Carmen Giannattasio, Diego Torre & Carmen Topciu Lead Opera Australia’s Summer 2021 Season

Opera Australia has announced a three-month COVID-safe season that includes two productions never before performed by the Company. The organization will reduce venue capacities by 50 percent and will implement physically-distanced theater seating, regular cleaning of high-traffic and high-touch areas with hospital-grade disinfectant, and hand sanitizer stations in frequently accessed areas and near bathroom facilities. There will also be COVID-19 {…}

Sep 4, 2020

Arts Workers Union Clashes with Opera Australia Over Redundancies

The Arts Workers Union, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance will take Opera Australia to the Fair Work Commission over a large dispute regarding the proposed layoff of musicians and members of the chorus and staff. MEAA accused Opera Australia of acting unconscionably by axing 25 percent of its workforce without prior consultation with the union. Paul Davies, the director {…}

Jul 29, 2020

Opera Australia Postpones Digital Ring Production

Opera Australia has announced that it will be postponing its hotly anticipated production of “Der Ring des Nibelungen” until 2021 due to continued concerns over COVID-19. The production, which was originally scheduled for November 2020, will be directed by Chen Shi-Zheng and was to be the first fully digital staging of the famed tetralogy. “As disheartening as this news is, {…}

May 28, 2020

Australian Opera Companies to Receive $50 Million Relief Package

Opera companies in Australia’s state of New South Wales have received some much-needed support from the state government in the form of a $50 million Rescue and Restart package, meant to ease the burden on the arts industry while theaters remain closed. The package is set to be delivered in two stages, where the first will help companies ride out {…}

May 11, 2020

Jonas Kaufmann, Joyce DiDonato, Russell Thomas Headline Top 10 Operas to Stream This Week

The good news? Some countries are starting to slowly opening up their doors as they transition out of the lockdown. But that’s not to say that everyone is rushing outside (nor should they). This means that there’s still a lot of time to stay indoors and a lot of opera to fill in those hours. As with the last few {…}

May 4, 2020

Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, Plácido Domingo, Aida Garifullina Headline Top 10 Operas to Stream This Week

More options, more variety. That is what is going on with the release of more streams from more companies. This week’s recommendations features the best mix of classical performances, traditional operas, and new works to engage the widest range of audience. Eugene Onegin – Opera Vision / Komische Oper Berlin (NOW) OperaVision kicks off its Russian festival in May with {…}

May 3, 2020

Opera Australia Launches Streaming Service With Joan Sutherland Archive

Opera Australia has announced the launch of OA | TV: Opera Australia on Demand, a free online streaming service. The new streaming service will feature exclusive content from its catalog that includes a number of performances by Joan Sutherland and a series of chat show style interviews called “In Conversation with Lyndon Terracini” and unique ‘behind the scenes’ footage. There will {…}

Mar 25, 2020

Opera Australia Announces Support Package for Employees

Opera Australia has announced an employee package for the majority of its staff. Per Limelight Magazine, the organization will provide a support package from March 30 through the end of May that allows them to access 80 percent of their regular salary based on a 38-hour work week. “For many this is a the most challenging time of their lives, {…}

Mar 16, 2020

Opera Australia May Sell off Major Assets To Manage Financial Challenges

Opera Australia might have to sell off some major properties to manage financial difficulties that it will face due to the COVID-19 crisis. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the company might be faced with selling off one or both of its properties in Surry Hills and Alexandria to avoid bankruptcy. The option seems “fairly likely,” per a comment in {…}

Mar 16, 2020

Opera Australia Cancels Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour’s ‘La Traviata’

(Credit: Lisa Tomasetti) Opera Australia has announced that its production fo “La Traviata” at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2020 has been canceled in keeping with government bans on public gatherings of more than 500 people. The run was scheduled between March 27 and April 26, 2020. “These are unprecedented circumstances for Opera Australia and an extremely challenging time for {…}

Mar 15, 2020

Opera Australia Cancels Performances Due to Coronavirus

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 {…}