News
The funding begins
We are delighted to introduce David Sela as the first in a select group of "founders" of the Teatro San Cassiano to be announced in the coming months
As our first founder-member of the Academy of 1637, David is literally writing his name into the history of opera and Venice by becoming the first to secure the naming rights of the box of his choice in our much-coveted Primo Ordine tier of the new theatre.
Our CEO, Paul Atkin said of David:
"I couldn't think of anyone better than David to be our first founder. He's not only a passionate musician and music lover, he's the most extraordinary visionary. When history recalls those who restored the Teatro San Cassiano to Venice his name will be there in perpetuity for all to see."
Like our “HIP” opera, our funding programme “THE ACADEMY OF 1637” is historically informed and literally adopts the original model as the first Venetian opera houses, which in the seventeenth century funded their construction by essentially selling “off-plan” the naming rights of their boxes and in doing so created an elite inner circle, or academy, of Venice’s intellectual freethinkers. If you want to join David, then we urge you to act quickly as availability will be limited in this first phase: FOUNDER OPPORTUNITY
For his part, David added:
"I'm a great believer in that those who do not know the past have no future; and for the future of the 'Art of Opera', we must understand its origins and why it was, and still is, the 'total art'. The Teatro San Cassiano gives us a unique opportunity to go back to the beginning so that we can insure that opera prospers long into the future."
David is one of a number of elite businessmen and connoisseurs (of opera, Venice, music, cultural, history, the list goes on) with whom we have been working very closely for a number of years now. But it is David who has won the race to commit with a substantial seven-digit pledge and thus he and his wife Nadia will have the honour of selecting the first box from our limited availability “off-plan” release of the much-desired Primo Ordine. David was also one of the first to enjoy a tour of the new site and to share our vision for creating a world leading centre to celebrate the birth of public opera.
David is the founder and president of Copap Inc., a multinational trading company, and Sela Industries Inc., a holding company with global interests.
Comprised of companies exclusively dedicated to the marketing and distribution of pulp and paper products throughout the world, Copap has rapidly become one of the major companies involved in the purchase, sale, stocking and distribution of pulp and paper, with offices and affiliated companies in Canada, the United States, France, Brazil and China. The company expanded into petrochemicals and chemicals as well as financial services. Copap’s annual sales have grown steadily to close to 500 million dollars, making it one of the top trading companies in its industry.
Over the years Sela Industries Inc. has held significant ownership stakes or involvement in a variety of initiatives ranging from a joint venture with Dorel Industries for the production of car seats and strollers in Brazil to the manufacturing of diapers in Brazil, paper manufacturing in France and a number of real estate projects in Europe and South America.
David Sela holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Bar-Ilan University in Israel as well as a Master’s degree in Business Administration from McGill University and HEC Paris. He speaks fluently eight languages.
For more information, please see David’s websites:
As a member of the Academy of 1637, David B. Sela is now part of the inner-circle that will deliver this historic return of the world’s first opera house and we very much look forward to continuing to benefit from David’s insight and support.
