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Tag: melbourne opera
Opera For All: free in Melbourne this February
If you’re looking for something of the musical variety to kill an hour this February in central Melbourne, consider Opera Australia’s first Opera For All! They have announced a stellar line-up of four brilliant singers to perform in the free BMW Opera for All concert in Fed Square on Saturday 4 February between 4pm-5pm. Annual concerts take place in Munich, and the series has also been staged in Berlin, London, and Moscow and now Melbourne’s joined the list, living up the city’s European heritage, feel and reputation as culturally iconographic. Singing some of opera’s most famous arias, the cast will comprise soprano Sophie Salvesani, direct from her mainstage opera debut in the recent acclaimed production of Don Giovanni; Melbourne-born and three time Green Room Award-winning mezzo-soprano Dimity Shepherd; Korean tenor Simon Kim, known for his concert performances with Opera Australia and internationally; and acclaimed baritone Luke Gabbedy whose recent role debut in La Traviata received high praise. The free, summer afternoon, open-air concert will feature opera’s biggest hits from Verdi to Puccini for an hour of thrilling high notes and soaring harmonies; it is the perfect way to dip your toe into opera for the first time or revisit some of opera’s best. For a flavour of what it might be like, checkl out our previous coverage on Opera Australia’s outdoor spectacles they host annually. 4pm-5pm, 4 February 2023 Tickets are free with no registration required | Fed Square, Melbourne opera.org.au/events/bmw-opera-for-all
Phantom of the Opera is on in Melbourne: why it’s a must-see
Since 1986 when Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera took to the stage, it did so much more than that. It took the hearts and minds, imaginations and operatic passions of everyone who’s seen it since – including the latest round of audience members in Melbourne Australia with the debut of the latest production touring the city this year in 2022. Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera will wow audiences throughout the summer months has welcomed a stellar cast talented ensemble cast including Elliot Baker, Anton Berezin, Laura Bianchi-Bishop, Eleanor Blythman, Gavin Brown, Ben Clark, Bridget Costello, Andrew Dunne, Lewis Francis, Christina Gibbs, Claudia Hastings, Olivia Jenkins, Daniel Koek, Naomi Livingston, Josephine Lonergan, Aaron Lynch, Imogen-Faith Malfitano, Kayleigh Marven, Emma McFarlane, Lachlan O’Brien, Brittany Page, Edward Smith, Anna Stephens, Tod Strike, Troy Sussman, Raphael Wong, Jack Wunsch and Elisha Zion Lee. And though the story’s already held in the firmament of what’s good in the world of theatre, new direction by director Laurence Connor with choreography by Scott Ambler, set design by Paul Brown, Tony Award-winning original costume design by Maria Björnson make for a once-in-a-lifetime experience on stage. The production of Melbourne’s Phantom of the Opera is on until 5 February 2023. Get tickets at the Phantom of the Opera website
Opera Australia’s got a new, large season for 2020
Opera Australia is making good use of those floating 3D digital screens of theirs for the latest season of operatic magic at the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera House in 2020 – it’s going to be large! They’ll pump out a range of opera’s greatest hits along with some rare gems that will feature the best talent from around the world including a record number of alumni from OA’s Young Artists Program. The likes of Renée Fleming, Jennifer Rowley and Carmen Topciu to name just a few will make their cameos, alongside some other OA favourites. Meanwhile Melbourne will see a return of Graeme Murphy’s Madama Butterfly, which will be the first of the Company’s critically acclaimed digital productions to be performed in the State Theatre. For more, head to the Opera Australia website.
What to look forward to this spring from Opera Australia in Melbourne
As we move into spring in Melbourne, Opera Australia really starts to fire-up, putting on some of the country’s most astonishing opera productions for everyone – free and not! If it’s not the classics like Turandot or The Magic Flute, then you know Opera Australia will put on any combination of other sensational productions to whet your appetite. These four must-see productions are sure to get you going. METAMORPHOSIS (Howard) Opera Australia offers a rare and exciting opportunity to experience a chamber opera in an intimate setting this October when it presents the Melbourne premiere of a new production of Australian composer Brian Howard’s Metamorphosis in an all new location; The Coopers Malthouse, Merlyn Theatre. This opera, directed by Tama Matheson, tells the tale of a broken man turned insect and how he and his family grapple with the riveting and terrifying transformation. Brian Howard’s score is percussive, inventive, courageous, and truly reflects a story of social alienation in a modern, inhumane world. The Coopers Malthouse Merlyn Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank 25, 26, 27 October 2018 | Tickets $79 LA BOHEME (Puccini) Known as one of the world’s all-time favourite operas, and the inspiration behind Moulin Rouge and the musical Rent, Puccini’s La Bohe?me continues to delight audiences. With its lush sets and costumes, soaring music and a world-class cast, this glittering production, set in the bohemian streets of 1930s Berlin is the perfect showcase for this heartbreaking love story. Returning to the Melbourne stage in November, this lavish production brings Puccini’s classic to life in a… Read More