The Kufferath Room is a rehearsal space named after Maurice Kufferath, who was once the director of La Monnaie.
Historically, operas were often performed in the local language of the audience, rather than their original language. This practice has changed, and today, operas are usually sung in their original language.
At La Monnaie, several of Richard WagnerRichard Wagner - 19th-century German composer who revolutionised the art of opera. His operas include Parsifal, Der Ring des Nibelungen and Tristan und Isolde. 's operas, initially in German, were presented in French, with Maurice Kufferath himself translating Parsifal into French.
Opera is a genre that spans a wide range of languages, from its origins in Italian to Czech, Arabic, German, English, and French. Singers must master these languages, understanding and pronouncing them correctly for performance.
To assist with this, productions typically employ a language coach to help both soloists and the chorus with precise pronunciation.