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” at the Palais Theatre.

Performance Dates: Feb. 22-March 1, 2022

The second work of the season will be Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, and Elisabeth Hauptmann’s anti-capitalist musical, “Happy End.” Matthew Lutton directs the work which will star Kurt Kansley, Lucy Maunder, Ali McGregor, Jennifer Vuletic, and Ras-Samuel Welda’abzgi. Victorian Opera’s Head of Music, Phoebe Briggs, conducts.

Performance Dates: March 23-26, 2022

Green Room Award-winning Australian opera, “The Selfish Giant” returns to the stage. The work will also be streamed in schools and regional cinemas state-wide as part of the company’s Access All Areas: Livestream Program and preceded by four streamed behind-the-scenes workshops.

Performance Dates: May 27 & 28, 2022

Pierangelo Valtinoni’s “Il Mago di Oz” makes its Australian premiere with Elizabeth Hill-Cooper directing the
production conducted by Fabian Russell.

Performance Dates: August 27 & 30, 2022

Richard Strauss’ “Elektra” will be presented with Catherine Foster leading an all-Australian cast and the combined forces of Orchestra Victoria and the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) Orchestra under the baton of Richard Mills.

Performance Dates: Sept. 14, 2022

“The Butterfly Lovers” makes its world premiere at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Playhouse. The work by Richard Mills and Joel Tan will be directed by Ivan Heng. Cathy-Di Zhang stars alongside Meili Li.

Performance Dates: Oct. 12-15, 2022

The company will present a semi-staged production of Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” alongside the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. The production stars bass-baritones Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Jeremy Kleeman, baritone Stephen Marsh, soprano Rebecca Rashleigh, and mezzo-soprano Shakira Dugan. Turkish tenor Mert Süngü, a Rossini specialist, stars as Prince Ramiro. Richard Mills conducts the production directed by Elizabeth Hill-Cooper.

Performance Date: Nov. 25, 2022

The 2022 season concludes with the world premiere of composer Graeme Koehne and librettist Anna Goldsworthy’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol.” The production will be conducted by Phoebe Briggs and directed by Emma Muir-Smith and will star baritone Samuel Dundas as Ebenezer Scrooge, Soprano Antoinette Halloran, tenor James Egglestone, mezzo-soprano Dominica Matthews and baritone Simon Meadows.

Performance Dates: Dec. 14 – 17, 2022