Category: OPERA

Opera Australia is hosting a New Years Opera Gala on Cockatoo Island

Opera Australia New Years Eve 1

Can’t believe we’re here again, already in 2021, but we are and now is the time to plan what you’re doing for New Years Eve 2021. Naturally, if you’re in Sydney, you’ll be by the harbour, watching the epic fireworks every year, so why not do it in operatic style? Opera Australia has added another outdoor spectacular to its program, recently announcing the inaugural New Year’s Eve Opera Gala on Cockatoo Island. The event will present some of the country’s finest performers for a two-hour concert of opera classics under the stars, hosted by the irreverent Jonathan Biggins. Tahu Matheson will conduct a full orchestra and an all-star cast of singers including Stacey Alleaume, Natalie Aroyan, Chanyang Choi, Diego Torre and Luke Gabbedy. Tickets include pre-booked ferry transfers and a ticket to the performance with the option of adding a 3-course pre-performance dinner, interval drinks and the post-show midnight party to their booking. Alternatively more casual food and beverage options will also be available. But if something a little more classic is in your sights, then Opera Australia’s annual NYE festivities at the Sydney Opera House will include a lavish production of Puccini’s La Bohème in the Joan Sutherland Theatre. Italian maestro Lorenzo Passerini conducts the Opera Australia Orchestra and a cast of exceptional singers as they perform the much-loved bohemian tale of four friends navigating their way through their shared experiences of ecstasy, jealousy and loss. With interval timed to coincide with the 9pm fireworks and the opera finishing in time for the midnight… Read More

Sydney’s ultimate date night: dinner and the opera on Sydney Harbour

Handa Opera Sydney Harbour HOSH set

Forget Valentine’s Day; this opportunity’s about to trump any idea you’ve ever had before. Opera Australia’s putting on a European gastronomic spread ahead of its annual Handa Opera on the Harbour, renowned as one of the world’s most premier and premium outdoor musical events. The premium harbourside setting will be transformed into a pop-up opera house, complete with bars, restaurants and tiered seating that make the most of the spectacular Sydney skyline views. You’ll get the chance to choose from five different restaurant and bar areas that’ll serve a European-inspired menu that will highlight the flavours of France and Italy in celebration of the triumphant return of Opera Australia’s production of Opera Australia’s La Traviata. For those who bank with HSBC Australia, the Platinum Club will be on-hand as the pop-up dining experience to visit, comprising a sumptuous undercover restaurant and bar with premium Sydney Harbour views. The Club offers exclusive two or three-course sit-down fine dining with table-service, matching wine and a set menu from The Fresh Collective’s award-winning chefs. Opera Australia has partnered with Handpicked Wines as the official wine partner and will have on-hand, a range of award- winning wine selections from Australia’s leading fine wine regions. Reservations for the HSBC Platinum Club are essential. For a more laid-back option, guests can dine with some of the best views on site as a backdrop on the Northern Terrace. Enjoy bistro-style dining from Frenchies Bistro and Brewery with a choice of French-inspired hot, cold and dessert selections. The Southern Terrace will transform into… Read More

Life drawing art classes at the Sydney Opera House

Opera-Australia-Tosca-life-drawing

Forget hundreds-year old operatic productions on the Joan Sutherland Theatre stage in the Sydney Opera House: this month it’s all about art. A one-time-only event on 12 March, the most beautiful set in Australian musical production, the first act scenery for John Bell’s acclaimed production of Tosca, will open to the public for the first time ever for a one-off life drawing class. Teaming up with Darlinghurst Life Drawing, Opera Australia is offering budding artists the opportunity to attend a two-hour drawing class, located right on the set of Tosca in the Sydney Opera House. Designed by Michael Scott-Mitchell, Act l of Tosca is a spectacular reproduction of Rome’s stunning Sant’Andrea della Valle church. So warm up those fingers, get those creative juices flowing and prepare for one of life’s once-off experiences like never before. For more info and to book, go to the Opera Australia website. Time: 7:00-9:00pm Cost: $125 + booking fee

Cheap opera tickets by Opera Australia: for those who want to try it

Teodor Ilincai Tosca Opera Australia THE F 4

If there’s one thing in life you need to do, it’s to see the opera. And if there’s one company anywhere in the world you need to see it by, it’s Opera Australia. We’ve written about their world class productions so many, many, many, many times which is testament to just how insanely impressive and disciple-making they are. And now, you can access world class productions for a casual 20. In a bid to encourage more people to experience grand opera, Opera Australia is offering $20 tickets to 2,000 first time opera-goers to see its upcoming production of Puccini’s Tosca, which runs from February 22 to March 13, 2021. Thanks to the generosity of the Susan and Isaac Wakil Foundation Access Program, Opera Australia is able to offer tickets for less than the price of a movie ticket to people who are yet to experience the magic of live opera. For more and to sign up, get along to the Opera Australia website, link above.

Hear the greatest opera arias in 90 mins at Sydney Opera House

Merry Widow Opera

Described as the ‘best of opera without the boring bits’, Opera Australia is putting on a 90-minute show that’s jam-packed with tunes that most people will be familiar with and not realise! The opera masterpieces are famous around the world, not just the soundtrack from a commercial and come from a completely different time by some of the greatest musical minds in history. Performed by an all star operatic cast, they’ll perform tunes that the audience will no doubt recognise from car and pasta adverts, along with films such as Pretty Woman and Star Trek. On now until 3 March 2021, the performances go for 90 minutes for $69 for adults (fees may apply). Concession prices available. Opera Australia Box Office (02) 9318 8200 www.opera.org.au

Opera’s back! Opera Australia’s 2021 season kicks off

Merry Widow Opera

In what’s probably the best piece of news to start 2021 with, Opera Australia’s back. After a hiatus of what felt like forever because of the pandemic, a brand new season has just been announced, kicking off with a show in English that everyone can appreciate. With emotions flying, the leadership of Opera Australia announced the Merry Widow will take to the stage at the Sydney Opera House in all its 50s art deco glamour. This is on from 5 January. Followed by Verdi’s Ernani in collaboration with La Scala in Milan, it’s a first for Opera Australia and the Opera House, shining a light on the magic of Verdi’s Italian classics. Followed by other classics like Tosca and a few other firsts, Opera Australia is stopping at nothing to return its singers to the stage in their world-class best. Watch below to see more about the season ahead or head to the Opera Australia website.

The Marriage of Figaro is back with Stacey Alleaume taking stage

Stacey Alleaume Mirrage Figaro

Since joining the program in 2016, Melbourne-born opera singer Stacey Alleaume has kicked goal-after-goal. From making us laugh out loud in her 2018 role in The Turk in Italy to making us cry as Violetta Valery in La Traviata of the same year, she’s a star on the rise and one the company’s thankful for in the 2019 season where Stacey will take on the role of Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. Stacey will share the role with fellow soprano, Julie Lea Goodwin who crushed her role as Wendy in the Australian focused production of the famed artist Brett Whiteley in Whiteley. Alongside Paolo Bordogna – who Stacey has worked very closely with previously in The Turk in Italy – who’ll bring his charming Italian flavoured baritone skills to the stage as Figaro Set in the 1600s – a good century before Mozart actually wrote the opera – it’s a spectacular take on the highs and lows of a tale that makes a hero of the underclass, highlights the class divisions of the time and foreshadows the French Revolution that was brewing on the near horizon. See more about the production and get your tickets at the Opera Australia website.

Opera Australia’s got a new, large season for 2020

Opera-Aida-2

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.

Jonas Kaufmann is back in Sydney to tell the tragic love story of Andrea Chénier

Jonas Kaufmann

It was back in 2017 when the renowned tenor they call the ‘new Pavarotti’, Jonas Kaufmann graced Sydney’s shores and this year, he’s back again. He took on Parsifal at the Sydney Opera House – a challenge worthy of getting excited about – in a series of three performances of the Wagner work that sold the Joan Sutherland Theatre out. One of the world’s most renowned tenor’s with the voice and smile to prove it, Kaufmann will take on the role of Andrea himself alongside fellow cast members, Eva-Maria Westbroek and Ludovic Tézier, both making their Opera Australia debuts. Kaufmann will take to the stage on Thursday 8 and Sunday 11 August at the Sydney Opera House. See more at the Opera Australia website.

Hear Opera Australia’s orchestra director perform at the Sydney Opera Centre

Jun Yi Ma

If there was ever anyone to play a violin in precisely the way a violin is meant to be played, it’s Jun Yi Ma, Opera Australia’s orchestra director. In the production that is Under an Azure Sky in the Joan Sutherland Studio, Jun Yi Ma will recite the piece on 26 August from 7pm. The studio is known for its rich, acoustic walls and intimate setting, which Opera Australia will harness to continue its series of intimate recitals with a Mediterranean influenced performance. Pianist and Chorus Master Siro Battaglin will accompany Jun Yi Ma as they perform Under an Azure Sky as a small, but poignant ensemble that includes Ravel’s ethereal Introduction and Allergro, and Turnia’s Las musas de Andalucí along with further accompaniment from members of the Opera Australia Orchestra. Find the Joan Sutherland Studio at The Opera Centre, 480 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills. See more at the Opera Australia website. Tickets from $65 + 8.50 transaction fee.