Seville Spain, after the royal residence El Escorial. Since the 1950s it has been the seat of the rectorate of the University of Seville, together with the Schools of Law, Philology, Geography and History. In 2012, a study of experts concluded the total number of operas set in Seville is 153. Among the most popular composers who fell in love with the city are Beethoven "(Fidelio)", Mozart "(The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni)", Rossini "(The Barber of Seville)", Donizetti "(La favorite)", and Bizet "(Carmen)". Seville became the dean of the Spanish provincial press in 1758 with the publication of its
Victoria State Opera rivalled those of the Australian Opera given in the same space. At its height, the VSO had over 13,000 season subscribers. In 1985 Brian Stacey was appointed as Head of Music. Other notable production highlights include appearances by Suzanne Steele, most notably in the lead role of "La belle Hélène" and as Eurydice in "Orpheus in the Underworld". There were also "Don Giovanni", "Tannhäuser", "The Pearl Fishers" (which toured to Sydney), "The Tales of Hoffmann", "Faust", "Aida", "Il trovatore", "The Barber of Seville", "The Magic Flute", "Andrea Chénier", "Turandot", "Madama Butterfly" (the traditional production by Andrew Sinclair or the Ken