The Teatro Amazonas in Manaus was inaugurated on 31 December 1896, at the height of the rubber boom. The building had been proposed in 1881 by the deputy Antônio José Fernandes Júnior; the design came from the Gabinete Português de Engenharia e Arquitectura in Lisbon, and construction was overseen by the Italian Celestial Sacardim. Carrara marble, Murano chandeliers and Glasgow steel were imported from Europe. The dome is covered with 36,000 glazed ceramic tiles in the colours of the Brazilian flag; Domenico de Angelis painted the ceiling panels. The first performance, on 7 January 1897, was Ponchielli's La Gioconda. The auditorium seats 701. Since 1997 the theatre has hosted the Amazonas Opera Festival, and it is home to the Amazonas Philharmonic Orchestra. In July 2026 UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site.
The Teatro Amazonas in Manaus was built in 1896 in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, financed by the rubber boom — all materials were imported from Europe, including the marble slabs and dome roof.
At a glance
- Type
- Opera house
- Location
- Manaus, Brazil
More venues in Brazil
- Theatro Municipal Rio de Janeiro · Opera house, Rio de Janeiro
- Theatro Municipal São Paulo · Opera house, São Paulo