Ópera de Colombia is set to celebrate its 45th anniversary with a Gala that will be broadcast through the public television channel starting on May 17 at 9:00 p.m.

The gala, which took place last fall, featured five renowned Colombian singers including tenor César Gutiérrez, mezzo-soprano Paola Leguizamón, sopranos Karolyn Rosero and Ana María Ruge, and baritone Juan David González. They were joined by conductor Andrés Felipe Jaime and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá in music by Rossini, Verdi, Massenet, Puccini, Delibes, and Mozart, among others.

Over the course of 45 years, the company has created over 47 productions and 840 performances featuring over 150 Colombian singers. The company has also been at the forefront of creating the Coro de la Ópera de Colombia, one of the major vocal ensembles in Latin America.

The company will also take the opportunity of this celebration to honor the legacy of Gloria Zea, one of the champions of the organization who led it during its greatest moment of growth.

“The Opera Colombia, today, finds itself at the highest level in America. During these last 15 years, the company has exported more than 25 productions to countries like the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela,” said René Coronado Velandia., the general director of the Fundación Camarín del Carmen and the Ópera de Colombia.