Opera Australia has canceled performances at the Sydney Opera House due to coronavirus outbreaks. The company announced that “at the direction of the government, we’ve cancelled performances of ‘Carmen,’ ‘Attila,’ and Great Opera Hits at the Sydney Opera House from 16–28 March 2020.” The company stated that ticket holders will receive an email with further details about how to refund {…}
Following the news that Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks were tested positive for the coronavirus, the Sydney Opera House is set to be disinfected. The company announced that the theater is undergoing disinfection while health officials are tracking down concert goers who attended a small Rita Wilson performance there last Saturday. According to CNN a spokesperson for the opera house {…}
(Credit: Albert Comper) Opera Australia has announced that Chorus Master Anthony Hunt will be leaving the Company at the end of the current Melbourne season to return to his hometown of Adelaide with his family. During his time with the company Hunt oversaw the OA chorus for six years, managing rehearsals and guiding the chorus through more than 30 mainstage {…}
Opera Australia has announced that Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini AM will remain in the position through 2023. Terracini has been leading the company in this position since 2009 and has been a major part of the company’s growth throughout the past decade. Since taking over, she has programmed two Melbourne Ring Cycles, the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbor, and has {…}
Opera Australia has announced its 2020 Melbourne program, which will include staged operas, concert performances, and musicals. Operas Graeme Murphy will direct an “innovative and visually stunning” new production of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” It will showcase how “the digital screens can be used to enhance the storytelling and opera experience,” says Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini in the press release. Japanese soprano Hiromi Omura {…}
Opera Australia has announced the cast to its upcoming production of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” The opera will be led by soprano Stacey Alleaume in her role debut as Violetta. The soprano noted, “It brings me great joy to be singing this most treasured role. Violetta’s story is one of great emotion, sacrifice, and unconditional love but it is also heartbreakingly tragic. Performing in {…}
Opera Australia has announced the cast to its upcoming Ring Cycle. The company announced that Stefan Vinke will headline an exceptional collection of singers, actors, dancers, and musicians when they take to the Lyric Theatre Stage at Queensland Performing Arts Centre in November 2020 for the Ring Cycle Brisbane. Vinke, who OperaWire hailed as the most heroic debut of the Metropolitan {…}
Opera Australia and Opera Queensland have announced that they will co-present Davide Livermore’s critically acclaimed digital production of Verdi’s “Aida” alongside the Ring Cycle in 2020 at Queensland Performing Arts Centre. The celebrated production conveys the scale, depth, and magnificence demanded by this monumental opera using the same integrated digital technologies as the upcoming Ring Cycle. Opera Australia’s Artistic Director {…}
Opera Australia has announced that it will be presenting Wagner’s Ring Cycle in 2020. The company is dubbing it the “first fully digital Ring Cycle” and it will be performed in Brisbane at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. The production will be directed by Chen Shi-Zheng, who will incorporate Chinese mythology with the Norse Mythology of Wagner’s story to create {…}
On May 11, 2019, Paulo Szot concluded his latest show at Feinstein’s/54 Below as part of his international tour. The program celebrated the musical partnership of Frank Sinatra and Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, with Szot reflecting on their influence on his own artistry. Backed by pianist and Music Director Klaus Mieller, bassist Itaiguara Brandrao, and drummer David Sillman, Szot {…}
American bass-baritone and beloved Opera Australia vocal coach Joshua Hecht passed away on Mar. 29, 2019 at the age of 91. Hecht was born in New York City in 1928, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. A protégé of soprano Rosa Ponselle, he received a Bachelor of Arts from New York University and proceeded to perform with over 50 opera {…}