnership with the Teatro Municipal de Lima and the Gerencia de Cultura de la Municipalidad de Lima. “It is a privilege for the Municipalidad de Lima and for our municipal theatres to host the 19th edition of the OLA Annual Conference for the first time in Peru. This is a commitment that helps consolidate opera in Lima — an initiative that began only a few years ago, but one that, thanks to OLA, will mark a fundamental moment in giving this endeavour much greater visibility on the international stage,” says Miguel Molinari, head of culture at the Municipalidad de Lima.

This edition of the conference comprises two major components. The first, exclusive to OLA members, includes the association’s general assembly, a Technical Forum meeting, the Mercado de Producciones — a platform designed to promote co-production and circulation amongst members — and the Mercado Global, a showcase for new artistic projects open to attendees upon prior registration. The second component, open to the public — free of charge for the host country’s cultural sector — is a seminar exploring issues of relevance to the field, in this case effective governance and leadership.

“The landscape of crisis and accelerated change demands that organisations strengthen their capacity for adaptation, resilience, and flexibility, led by leaders who are mindful and connected with their teams. We have designed the 19th OLA Annual Conference to redirect our gaze towards people, as — according to a 2025 World Economic Forum report — human skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence are indispensable for innovation, productivity, economic resilience, and, ultimately, sustainability. In this sense, we hope to provide attendees with leadership tools suited to the times, alongside new strategies for navigating the funding challenges facing cultural organisations,” explains Paulina Ricciardi, executive director of OLA.

The 19th OLA Annual Conference will be attended by directors and representatives of leading Ibero-American theatres, including the Teatro Colón de Buenos Aires, the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, the Teatro Municipal de Santiago, the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo, the Teatro Real, and the Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofía, amongst other opera houses, companies, festivals, and lyric institutions from the region.

Global leaders in cultural management will also be in attendance, including Michael J. Bobbitt, president and executive director of OPERA America, a collaborative organisation of OLA; Christina Loewen, executive director of The Association for Opera in Canada; Lars Ebert, secretary general of the European cultural organisations network Culture Action Europe; Susan Johnston, director of operations at the Southbank Centre in London; and Alejandra Claros, secretary general of CAF – Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe.

What models of leadership and governance does the cultural sector demand today?

The panel and case study programme will open on Thursday 18th with a session devoted to management in complex environments. This first panel will feature Michael J. Bobbitt, who took up the presidency and executive directorship of OPERA America in January of this year, and has been particularly noted for championing art-in-health social prescribing models — an initiative that directly links cultural participation to public health and welfare systems in the United States. Joining him will be specialist Cecilia Guzmán — founder of cultural management firm G-V and a board member of several public and private organisations, including the Teatro Municipal de Santiago — and Alejandra Claros, secretary general of CAF.

Building on this global vision of leadership, the panel Navegando los desafíos del escenario mundial (Friday 19th) will explore the challenges facing today’s leaders from a female and multidisciplinary perspective. Moderated by Flavia Furtado, executive director of the Festival Amazonas de Ópera, the session will bring together the perspectives of anthropologist and researcher Norma Correa from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú, and Vania Masías, founder of the Asociación Cultural D1 and Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. The dialogue will seek to build bridges between academic rigour and the management of the performing arts in addressing the contemporary international landscape.

The exploration of leadership and curatorial models will continue with the perspective of Lars Ebert, secretary general of Culture Action Europe (CAE). As the sector’s primary political voice before the European Union, CAE is a network that advocates for policies recognising culture as a catalyst for sustainable development. Ebert, an expert in participatory practices and arts-based research, will share a panel on Thursday 18th with Andrea Caruso, who will bring his experience integrating diversity and inclusion into the programming of the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo. Xiomara Suescún will also share the experience of the innovative programming models she has introduced at the Centro Nacional de Las Artes.

Also on Thursday, the theme of organisational care will be led by Lucas Yepes, head of corporate affairs at Comfama — a benchmark institution in social development in Colombia — alongside Yalilé Cardona, director of programming at the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo.

On Friday 19th, the conference will delve into diverse models of boards and governance, examining how their configuration shapes the artistic and administrative direction of cultural institutions. Drawing on the perspectives of OLA member organisations and external references, the panel will explore management structures, modes of operation, and the key challenges currently facing the sector. Participants will include Fulvio Macciardi from the Teatro di San Carlo de Nápoles (Italy); Miguel Molinari from the Teatro Municipal de Lima; María Patricia Marín from the Teatro Metropolitano José Gutiérrez Gómez; and Andrés Rodríguez Spoerer from the Fundación Ibáñez Atkinson.

How to “think outside the box” when it comes to fundraising?

The fundraising session will invite participants to explore income diversification models drawn from various creative industries. Speakers will include Susan Johnston, representing the Southbank Centre — noted for its remarkable capacity for generating earned income — Alberto Rebaza from the Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI), recognised for its philanthropic approach, and Mónica Carrillo from Myriad USA, an organisation that facilitates cross-border philanthropy towards Latin America.

The panel Casos de estudio de modelos innovadores de financiamiento will delve into cutting-edge financial tools. A highlight of this session will be the participation of Christina Loewen, executive director of The Association for Opera in Canada, which will be joining an OLA conference for the first time, to present its social finance programmes and impact investment tools for the sector. Alongside her, Ernesto Palacio, tenor and current director of the Rossini Opera Festival, will share his organisation’s patronage programmes, whilst Raquel Rivera from the Real Teatro de Retiro will address this organisation’s financial independence within its association with the Teatro Real. The panel will explore real-world cases in which income diversification and innovation have strengthened the resilience of cultural organisations.

A week of opera in Lima

As is tradition, the conference will offer international guests a varied complementary programme at the host theatres. On Wednesday 17th June, the Teatro Municipal de Lima will premiere the opera Tancredi by Gioacchino Rossini, directed by Matteo Anselmi with musical direction by Alessandro Bonato. The cast will feature the voices of Anna-Doris Capitelli, Iolanda Massimo, Matteo Roma, and Gianluca Margheri.

On Thursday 18th June, the Teatro Manuel A. Segura — a venue under the Municipalidad de Lima and host of several conference activities — will present a jewel of the Latin American Baroque repertoire: La púrpura de la rosa by Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco. With a libretto by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, this is the first opera composed in the Americas of which a complete score survives. Its premiere, on 19th October 1701, took place precisely at the Palacio Virreinal de Lima.

On Friday 19th June, conference participants will have the opportunity to take a guided tour of the Gran Teatro Nacional del Perú. The complex, inaugurated in 2011, is the main home of the National Ensembles of the Ministerio de Cultura del Perú: the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional del Perú, Ballet Nacional, Coro Nacional, Coro Nacional de Niños, Ballet Folclórico Nacional, and Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional Juvenil Bicentenario. The Juvenil Bicentenario will also perform a closing concert.

During the conference, and through a collaboration between IILA — Organización Internacional Italo-Latinoamericana —, the Municipalidad de Lima, and OLA, the exhibition Vissi d’Arte: Italia en los teatros de América Latina will open on 16th June. Conceived by Mexican architect and curator María Margarita Segarra, the exhibition explores the Italian historical and cultural legacy in the architecture and development of Latin American theatres from the 19th century to the mid-20th century. It brings together images of 100 theatres from 19 Latin American countries and will be shown at the Teatro Municipal de Lima and the Teatro Manuel A. Segura.