As it has been reported, a Germanwings airliner bound for Düsseldorf was deliberately brought down by its co-pilot this week. Among the victims of the crash were teenagers, newlyweds and two opera singers.
The singers were Oleg Bryjak, a bass baritone, and Maria Radner, a contralto, who was rehearsing to perform Wagner's Siegfried in Barcelona.
As details from the crash surfaced, supporters and staff members gathered outside the Liceu opera house in Barcelona on Wednesday for two minutes of silence to honor the lost singers.
Christina Scheppelmann, artistic and production director of the Liceu, said, "When you are in an opera, it means working very hard and a lot together, so you become a mini-family."
She continued, "These were not only great singers but also wonderful colleagues."
Along with the fallen singers, the congregation mourned the rest of the victims and offered prayers and condolences. Some of the other passengers included a newlywed couple who were married in Australia three days earlier, a prominent Catalan politician and a mother and her teenage daughter from Washington in the U.S.
Thomas Winkelmann, the managing director of Germanwings, confirmed that as of 11 a.m., the families of 123 victims had been notified. Citizens of Australia, Argentina, Iran, Venezuela, Britain, the Netherlands, Colombia, Mexico, Japan, Denmark, Belgium and Israel were also on board.
A most undeserved tragedy, we send our condolences and best to the families and loved one affected by this disaster and we remember Oleg and Maria below.
Maria Radner
Oleg Bryjak
