The authority has now submitted a report to the Ministry of Finance on how the opera house in Stockholm will be allocated after the upcoming renovation.
According to this, the house will be expanded by 500 square meters, while proposing a "re-allocation between tenants" to make room for the Royal Court Orchestra.
The Royal Opera and the venerable Opera Cellar will simply have to squeeze in and share spaces so that the orchestra can fit, which "entails negative consequences for those involved", notes the National Property Board.
It's not finalized exactly how this will be solved, but it's obvious that it will require a great deal of flexibility and creativity. Both tenants will have to adapt, says Max Elger, Director-General of the National Property Board, to TT.
Risk of Damages
In the report's risk assessment, the National Property Board warns that the Opera Cellar may have difficulty conducting profitable operations if the restaurant's spaces are reduced too much, and that they may then claim damages.
If the solution means that the Opera Cellar has to relinquish larger spaces, it's clear that they, by virtue of their protection of possession, can claim damages, says Max Elger.
The Discussion Continues
He emphasizes at the same time that the final design of the premises is not clear and that the matter is currently being discussed. The hope is that the parties will reach a solution within the coming months.
It's a challenge to find the best way to utilize all spaces. We're not there yet, but I think there's a good spirit that pervades the conversation. I'm very hopeful about this.
Where the musicians of the Royal Court Orchestra will get to rehearse has been one of the contentious issues in the discussion prior to the renovation of the opera house.
When a feasibility study was presented in the spring, it was proposed that the Royal Court Orchestra's rehearsals would be moved to the Musical Quarter at Nybrokajen, which the Opera deemed "a logistical nightmare" since instruments worth 30 million kronor would have to be moved between buildings every day.
In June, the government decided that the orchestra would be allowed to continue rehearsing in the opera house even after the renovation.
At the latest, the opera house in Stockholm will close for renovation in June 2026, and the plan is to reopen its doors again in 2031.
