On Thursday evening in Athens, MusikTheater an der Wien, a Wien Holding company, was awarded the coveted prize for "Best Opera House" in the Opera Company category at the International Opera Awards – one of the highest honours in the global opera scene.

The award recognises the theatre's outstanding artistic profile, its innovative approach to programming and its impressive reopening after extensive renovation.

In the presence of numerous representatives of the international cultural scene, Greek Minister of Culture Dr Lina Mendoni presented the award to Prof. Dr Franz Patay, CEO of Vereinigte Bühnen Wien, and Stefan Herheim, artistic director of MusikTheater an der Wien.

The award ceremony took place during the 12th International Opera Awards in the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the Greek National Opera. Artists from 25 countries were nominated in various categories. The awards represent recognition for outstanding achievements in the world of opera across five continents.

The finalists were selected from over 14,000 nominations by opera lovers worldwide. An international jury of artists, critics and cultural managers from 20 countries, chaired by John Allison (editor-in-chief of Opera and Opera News, music critic at The Daily Telegraph), decided on the winners in all categories – with the exception of the audience award.