Kosovo Opera and Ballet Law Dances Around Hall Issue

A fresh draft Law on the Kosovo Philharmonic, Opera and Ballet, provided to BIRN by an official of the Ministry of Culture - aimed at amending the previous law passed by the UN rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, UNMIK - fails to resolve the key issue - the lack of a dedicated concert and performance hall.

"The purpose of this law is to regulate the organisation of the activity and functioning of the institutions of the Kosovo Philharmonic, Kosovo Opera and the National Ballet of Kosovo," Article 1 of the law writes, similarly to the existing law from May 2007. The main difference is that the new law will not be pursuant to the UNMIK Regulation of 2001 but to the Kosovo Constitution.

The new law specifies that the Opera as well as Philharmonic orchestras are "composed of 60-80 professional instrumentalists; the professional choir … of 40 to 60 professional choir members" and that the "vocal soloists are a formation consisting of at least 8 professional solo singers; the Opera Ballet Troupe is a formation of 16 pairs of professional dancers", similarly to the National Ballet Troupe, which should have a minimum of 16 pairs of professional dancers.

However, it does not say where the troupes should rehearse and perform.

Kosovo does not currently have a National Opera and Ballet Hall, and it seems that the new amended law does not shed any fresh light on the issue.

The National Ballet mainly performs at the National Theatre in the capital, Pristina. The Philharmonic often performs at the Red Hall of the former Palace of Youth and Sports in Pristina, although it is not officially a concert hall.

The Philharmonic performs around 30 concerts and activities per concert season, despite the lack of proper conditions to rehearse and...