Teatro Colón
Background of the musical activity in Buenos Aires

Stage performances in Buenos Aires started in the late XVIII century. It was a under Virrey Ortiz´s government that the Teatro de la Ranchería was built on the corner of Perú and Alsina streets. In 1789 the first version of Manuel José de Labardén´s “Siripo” was performed there. As a complement to dramas and comedies some musical entertainment was offered. Following the Spanish tradition, actors and actresses usually sang “tonadillas” with guitar accompaniment, and ended that part of the show dancing “boleros” and “seguidillas”. El Teatro de la Ranchería, or La Casa de Comedias as it was also known, was destroyed by fire in August 1792.
From then until 1804, when the Teatro Coliseo was built, Buenos Aires was left without a theatre. Nevertheless the activity continued in any place that was considered adequate for that purpose and accessible to the audience. The first lyric theatre tradition started in the early XIX century. After the May Revolution (1810) an intensive musical activity began. Opera singing was introduced by Antonio Picassari- a pianist, singer and conductor- and in the twenties  the first European artists arrived. The first opera company was set up in 1825 and so the first complete opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, could be performed in Buenos Aires. Political problems under the government of Juan Manuel de Rosas made things difficult for artists, but in 1848 the activity recovered its momentum. Performances took place at the Teatro de la Victoria, the Teatro Argentino and the Teatro Coliseo. According  to the European fashion the season, included  works of Verdi, Bellini or Donizetti.

The First Teatro Colón

The first Teatro Colón was opened on April 27, 1857 with the performance of La Traviata. The theatre was located opposite the Plaza de Mayo on the southwest block between the streets Rivadavia, Reconquista, Bartolomé Mitre and 25 de Mayo. The theatre plans were designed by the engineer Carlos Enrique Pellegrini-father of the future president of Argentina. It was designed for an audience of 2500 people.  

For the first time in the country, iron struts and frames were used in the building of the theatre. There was a large amount of candelabra and the main 450 light chandelier was fed by gas. The stage was the largest built until then and was provided with every element required by important productions. 

For thirty years the most important opera singers of the time, like Enrico Tamberlick, Giuseppe Cima, Sofía Vera-Lorini, Giuseppina Medori, Federico Nicolao, Julián Gayarre, Adelina Patti and Francesco Tamagno sang in the theatre. The extensive and eclectic repertoire was outstanding, and still is nowadays. It featured German operas sang in Italian performed for the first time as it happened in some European countries. 

The theatre had to close in 1888. Its privileged site housed –and still does- the Banco de la Nación Argentina.

The Teatro Colón today
While the Teatro Colón was offering its dazzling lyric seasons, the New York Music Theatre Academy, open in 1849 on 14th Street, and the Broadway Metropolitan Opera [born in 1883] limited their lyric seasons limited only to the German repertoire because the famous Spanish, French and Italian singers were too expensive to hire. Because of that, in both theatres in New York in the late XIX century, French and Italian operas were sung in German by German singers. This marked a huge contrast between New York and Buenos Aires. In our city, opera activities with a wide range repertoire took place and were performed by famous singers in different theatres at the same time..
The present Colón Theatre was born due to the strict demand of  a society which had become devoted to opera since the early XIX century. This  musical expression invented in the late Renaissance became Buenos Aires’s favourite at the end of the XIXth century. The unexpected closing of the Colón Theatre  remained like an open wound in a society that could not be satisfied by the activity carried out in other theatres, however fascinating it may have been. This transformed the remote Buenos Aires into one of the leading lyric centres of the world. Fostered by local prosperity, the people and the Government of Buenos Aires had high hopes in the possibility of building a new Colon Theatre which would replace the old one. In fact, discussions concerning the design and building of a new theatre had already begun even before the decision of turning the building into a bank was made. At that time the plot of land  belonging to the railway station Parque del Ferrocarril Oeste (the theatre´s present location) had already been chosen by the Concejo Deliberante de la Ciudad (the City Hall). In October 12, 1888, the same year that the Teatro de la Plaza de las Victorias was closed, Law 2381 was passed to call for a bid for the construction of the new building for the theatre. The Authorities aimed to open the Theatre before October 12, 1892, but as we all know, this was only wishful thinking, for although  work started in 1889, the year the law was passed, twenty years would go by before the Theatre was opened. During this period all sorts of different problems arose, ranging from the technical to the political and even including bureaucratic issues. In the end, works began according to the designs of Architect Francesco Tamburini, after whose unexpected death his closest colleague and partner, Vittorio Meano, took over. Meano made some alterations to the original plan,  which had already been contemplated by Tamburini, Meano used to refer to the new Theatre thus: “This genre, far too mannerist to define as a style, aspires to be a mixture of Italian Renaissance with solid German detail and including the variety, gracefand dash of French architecture”.Bearing this in mind, the construction of the building continued until 1904, when, once again, a mournful event happened. Architect Meano, under whose direction the construction was steadily getting on, died.Tragedy seemed to doom  the plan, because Angelo Ferrari, an important Italian businessman who was the concessionary of the new theatre, also died. Nevertheless, the outstanding Belgian architect Jules Dormal took over the responsibility of leading the works to a happy end. He made some changes in the structure and undoubtedly left his imprint in the French style of the decoration.
The imposing building is an example of the architectural rules and tendencies of that time. The eclecticism used in the building of the theatre assembles, in a coherent, natural and harmonious way, the best synthesis of the different architectural styles previously chosen, now including neo-Greek features in the façade.Meano described the building saying that it is ‘imposing but not severely functional’, which seems to be the style of buildings destined for government offices or religious purposes. The Theatre building instead has a simple, yet varied style, pleasing and majestic at the same time, having the privilege of showing, at a first glance, what it is intended for.

The Building
The Theatre was built on an 8,202 square metre plot limited by Libertad, ArturoToscanini, Cerrito and Tucumán streets, and located between Plaza Lavalle and Avenida 9 de Julio.  The whole building extends over a 37,884 square metre surface, 5,006 of which are covered by the building itself, and 3,196 by to all the underground facilities, that are under Arturo Toscanini street.The façades are divided into three architectural orders. The first one corresponds to the base and is 8.5 metres high; the second is 9.20 metres high, and the third 5.50 metres high. The gable roof over the terraces enhances the building. Viewing the building from a distance, standing on Avenida 9 de Julio,  you can appreciate its harmonious and excellent perspective design. Several entrances in the building offer an easy access to the seats. To reach the Stalls and  Boxes you go through the main entrance on Libertad street.  Through the entrance on Arturo Toscanini street you can reach the Amphitheatre and the Lower Slips, and through the entrance on Tucumán street  the Upper Slips and Gallery.  After the opening day two marquees were placed, one over the main entrance on Libertad street and the other on the staff’s and artists´ entrance on Cerrito street. Ingredients of Italian Renaissance can be found in the exquisitely decorated construction. Clear–cut sober bases, similar to the two- storey Attic- Greek Style on the Ground Floor and the First Floor, the Second and Third Floor are unified by monumental intercolumniation ornamented with Corinthian and Ionic capitals; the openings are treated with arches that have arquitraves and moulds of the most exquisite design.  The style cannot be defined as typical of any specific kind.  It is an eclectic style commonly employed for early XX century buildings.

Main Entrance

The main Entrance Hall has traits of luxury and refinement with its Verona marble floor, the outstanding stucco  imitating marble, the vitreaux of the dome and the staircase which leads to the stalls´ foyer ; the Salón de los Bustos (Bust Hall), and the Salón Dorado (Golden Hall).From the side of the main staircase you can get to the Pasaje de los Carruajes (the Carriage Ramp), a narrow interior street which connects Toscanini street with Tucumán street, and through which the main foyer could be accessed in old days. Since 1997,  the Box Office is located there. Different kinds of first quality marble were used in the ornamentation. The staircase (or honour stairs) is made of white Carrara marble and the banisters are  made of Portuguese marble and crowned at each side, at the bottom, with a pair of one-piece, hand-carved, lion heads. The last flight of stairs has a semi-circular design  leading to the gallery and at both sides are the stairs leading to the first floor. These two staircases which lead to the first floor have banisters placed on the exterior, basements on the other side are covered in Belgian black marble. On the first landing you can see two magnificent vitraux with allegorical designs.

El Salón de los Bustos (The Bust Hall)
This hall is similar in dimension to the stalls foyer, and is located next to it. Just like the Main Hall, Salon de los Bustos bears marble basements -similar to the honour stairs- from where columns and pilasters were erected with parameters imitating Botticcin marble. The hall was named because of the sculptures of famous  music composers which are part of the decoration. Arranged on a monumental cornice, embellished with golden ornaments, are the busts of Beethoven, Bellini, Mozart, Rossini, Verdi and Wagner. The large windows look onto the large entrance hall, the friezes adorning it and the ceiling’s vitreaux

El Salón Dorado (The Golden Hall)

Both sides of Salón de los Bustos lead into Salón Dorado. This extends all along the theatre front wall running parallel to Libertad street, together with the two side angles, over a 442 square metre area . Its huge columns carved with golden ornaments, and large tall mirrors resemble the halls in Versailles or in Schoenbrum Palaces, conferring the place a special attraction. French style furniture with luxurious marquetery, chairs and armchairs upholstered in pink, and a series of magnificent chandeliers enhance the majestuosity of the chamber.  Lectures, concerts, and set design,  wardrobe and photography exhibitions are usually organized here.

The Vitreaux
Architect Meano is responsible for the design of the vitreaux  which were included in his decorating project and were made in 1907 by the prestigious French firm Gaudin. The central vitreaux together with the other two vitreaux on the side combine into a special glass ensemble in the large entrance hall. The umbrella- shaped, octagonal, central vitreaux is framed by artistic golden moulds. The light projecting through the multicolour glasses creates a special effect according to the magnificence of the place. On the lintels in the Salón Dorado there are two pastel colour wonderful pieces which recreate classical Greek episodes and poetry. The first one shows Homer reciting the Iliad; and the second is homage from Sapho to god Apollo. The scenes have a strong theatrical effect and are skilfully arranged. The characters’ natural postures, on a background with excellent architectural perspective, in addition to the transparency, convey them a magical effect.

Salón Blanco (White Room) and Official Boxes
From de Bust Hall you have a direct access to the Salón Blanco, furnished  in the French style. This room is opposite the entrance of the “Platea Bandeja” or “Platea Balcón” , (Royal Boxes), with a capacity for 34 people. The Platea Balcón is used by the National Authorities and their guests on some special  occasions.The Salón Blanco has a wall to wall red carpet and red velvet armchairs, it is used as a box foyer and is the ideal place to serve a drink during the intermission(s). At this same level and next to the stage, at both sides, right and left, are the private boxes for the President (on the right) and for the Jefe del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (City Mayor) (on the left).These boxes are called “avant scene”, the same as all the other boxes on the same level, because they look onto the orchestra pit. An important ornamentation enhances these two boxes making them stand out from the rest;  pilastres and golden moulds are crowned by two important allegorical figures confronting each other. From this perspective the two lines of avant scéne boxes continue their line to join in a great arch (proscenium arch) on the upper side, which is very convenient for the acoustics. There are paintings on medallions depicting angels painted in different shades of pink and red .The angels are posing in different ways, holding scale musical notes.. The private boxes for the President and the Mayor have a capacity for 20 people. Each box has a foyer, a sitting room and two bathrooms. The President´s box has a direct telephone line with the Casa de Gobierno (Government Offices) and an Emergency Exit. The walls are lined in pure silk of a colour that matches the rest of the room.

La Sala (The auditorium)
The auditorium has the shape of a horse-shoe according to the strictest rules of classical Italian and French theatre. The excellence of the acoustics is internationally appreciated. The auditorium has three floors of boxes all around. The measures of the horse-shoe are: 29.25 metres, the narrowest diameter, 32.65metres the widest diameter and 28 metres high. It has a capacity for 2,478 places, but about 500 people can attend standing, as well.. .
The auditorium has the shape of a horse-shoe according to the strictest rules of classical Italian and French theatre. The excellence of the acoustics is internationally appreciated. The auditorium has three floors of boxes all around. The measures of the horse-shoe are: 29.25 metres, the narrowest diameter, 32.65metres the widest diameter and 28 metres high. It has a capacity for 2,478 places, but about 500 people can attend standing, as well.. The seats of the Cazuela (Lower Slips) are on the 4tth floor and the Tertulia  (Upper Slips) on the 5th floor, on the 6th floor are the Gallery seats and on the 7th the places of Paraíso (Paradise). The Auditorium is an example of the design  of the epoch it was built, where great artistic work was used in order to visually highlight  the details of harmony and refinement used in  ornamentation and painting .The painting used in the Auditorium follows the same criteria ; warm, golden, colours in different shades of red. The carpet is red and the seats are upholstered in red “sangre de dragon” (dragon's blood) velvet. Upwards, from the Tertulia (Upper Slips)  there is a colonnade continuing the horse-shoe shape that bears the circular, central dome. From the Dome is suspended a lavish, 7 metre, burnished bronze chandelier which has 700 electric light-bulbs. The chandelier  can be lowered  until the stall level, by means of a mechanical system, when it needs to be cleaned or repaired. The chandelier was made  in France at the end of the XIX century and is considered a magnificent piece of engraving. The boxes are open, in the French style making it possible to get a good view of the stage from all the areas including from behind. Stalls have a slight slope and the floor can be lifted mechanically by means of a mechanical elevator system. By removing the seats, the place can be turned into an enormous room. There are 10 boxes at this level called Baignoirs.These boxes have bronze bars and were intended, in old days, for people who were mourning or for one did not wanted to be seen by the rest of the audience. Nowadays nobody uses them for this purpose in consequence some have been assigned as sound cabins for radio broadcasting. Thick red velvet curtains cover the entrance to the auditorium creating harmony with the pink Frenck pure silk drapes , embroidered  on the outside and lined in golden yellow. On all the floors there are wall lights to illuminate, these wall-lights are in burnished bronze, with artistic arms bearing a cluster of  glass lamp-shades. These warm, golden light enhances the decoration and creates a pleasant effect of intimacy.

The Dome
The original paintings by Marcel Jambon were ruined  due to damp problems during the nineteen thirties. During the sixties the dome was repainted and the famous Argentine painter Raúl Soldi was commissioned to do the work. He conceived the work as a:” gentle polychrome ballet…” representing different aspects of theatre life; dancers, opera singers, comedy actors, musicians and musical instruments. These  paintings cover with the grace of the pale shades and transparencies, characteristic traits of this artist, the 318 square metres of the ceiling. Soldi didn´t work directly on the wall, he painted on strips of cloth that were later fixed to the dome. To pay homage to the late Jambon, Soldi used a strip of cloth decorated at that moment.

The Stage
The stage is located on the first floor, with a three centimetre slope for every meter. It is 35.25 m wide by 34.50 m deep and 48 m high. A 20.30 m diameter disc can be operated electrically to turn in any sense for a fast change of scene. In 1988, modernizing works  on the stage machinery area, in the grid sector, were carried out, and new technology was introduced for an easier change of sets and more dynamic scene transformation. A closed-circuit Television and a sophisticated portable transmission equipment help coordinate all the scenery maneuvering.
The floor of the stage is  made of Canadian pine wood, and completely dismountable. It is laid by lanes and is held on 29  transversal struts fitted into the side walls which are in turn supported by 9 iron columns.  The stage is closed by a magnificent red, velvet curtain, embroidered two metres from the hem upwards. The curtain is drawn to the upper angles by means of a mechanism that regulates the speed required by the action, e.g. fast or slow ending.
In 1992, the system to project Spanish subtitles, a translation of the operas, was incorporated on the upper part of the stage.
Facing the curtain, and at a lower level, is the orchestra pit with a capacity for 120 musicians. The pit has been treated with a resonance chamber and special curves to reflect the sound.  It is because of these characteristics, and the architectural proportions and   quality of materials employed in its construction, that Colon Theatre enjoys exceptional acoustics, world -wide re-known for perfection.

The Acoustics
The sound is “carried” to the spectator whatever his position in the theatre. This special characteristic of the auditorium has been admired not only by singers but conductors as well. The horse-shoe shape of the auditorium creates the proper acoustic chamber and the arch of the proscenium formed by the roof- over the pit orchestra- together with the wide laterals where the avant- scene boxes are, projects the sound to the entire room. Strangely enough, neither the dome-shaped design of the ceiling, nor the huge dimensions of the auditorium have affected the outstanding acoustics. Quality and display of the structural materials, paneling, lining and drapes contribute favourably to achieve this condition.
The harmonic display of plaster work, wood paneling, upholstery, carpets and drapes contributes to keep  a time of reverberation at five hundred and one thousand cycles per second, which is considered first-class.  The time reached in concerts is 1.8, and in opera performances 1.7.  Notwithstanding the fact that today we count with methods to calculate acoustic results of a particular design,  imponderable factors  can always change these results.  Teatro Colon is nowadays known for its best acoustic all over the world.

Workshops and other Departments
The Theatre is responsible for its own productions, which are prepared in its own workshops located on the underground. From scenic decoration to costume making, every item are manufactured at Colon Theatre. The Production Design Department plans and designs the work to be carried out in the different workshops for every performance of the yearly season. These workshops are not only important because of their dimension but also because of the work that is achieved. These areas were authorized in 1938: Machinery, Scenic Arts, Stage Props, Costume Tailor, Shoemaking, Upholstering, Scenic Mechanics, Sculpture, Photography, Make-up and Hairdressing.
A large quantity of period costume, wigs and head dressings are manufactured at the workshop as is required for each performance in particular. There is an important collection of different items that are part of the history of the theatre and that are witnesses of the important artists who used them.  There are also workshops of: Painting and Theatre Crafts, Lighting, Special Effects, Electro-mechanics, Video and Recording. A huge lift runs from the last floor of workshops up to the stage, it is intended to carry the already- assembled scenery, carriages, animals, junk, furniture and all the necessary items for the stage scenery.
There are spacious dressing-rooms for the artists, trainers, and directors. There are rehearsing rooms and auditing rooms, like Sala 9 de Julio, measuring the same as the stage, and Rotonda, a circular room with mirrors all around which is used by the corps de ballet for rehearsing.
Following the reforms carried out in 1970 with the purpose of gaining space under Avenida 9 de Julio, the Administration Offices are now located on the First Basement.

Instituto Superior de Arte del teatro Colón  (Colon Theatre Arts Institute)
The Instituto is the place where maestros such as Roberto Kinsky, Edith Fleischen, Otto Erhardt and Michael Gielen lecture, and a natural source of  new talents. The Institute was created in 1937 under the name of Escuela de Opera del Teatro Colón (Colón Theatre´s Opera School), and it is the main instrument of the Thetre´s teaching task. At the Instituto Superior de Arte, there are several careers that are given on different levels of the Theatre. These careers are: Classical Ballet, Opera Singing, Regie, Opera Music Conducting and Theatrical Characterization. The pupils of the institute often participate in the Theatre productions and graduates from the Institute many times work in the workshops of the Colon Theatre or in leading artistic centres worldwide. Learning coverage is carried out not only at the Colon Theatre but in other theatres in Buenos Aires and in the provinces as well as  abroad.

The Library

The Library is public and contains an important bibliography, with a special stress on musical art, available for students, journalists, researchers, and public in general. There are encyclopedias, dictionaries, and reference books on different music styles, biographies, musical scores and librettos. It includes books on ballet techniques, costume design and characterization, a complete collection of programmes performed at the Theatre since 1908, the old programmes of the old Teatro de la Opera, La Gaceta Musical (a newspaper about music) from 1874 to 1887, the complete collection of the magazine Lyra, and other specialized magazines. You can also find articles from newspapers about the activities carried out in the Theatre since 1927 up to the present, and an important collection of photographs of artists and scenery.Students and public in general can consult online, biblioteca@teatrocolon.org.ar The Library receives an average of 9,000 visitors annually, the entrance is free. It is open from Mondays to Fridays, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Entrance at 1168 Viamonte, access through Pasaje de los Carruajes. For imformation call: (54 11) 4378 7137

Artistic Activities
Roberto Caamaño in his book”La Historia del Teatro Colón, 1908-1969”, says that the classification of theatres  in  permanent and seasonal (stagione) has become popular.  In the case of permanent theatres, the seasons run over ten or eleven months a year; they have permanent artistic corps, casts and repertories. They also have workshops and specialized technical departments  that cope with all the needs of the theatre activity.  Programming can, therefore, cover a wide range of activities, which include: Ballet and Theatre Drama as in Covent Garden, London or in The Paris Opera. Seasonal theatres, on the other hand, carry out their activities for short, changing periods, and hire only the necessary people required for each performance.  Colon Theatre worked as a seasonal theatre from 1908 to1925. Seasons used to last for three months and the activity was managed by concessionaries. During some of the seasons a series of concerts or ballet  might be added.  It was only in 1925, when the permanent orchestras, chorus and ballet (Orquesta Estable, CoroEstable y Ballet Estable) were created that the season was extended to six months. In 1931, the concession system was ruled out and the theatre became a  metropolitan entity. In 1934, summer performances started and the theatre became a permanent artistic institution. At present, the official season goes from March to December.
The Opera programme –continuing the old ways- is offered in series of Abono (Season Tickets): Gran Abono (Special Season Ticket), Abono Nocturno Tradicional (Traditional Evening Season Tickets), Abono Nocturno Nuevo ( New Evening Season Tickets), Abono Vespetino (Early Evening Season Tickets), and Abono Especial ( Special Season Tickets). To this we can add the special performances, Funciones Extraordinarias.

Los Cuerpos Estables (Permanent Corps)
In 1925, the theatre started to produce its own seasons with the participation of completely Argentine Casts, thus ensuring, a regular and continuous work. La Orquesta Estable, el Coro Estable, el Ballet Estable, el Coro de Niños, La Orquesta Filarmónica de Buenos Aires and la Orquesta Académica del Teatro Colón, form an excellent team that enjoy an honourable tradition of ductility. This ductility  to move from one style to another, and the very high artistic level, are the pillars of every concert or opera or ballet performance.
Outstanding artists like: Erich Kleber, Hector Panizza, Sir Thomas Beecham, Ferdinand Leitner, Juan José Castro, Gino Marinuzzi, Tulio Serafín, Gregorio Fittelberg, Fritz Reiner, Arturo Toscanini, Ernest Ansemet, Fritz Busch and Karl Bohm, amongst many others.
The Orquesta Estable del Teatro Colón was tuned by composers like: Manuel de Falla, Richard Strauss, Henri Rabaul, Aaron Copland, Artur Honegger and Albert Wolf, who often worked together with the Orquesta in their new pieces of work.
The Ballet Estable is the instrument used by  local choreographers and invited choreographers from abroad for their creations. The ballet company has toured in many countries abroad and several members have pursued their careers in many foreign countries: Julio Bocca, Maximiliano Guerra, Norma Fontela, Paloma Herrera, Liliana Belfiore, Raquel Rossetti and José Neglia.
Important celebrities have performed with the Ballet Estable, as for example: Margot Fonteyn, Yvette Chauviré, Joan Cadzow, Alicia Alonso, Igor Youskevich, Tamara Tumánova, Ghislaine Thesmar, Rudolf Nureyev, Maia Pliséstskaia, Vladimiir Vasiliev, Ekaterina Maximova, Viacheslav Gordeiev, Carla Fracci, Ludmila Semeniaka, Mijail Barishnikov, Nadezhda Pavlova, Cecilia Kerche and Alessandra Ferri amongst others.
Leading international artists have worked with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Buenos Aires. Conductors such as: Herbert von Karajan, Wilhelm Furtwangler, Sir Thomas Beecham, Petr Maag, Ferdinand Leitner, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Metha, Eduardo Mata and outstanding soloists like: David Oistrakh, María tipo, Marian Anderson, Nicanor Zabaleta, Andor Foldes, Martha Argerich, Regine Crespin, Gidon Kremer, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Eugene Kissin, Plácido Domingo, and Pinchas Zukerman.
The Orquesta Filarmónica de Buenos Aires has made several tours abroad. It is the Argentine symphonic group that has programmed the largest number of Argentine author scores, more than 350 first auditions and openings of works are a clear demonstration of this. The aim is the worldwide diffusion of the music of these composers.
The Orquesta Académica del Teatro Colón, created in 1995, is formed by a group of young instrument players,-who must undergo a strict selection- none of them is older than 25 years old. During 2000, they performed a series of concerts at the Canterbury Festival, at the Barbican Centre in London and at other musical centres and public presentations together with other English youth orchestras.

Centro de Experimentación del Teatro Colón (Colon Theatre Experimental Centre)
It was created in 1990 with the aim of experimenting with avant-garde works, many of them performed for the first time. The Centre also specializes in alternative and less frequently considered expressions within the classical repertoire.  First performances from Hans Werner Henze, Mark Neikrug and John Cage alternate in a provocative way with those of Monteverdi and Bach, Britten and Schoenberg, Stravinsky and Jánacek, as well as Argentine authors like Mauricio Kagel, Francisco Kropfl, Martin Matalón, Marta Lambetini, Luis Naón, Alejandro Tantanián and others.
The Centre is an alternative space for new works and new young artists at the beginning of their careers, generating a fertile feedback of talents. Since 1997 the CETC has its own headquarters on the underground floor of the Colon theatre. The entrance is through the Paseo de los Carruajes, which was reopened that same year.
The Colon Theatre also has a corps of scene extras and singer extras. The internal teachers work together with the artists preparing the works and coordinating  individual  and group rehearsals.


Artists that performed at the Colon Theatre

Among the great composers who conducted their works at the Colon Theatre are Richard Strauss, Arthur Honegger, Ildebrando Pizzetti, Ottorino Respighi, Igor Stravinsky, Paul Hindemith, Camille Saint-Saëns, Manuel de Falla, Aaron Copland, Krzysztof Penderecki, Gian-Carlo Menotti, Héctor Panizza, Juan José Castro and Mauricio Kagel.

The Colón boasts a rich list of orchestra conductors. Salient among them are Otto Klemperer, Fritz Reiner, Erich Kleiber, Fritz Busch, Ernest Ansermet, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan, Tulio Serafin, Gino Marinuzzi, Arturo Toscanini, Albert Wolff, Victor De Sabata, Leonard Bernstein, Mstislav Rostropovich, Sir Malcolm Sargent, Karl Böhm, Fernando Previtali, Sir Thomas Beecham, Ferdinand Leitner, Lorin Maazel, Igor Markevitch, Bernard Haitinik, Zubin Mehta, Marek Janowsky, Aldo Ceccato, Riccardo Muti, Kurt Masur, Michel Corboz, Franz-Paul Decker, Riccardo Chailly, Sir Simon Rattle, Claudio Abbado, René Jacobs and the Argentines Ferruccio Calusio, Daniel Barenboim, Gabriel Garrido, Miguel Angel Veltri and Simón Blech, among many others.

Among the opera singers the large roster includes Enrique Caruso, Fedor Chaliapin, Tita Ruffo, Rosa Raisa, Gabriela Besanzoni, Claudia Muzio, Lotte Lehmann, María Barientos, Ninon Vallin, Lily Pons, Beniamino Gigli, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, Helen Traubel, Aureliano Pertile, Rafael Lagares, Miguel Fleta, Alexander Kipnis, EbeStigiani, Lauritz Melchior, Georges Thill, Maria Caniglia, Bidu Sayao, Ezio Pinza, Tito Schipa, Toti Dal Monte, Fedora Barbieri, Hipólito Lázaro, Max Lorenz, Gina Cigna, Zinka Milanov, Rose Bampton, Leonard Warren, Kirsten Flagstad, Hans Hotter, Elisabeth Shcwarzkopf, María Callas, Mario del Monaco, Erich kunz, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, Victoria de los Angeles, Felipe Romito, Renata Tebaldi, Antonieta Stella, Boris Christoff, Inge Borkh, Ramón Vinay, Ana Moffo, Richard Tucker, Cornell MacNeil, Flaviano Lavò, Régine Crespin, Annelise Rothemberger, Jon Vickers, Birgit Nilsson, Wolfgang Windgassen, Joan Sutherland, Leonie Rysanek, Montserrat Caballé, Teresa Berganza, Alfredo Kraus, José Carreras, Leona Mitchell, Leontyne Price, Frederica von Stade, June Anderson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Katia Ricciarelli, Marilyn Home, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Kathleen Battle, Cecilia Bartoli, Plácido Domingo, Hildegard Behrens, Christa Ludwig, Eva Marton, Hermann Prey, Nicola Gedda, Sherill Milnes, Beverly Sills, Sena Jurinac, Waltraud Meier, Renée Fleming, Luciano Pavarotti, José van Dam, Gwyneth Jones, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Dimitri Hvorostovsky, Mirella Freni and Samuel Ramey.

Also Argentine opera singers who have developed an important international career such as Delia Rigal, Luis Lima, Raúl Gimenez, Ana María González, Renato Cesari, Ricardo Cassinelli, Gian-Piero Mastromei, Angel Mattiello, Carlo Cossutta, Carlos Guichandut, Cecilia Díaz, Paula Almenares, Marcelo Álvarez, José Cura, Darío Volonté and Virginia Tola.