Category: ARTS & CULTURE

Opera Australia’s chorus is getting their own run

Men women colour chous

From 4 February to 10 March this year, Opera Australia’s chorus will take centre stage, hogging the limelight for the first time in – ever! It’s an exciting time for any chorister, new or established, as they take to the centre stage of the Sydney Opera House’s Joan Sutherland Theatre in a new work sensibly named Chorus! The Opera Australia Chorus are the nation’s only full-time opera chorus and one of the busiest and most celebrated in the world, often praised by international singers and conductors as one of the finest choruses they’ve had the opportunity to work with. In addition to the operas that form OA’s 2023 summer season, the Chorus will present this one-hour concert production exploring musical terrain spanning five languages and three centuries of music. Iconic choral pieces from popular operas such as Madama Butterfly, Il Trovatore and Rigoletto, as well as lesser-known gems, will delight both the opera aficionado and those new to the artform. Chorus! will guide audiences on a journey through time exploring humanity and conflict and a return to nature and celebration of unity. Raw sets, costumes and lighting designs all place the focus on the mesmerising force of these voices and reflect the underpinned theme of togetherness, which is the essence of the Chorus itself. For more info and tickets, head to the Opera Australia website

Opera For All: free in Melbourne this February

Opera Australia Melbourne

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

Reuben Kaye to host Opera Up Late this Sydney World Pride

Reuben Kaye Sydney Opera House Joan Sutherland Theatre 1

Opera Up Late is back this February! A bespoke arts event from Opera Australia, in association with Sydney WorldPride, on 18 and 23 February, it’ll shine a light on all things artistic and musical in a camp explosion of humour and art, totally befitting the Sydney World Pride events of 2023. And this year, Australian queen of camp comedy, Reuben Kaye will host, bringing his brutally funny and multi-award winning comedy to the stage. Reuben Kaye is an Australian comedian, singer and writer, who has cemented himself as one of the biggest names in comedy and cabaret both locally and internationally, while also accruing a massive following on Tiktok, Youtube and Instagram. What is Opera Up Late about? Opera Up Late shines a light on the extraordinary talent that the queer community brings to the national company, Opera Australia and the iconic Sydney Opera House as Sydney WorldPride takes over the city in 2023. In a rare late night peek beneath the city’s famous sails these performances begin at 11:00pm and feature artists from Opera Australia, including Australian tenors Tomas Dalton and Benjamin Rasheed, mezzo-soprano Angela Hogan, soprano Cathy-Di Zhang and musical theatre’s rising star Annie Aitken, with music direction by Opera Australia’s Chorus Master Paul Fitzsimon. There’s more at the Opera Up Late website

Don Giovanni is back on stage with Opera Australia

Opera Australia Don Giovanni

Putting an opera on is no easy feat. But it’s possible with a cast of thousands and some of the most talented singers the world – genuinely – has to offer. Opera Australia’s latest instalment of Don Giovanni is a mashing together of singers from every corner of the globe, coming together to celebrate their art and put on a show Opera Australia has been acclaimed internationally too many times to count. Ukrainian baritone Andrei Kymach will deliver his first performance in Australia as the malevolent anti-hero Don Giovanni. Kymach is no stranger to the torment of this malicious character, having performed the role with the Welsh National Opera earlier this year. Celebrated French-Israeli bass Yuri Kissin will also make his Australian debut in the role of Leporello, having sung this role in Maribor among many other performances in opera houses and festivals across the globe. Opera Australia Young Artist Sophie Salvesani will make her official mainstage opera debut for the Company in the role of Donna Anna, after stepping in last minute earlier this year as Violetta in La Traviata. Salvesani will share the role with OA Chorus member Celeste Lazarenko making her mainstage leading principal role debut. Another Chorus member, soprano Bronwyn Douglass, will make her mainstage debut in the role of Donna Elvira, sharing with Jane Ede who received a fantastic reception in this role in 2020. Reprising the role of Don Ottavio is Spanish tenor Juan De Dios Mateos who, in the 2020 production, “impressed with his striking, clarion clear tenor voice”… Read More

What do Cezanne, Van Gogh, Rodin, Picasso and Matisse all have in common?

Bathers

They’re all on display at the National Gallery in London from 25 March to 13 August 2023. And it’ll be an exploratory experience not to be missed to kick off anyone’s year. Along with Klimt, Käthe Kollwitz, Sonia Delaunay, Kandinsky and Mondrian, the exhibition After impressionism: investing modern art will explore and celebrate Paris as the international artistic capital, while focusing on the exciting and often revolutionary artistic developments across other European cities during this period.    Starting with the towering achievements of Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Rodin, visitors are able to journey through the art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries created in cities such as Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels and Vienna. The exhibition closes with some of the most significant modernist works, ranging from Expressionism to Cubism and Abstraction. For more information and tickets, head to the National Gallery website

Smirnoff Origins is hosting The Presets at Club 77 Sydney this February

The Presets

The Smirnoff Origins series is where music comes back to shine. Smirnoff will take Australia’s biggest acts back to their roots to support live music venues after two years of lockdowns and give a platform to some of the country’s hotly-tipped talent.  Smirnoff will take Australia’s biggest acts back to their roots for the enjoyment of literally everyone. The Smirnoff Origins series has been developed to support live music venues, get people back through the doors and give some of our favourite names in music back doing what they do best. It’s a new thing starting in 2023 and so to kick off the event series, Aussie music legends, The Presets will head back to Sydney venue Club 77 – where it all started for them – for a one-night only gig open to the public on 2 February 2023. There’s a show in Brisbane to come, too. The Presets have also been tasked with finding the hottest opening act for the gig, hand-picking an emerging artist to open the show and score a prize package worth over $50K. It’s all about music, community and like-minds getting together to sip on some quality Smirnoff bevs and enjoy some quality like music. Get your tickets here

The only Australian photographic art you need for your walls

Through Our Lens wall art

Backpacker, traveller, expat of just lover of Australian scenery, this one’s for you. If you’re looking for something to fill the overwhelmingly empty surfaces of your four walls, then I’m pleased to introduce you to Through Our Lens by Australian based photography partners Edger Pudans and Norah Nguyen. They take the beauty that lies in around and under the Australian landscape and turn it into a moment you can dip into at any time, at your convenience, through photographic art pieces. Their story is sweet; they met in Uni and discovered their mutual love for photography and producing quality imagery of their surroundings. They honed their skill and these days, provide portals into Australiana to their global client base of people like you and I: locals, travellers and fans of the rugged beauty-come-urban centres that comprise one of the greatest countries on Earth; Australia. Especially our favourite coastal wall art! To take their words from their website, “For landscape photographers, a certain level of planning will always be a necessity. Being at the mercy of natural light and other elements like wind and cloud cover, it can be tricky to ensure you’re in the right spot at the right time to capture that perfect shot. But thanks to modern technology, Edgar and Norah don’t have to leave things up to chance. We use advanced applications like Sky Candy, designed to demonstrate the direction of sunlight during an allocated time of day. Based on the location of the shoot, this will help us determine the time… Read More

What to see this NIDA Festival of Emerging Artists

man actor stage

This year, NIDA, the National Institutue of Dramatic Arts will bring the Festival of Emerging Artists features seven short productions experienced across three different venues from 7-10 December. So, if ever you wanted to see what the world of drama can really do, this is the opportunity. Established in 2019, the annual festival brings together the many talents nurtured at NIDA across all disciplines, with a particular focus on the next generation of Australia’s leading directors and designers. In the tradition of NIDA alumni immediately finding employment in the entertainment industry, these are the new creative artists to watch in 2023 and beyond. Here are some top shows to add to your diary: LeelaWritten by Sudip Sauden and Grace MaloufDirected by Sudip SaudenDramaturg by Jiva Lamsal (guest artist)Set and costume design by Lochie OdgersThis darkly funny Australian-Nepalese work revolves around Laxmi, an elderly Nepalese woman, and her son, Arjun, as they struggle with the most consequential decision of their lives, a decision with tragic consequences. How to win a Plebiscite (and Tennis)Written by Lachlan ParryDirected by Ryan WhitworthSet and costume design by Hailley HuntHow to Win a Plebiscite (and Tennis) is a queer comedy that wrestles with the question – can a long-term relationship withstand the scrutiny and trauma experienced when a country is asked to vote on the validity of their love? This is a story of community, hope and love set during the 2017 Australian Equal Marriage Plebiscite. SOL.Directed by Emma WhiteheadDramaturg Simon Thomson (guest artist)Set and costume design by Benedict Janeczko-TaylorSOL. is… Read More

Opera’s now free to all thanks to Opera Australia

Opera Australia Melbourne

From Europe to Australia, Opera Australia is teaming up with BMW for Opera for All. It’s been staged in Munich, Berlin, London and Moscow, and this year leading opera companies like Opera Australia is presenting world-class opera to the public for free. The Australian premiere of this global initiative will include a one-hour open-air concert that will take place on 4 February 2023 at Federation Square in Melbourne and include the most popular arias in opera. The performance will feature four of Australia’s finest opera singers accompanied by Orchestra Victoria. Think of it as a different incarnation of the renowned Opera in the Domain in Sydney or Opera in the Bowl in Melbourne; a massive outdoor opera spectacle open to all! Whether you’re new to opera or an old hat; been wanting to hear the music in real life for a first or keen to try something new, this event is an excellent way to dip your toe in. With some of the world’s most famous pieces of music and vocal work to go along with them, you’ll be hard done by to find something that doesn’t appeal to you! If you need a glimpse, take a look at some of our opera content, or listen to one of my favourites of all time: BMW Opera for AllSaturday 4 February 2023, 4:00 – 5:00pmFederation Square, Cnr Swanston Street & Flinders Street, MelbourneVisit opera.org.au for further event information.

World Pride exhibition in Sydney with The Huxleys and an installation by Paul Yore

The Huxleys drag performers

Gay Sydney and The Huxleys are almost synonymous. Their glitter, their glam and their avant garde approach to drag, art and immersive exhibitionism is seconded by very few around the world. And this year, the Huxleys duo, artist Paul Yore and other contemporaries will put on a show worthy of World Pride in Sydney for the millions of punters from across the globe. MORE: Kylie Minogue will headline World Pride Sydney In 2024, Carriageworks in Eveleigh Sydney, one of Australia’s most significant contemporary multi-arts organisations, today announced a dynamic program spanning visual arts and live performance to be presented as part of Sydney Festival 2023. Presented from 5 January – 5 March 2023, a major new exhibition Bloodlines by Melbourne-based collaborative duo The Huxleys will honour legendary queer artists lost to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Utilising the artists’ skills in costume design, performance and photography, the exhibition will include large-scale photographic works, video art and an opening live art party on 4 January. The exhibition will also feature a durational collaborative installation that invites the community to contribute panels to be sewn together into a quilt, reminiscent of the AIDS Memorial Quilts created during the 80s and 90s. Bloodlines is a heartfelt tribute to LGBTQIA+ artists, including Leigh Bowery, Robert Mapplethorpe, Keith Haring and Sylvester, that continue to inspire the practices of The Huxleys and countless artists working today. Artist Paul Yore will present Paul Yore: WORD MADE FLESH, a major immersive installation, from 5 January – 26 February 2023. WORD MADE FLESH is a new… Read More