(Credit: Charlie Kinross) Richard Mills AM has announced he will step down as the Artistic Director of Victorian Opera at the conclusion of the state opera company’s 2023 season. The distinguished composer and conductor has overseen a period of significant growth for Victorian Opera and continued the company’s commitment to commissioning new Australian opera. He has won the Helpmann Award {…}
The Victorian Opera in Australia has announced its 2022 season featuring eight productions, including three Australian operas. “This is the season of a 21st-century opera company, celebrating what is new and diverse in the context of masterpieces from the canon,” said Artistic Director Richard Mills. The season opens with the Australian premiere of the multi-award-winning Broadway show “The Who’s Tommy” {…}
In celebration of World Opera Day, Victorian Opera has announced a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol.” The production will come as part of the company’s 2022 season, featuring the music of composer Graeme Koehne, and libretto by Anna Goldsworthy. It will premiere at the Palais Theatre at St. Kilda in December 2022. This adaptation will see {…}
The Victorian Opera and the Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program have announced the cancellation of Otto Nicolai’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” at Melbourne Recital Centre’s Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. Performances were originally scheduled for Dec. 3-4 and were set to be presented in partnership with the Brisbane-based Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program. According to the Victorian Opera, the increased uncertainty regarding {…}
Australia’s Victorian Opera has announced changes for its upcoming production of Schubert’s “The Friends of Salamanca.” The Youth Opera is set to be staged at the Arts Centre Melbourne Hamer Hall on Oct. 1 and 2, 2021. The showcase will be directed by Emma Muir-Smith, who will add English dialogue to the opera. The opera will include singers and musicians {…}
Victorian Opera has announced that it will be canceling its previously announced performance of “Voss.” The Australian company revealed that the cancelation of the August 4 showcase was necessitated by the current lockdowns the country is experiencing due to COVID-19. The performance was set to be a historic first with Victorian Opera set to give the first performance of the {…}
***Correction: A previous version of this article claimed that “Voss was being presented for the first time in 50 years; that number was incorrect. The article has been altered to reflect this change. Victorian Opera in Australia is set to present “Voss” for the first time in 30 years. The showcase is set to take place on August 4, 2021 {…}
The Victorian Opera is set to present “Lorelei” at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne from June 29 to July 2. The production will star Ali McGregor, Antoinette Halloran, and Dimity Shepherd in the opera which made its world premiere in 2018 and received critical acclaim. The work also received two Green Room Awards for Best New Australian Work and Best {…}
Victorian Opera in Australia has announced that it will be world premiering “Parrwang Lifts the Sky” this June. The opera, which was commissioned by Victorian Opera and was written by composer Yorta Yorta and soprano Deborah Cheetham AO, tells the creation story of the sunrise based on a traditional story that hails from Wadawurrung Country. “’Parrwang Lifts the Sky’ is {…}
On April 27, 2021, Victorian Opera will present Georges Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers,” held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Maestro Richard Mills conducts the Orchestra Victoria, and a cast comprised of soprano Kathryn Radcliffe as Leila, bass-baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Nourabad, tenor Carlos E. Barcenas as Nadir, and baritone Stephen Marsh as Zurga. This semi-staged concert production is {…}
Victorian Opera has announced that it will premiere two operas commissioned by the company, “Echo and Narcissus”/ “Cassandra” on March 19, 2021. “Echo and Narcissus” is the result of a collaboration between composer Kevin March and librettist Jane Montgomery Griffiths, while “Cassandra” was created by Simon Bruckard and Constantine Costi. Conductor Sam Strong leads a cast that includes soprano Kathryn {…}