(Credit: Rosie Hardie)

Opera Australia has announced the cast to its upcoming Ring Cycle scheduled for October.

The production, which is set to be directed and designed by Chen Shi-Zheng, was scheduled to open in 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis. The production will now star Lise Lindstrom as Brünnhilde in the first two cycles.

Anna Louise Cole will also star as Brünnhilde in the third and fourth cycles and as Sieglinde in the first two cycles.

The cast will also include bass Daniel Sumegi as Wotan while bass Andrea Silvestrelli will play Fafner, Hunding, and Hagen. Tenor Andreas Conrad will play Mime, and soprano Olivia Cranwell will reprise the roles of Ortlinde and Third Norn before making her role debut as Sieglinde in the third cycle.

French conductor Philippe Auguin will conduct the Queensland Symphony Ring Cycle Orchestra.

In a statement, Opera Australia’s Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini said “Not only do we have some of the best Ring Cycle singers from around the world, this is a fantastic opportunity for our Australian singers to step into these difficult roles, and I’m particularly excited at the prospect of presenting the first home-grown pairing in the lead roles Wotan and Brünnhilde.”

The Ring Cycle is set to open on Oct. 29 and run through Nov. 20, 2021.