Two Years of the Maria Callas Museum!

Two years after its opening, the Maria Callas Museum of the City of Athens has welcomed more than 75,000 visitors from all over the world, establishing itself as a key destination for those wishing to discover the life and legacy of the legendary soprano.

In 2025, the Museum received a Special Commendation at the European Museum of the Year Awards 2025 (EMYA), one of the most prestigious distinctions in the European museum community. The jury praised “innovative scenography powerfully and skillfully captures the theatricality and performance” of Maria Callas, acknowledging the Museum’s distinctive way of presenting her life and work through an immersive, interactive experience.

During its second year of operation, the Museum’s collection was enriched with rare new artefacts shedding light on lesser-known aspects of Callas’s life and artistic journey. At the same time, its digital archive grew with new interviews and oral testimonies from people who knew and admired her, adding valuable documentation to the Museum’s growing legacy. In spring 2025, the permanent exhibition was refreshed with never-before-seen items from the collection, offering visitors a renewed perspective on Callas’s personality and artistic evolution.

To mark its second anniversary, the Museum launched a co-creative dialogue with its visitors through the participatory initiative “Choose the Next Exhibit!”. For the first time, friends of the Museum are invited to vote —until Thursday, 30 October 2025— for the object that will become part of the section “The Myth and Legacy of Callas”, taking an active role in shaping the permanent exhibition and in reinterpreting the timeless legacy of the great soprano.

The past year was marked by a vibrant artistic programme and collaborations with prominent institutions and creators. Theatre and music performances, tributes, screenings, performances, seminars and DJ sets activated both the Museum’s spaces and its surrounding neighbourhood, engaging a diverse and dynamic audience. Among the highlights were the original performance “A Piece of Me” by drag baritone Nina Nai, the double screening of Tony Palmer’s documentary “CALLAS” in collaboration with the British Council, the World Poetry Day tribute featuring Katerina Didaskalou, the musical performance “Legendary Women” (“Génous Thrylikou”) by Efstathia, the annual street party, the vocal seminar with Maria Papageorgiou, and the first series of masterclasses dedicated to the performing arts, led by distinguished artists.

In the field of education, the Museum designed and implemented programmes for schools, families and children, fostering experiential learning through music, theatre and the visual arts. More than 4,000 students participated in school tours and educational workshops, while over 500 families joined its interactive family programmes. In summer 2025, the Museum launched its first Summer Camp MCM Kids — a week full of music, theatre and creativity that brought children closer to the world of the performing arts. A particularly meaningful initiative was the educational programme “The Power of My Voice” at the Children’s Hospital “Agia Sofia”, where original objects from the collection travelled outside the Museum, giving nearly 50 children the chance to connect with the world of Maria Callas and discover the joy of artistic expression through music and theatre.

At the same time, the Museum continued to develop partnerships and design programmes guided by the principles of inclusion and equal accessibility. These included special guided tours for vulnerable social groups, disability associations, and community organisations from diverse backgrounds; the hosting of inclusive festival events such as Athens Pride; guided tours in Greek Sign Language delivered by a native GSL user from Focus CS; and the welcoming of groups of refugee and migrant women from support shelters. Mental health remained a key focus with special guided tours, but also an unforgettable public discussion with renowned speakers Dr. Fotini Tsalikoglou and the internationally acclaimed psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Dr. Savvas Savvaopoulos.

Through initiatives that promote participation and coexistence, the Museum strives to address all audiences equally, offering every visitor the opportunity to experience culture in a meaningful and inclusive way — while also learning, in turn, from the very people who visit it.

The progress of these two years would not have been possible without the trust and support of the public, the Museum’s collaborators, interns, volunteers and sponsors. With consistency, dedication and vision, the Maria Callas Museum continues its mission, cultivating a meaningful relationship between people, art and cultural heritage. Looking ahead, it is preparing a rich programme of new collaborations, artistic events and educational programmes for 2026, continuing to highlight the significance and enduring influence of Maria Callas.