At the prestigious International Opera Awards 2025, hosted by the Greek National Opera – Εθνική Λυρική Σκηνή at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, guests had the opportunity to experience VR PROVA — a pioneering virtual reality platform that redefines how opera rehearsals are designed and conducted.
Developed by the Digital Media Lab of the Πολυτεχνείο Κρήτης / Technical University of Crete, in collaboration with Nova ICT, Αιγαίου Solutions ΑΕ, and the Greek National Opera – Εθνική Λυρική Σκηνή, VR PROVA introduces an immersive environment where up to 8 users — including directors, conductors, scenographers, stage and light designers — can rehearse and experiment with stage design virtually and in real time, from anywhere in the world.
Rather than aiming to replicate a realistic digital twin of the stage, VR PROVA is a functional, collaborative tool designed around the specific needs of opera rehearsals — enabling artistic teams to explore, plan, and refine their work in an interactive virtual space. We are eager to see how opera professionals will embrace this innovative platform and how it may inspire new ways of blending digital and analog processes in the performing arts.
The project is part of the #DigitalTransformation Actions of the Greek National Opera, funded by the Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού Greek Ministry of Culture under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan Greece 2.0, with the support of the European Union – #NextGenerationEU.