(Photo: Keith Saunders) Opera Australia celebrated its 70th birthday with a revival of Elijah Moshinsky’s 1991 “Rigoletto,” a production that was inspired by Italy’s “La dolce vita” era. Opening night at the Sydney Opera House on July 21st was the company’s actual birthday and the audience was invited to sing “Happy Birthday” at the final curtain call. Such festivities may have {…}
(Photo: Carlita Sari) Apparently in the early years of the 20th century, Gustav and Alma Mahler, the master symphonist and his composer-wife, unable to remember exactly one of the numbers from “The Merry Widow” which they had just seen, went to the trouble of visiting Doblinger’s music store in Vienna to refresh their memories. Gustav distracted the staff while Alma {…}
Opera Australia will present the world premiere of “The Drover’s Wife” this August. The new First Nations opera, which features music by composer George Palmer AM and a libretto by Leah Purcell AM, is co-commissioned by Opera Australia and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in association with Oombarra Productions and The Balnaves Foundation. Purcell AM will direct the production of the {…}
(Photo credit: Prudence Upton) Opera Australia opens its Sydney Winter season with Lehár’s “The Merry Widow.” Sharing the role of Hanna Glavari is Julie Lea Goodwin and Emma Pearson who makes her role debut. Alexander Lewis, David Whitney, John Longmuir, Virgilio Marino, Alexandra Flood, Benjamin Rasheed, Richard Anderson, Alexander Hargreaves, Jane Ede, Iain Henderson, Nathan Lay, Helen Sherman, Tom Hamilton, {…}
Opera Australia will open its 2026 National Tour with Michael Gow’s production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” in South Australia this July. The tour will then take the Mozart opera to Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania, marking the 30th anniversary of the company’s national touring program. The production, which last toured in 2013, will be conducted by Simon Bruckard, who {…}
Opera Australia has announced a significant improvement in its financial position for 2025. The company revealed that it had returned to break-even at an operating level after posting a loss of $10.1 million in 2024. On a consolidated basis including the Opera Australia Capital Fund, the company recorded a surplus of $3.6 million. Total revenue reached $122.8 million, with box {…}
Opera Australia is set to present a concert at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House on August 2, 2026, marking the graduation of its inaugural Young Artist Program cohort and the introduction of its incoming class. The outgoing class, which includes soprano Chelsea Burns, mezzo-soprano Shikara Ringdahl, tenor Elias Wilson, bass Leon Vitogiannis, répétiteur Jem Herbert, and director Claudia {…}
Opera Australia will return to Melbourne’s Regent Theatre with a production of “La Traviata.” The opera will be presented from May 8-16 in Sarah Giles’ production, a co-production by Opera Queensland, State Opera South Australia and West Australian Opera. The production star Stacey Alleaume and Maria Laura Iacobellis as Violetta alongside Filipe Manu and Oreste Cosimo as Alfredo and baritones {…}
(Photo credit: Keith Saunders) While Tchaikovsky may be one of the most popular composers of the symphonic repertoire and certainly one of the great ballet composers, his operas have, arguably, not reached similar stature or popularity in the West. Commentator David Garrett canvasses some of the difficulties of conveying Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” to non-Russian audiences in an essay on his {…}
Amy Lane has been appointed Director of Opera at Opera Australia. She will begin her tenure in September. Lane was chosen following a rigorous national and international search and comes from the Copenhagen Opera Festival where she was Artistic Director. She was also worked as Head Staff Director at The Royal Ballet and Opera, Covent Garden. As a director Lane {…}
Opera Australia is set to present Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” opening at the Sydney Opera House on March 17, 2026. The opera will be presented in a production by Kasper Holten and will be revived by rising star director Heather Fairbairn. Australian soprano Lauren Fagan will sing the role of Tatyana alongside Ukrainian baritone Andrei Bondarenko in the title role. They {…}