Maria Callas Foundation
The Maria Callas Foundation is the only officially recognized institution dedicated to promoting Maria Callas’ legacy, celebrating her life’s work and supporting the ‘lyric tradition’ she revived.
Established in 2017, The Maria Callas Foundation is dedicated to supporting her legacy, amplifying her voice and ensuring her work is as relevant and captivating for global audiences today and tomorrow as it was in her lifetime.
The Digital Museum
Coming soon.
Milestones
2017
The Maria Callas Foundation is established by world-famous conductor Georges Prêtre, with close friends and associates of Maria Callas, alongside experts and archivists, dedicated to supporting her legacy. Tom Volf’s definitive documentary film Maria by Callas is released to critical acclaim in more than 40 countries, winning awards at film festivals in Europe and the US.
The Foundation presents a new exhibition about Maria Callas’ life at La Seine Musicale in Paris. This features innovative immersive experiences and received more than thirty thousand visitors in three months. Tom Volf’s first two books on Callas are published: Maria by Callas (éditions Assouline) and Callas Confidential (éditions La Martinière). The Foundation’s exhibition tours from Paris to Monaco, where it is opened by H.S.H. Prince Albert II.
2019
Tom Volf publishes his third book, Maria Callas: Memoirs & Letters (éditions Albin Michel).
2019–2023
A live theatrical presentation Maria Callas: Letters & Memoirs starring Monica Bellucci premieres in Paris. The show has been performed in the US, Greece, Italy, UK, Spain and Turkey.
2022
The Maria Callas Foundation joins the Center for European Music, the largest European network for music.
2023
Centennial events organised by the Maria Callas Foundation, including the cinema release of Callas, Paris 1958, restored from master tapes held in the Foundation’s archives.
Testimonials
“The Maria Callas Foundation was a necessary step towards safeguarding the genuine legacy of Maria’s works, life, and art.” — Franco Zeffirelli
“I commend the decision to establish the Maria Callas Foundation in order to educate future generations on the world of opera, music, and the life of such an important soprano.” — President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing
“The Maria Callas Foundation is producing valuable work with artistic quality for the promotion of Callas’s achievements in art.” — Fanny Ardant
“The work of the Callas Foundation is vital to the preservation of the memory of La Divina.” — Alain Delon
News and Events
- Le Figaro: Centenary of Callas: what if Paris had a museum to save the diva’s legacy?
- Premiere of Callas-Paris, 1958
- Norma | Vincenzo Bellini
- Maria Callas: Letters and Memoirs
- Maria Callas vs Enrico Caruso, le match des anniversaires.
Our Partners
The Maria Callas Foundation has previously partnered and collaborated with the following institutions:
- La Seine Musicale
- University of Toronto
- Megaron — The Athens Concert Hall
- Teatro alla Scala
- Grimaldi Forum Monaco
- Hellenic Republic — Greece in the USA
- Arts & Patrons
Support Us
The Foundation is funded by private support. Find out how you can help.