Future Opera | António Wagner Diniz, Mariana Lourenço Chaves & Pedro Vieira de Almeida | TEDxMarvila

He opens the talk mid-performance — a live aria from The Magic Flute, the same one he teaches in classrooms across Portugal. António Wagner Diniz spent decades as an opera singer and ran Lisbon's National Conservatory; now he spends his time bringing music into schools in the country's poorest neighborhoods. The moment worth waiting for: a story about a five-year-old who watched two singers perform an argument in song and immediately recognized it as her own parents fighting at home. It's a small moment that says everything about why he believes opera isn't just entertainment — it's a way for children to finally see feelings they don't yet have words for. Watch it, and see why he thinks the future needs more of this, not less. António Wagner Diniz holds degrees in Economics and Music and has built a distinguished career as an opera singer, musical performer, and cultural animator since 1975. His most notable social and musical projects include Orquestra Geração – El Sistema Portugal and Opera nas Escolas. A visionary educator and cultural advocate, he transforms young lives through collective music making, proving that harmony is a learned skill.

Mariana Lourenço Chaves was Born March 20, 2004, Mariana Chaves holds a bachelor's degree in Opera Singing from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, where she studied under Professor Sílvia Mateus, and is currently pursuing a master's in Voice Pedagogy at the same institution under Professor Siphiwe Mackenzie. She began singing at age 4 in the choir of Casa do Povo de Corroios and later performed with the Coro Juvenil de Lisboa in opera productions at Teatro Nacional de São Carlos. She was a semifinalist on Got Talent Portugal and a finalist on TVI's Funtastico, bringing classical music to the show's live galas. Since 2022 she has been a regular cast member of the Companhia de Ópera de Setúbal.

Born in Coimbra in 1979, Pedro Vieira de Almeida graduated in Piano in 2002 from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa. In 2004 he began a Master's in Musical Arts, specializing in Chamber Music, jointly offered by NOVA University Lisbon and the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, completing it with the highest distinction. He won awards at the Portuguese Musical Youth Piano Competition (1995) and the Young Musicians Prize Chamber Music Competition (2002), and has maintained an active concert career across Portugal, recording three CDs with saxophonist João Pedro Silva. He has also worked in film, television, and theatre, notably in the original play Ninguém Morre a Cantar by Rui Pina Coelho, alongside actress and singer Sara Belo. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx