Why you shouldn’t miss La Boheme according to its stars

The cafe in La Boheme by Opera Australia

Posted: 10/03/2023

In celebration of the Sydney Opera House‘s 50th birthday this year, Opera Australia, its resident opera and performing arts company, is putting on one heck of a line-up. With the renowned and favourite La Boheme currently on stage until THIS weekend, 11 March, your chance to see it for the season is almost up! It’s a moving story of love gained, shaken and then lost forever, written by famed Italian composer – who wrote quite accessible operas for those who are new to the whole experience – Giacomo Puccini. It’s even got those two renowned arias placed strategically back-to-back in the first act of the performance, that do their job in honing you in and driving you (or maybe just me?) to tears every time. They are: Che gelida manina and Si mi chiamano Mimi. They highlight the very moment Rodolfo and Mimi fall in love and do the best job at positioning Mimi as a delicate flower of a woman, who Rodolfo can’t but help being totally taken with immediately. Have a listen here: You can check out our other thoughts and reviews on the La Boheme production here. To find out why La Boheme is so good and such a must-see, we spoke to the latest lead singers, Atalla Ayan and Rebecca Gulinello who play Rodolfo and Mimi, the main lovers’ storyline, through the production. “Singing La Boheme taught me something beautiful about life: The passion and the joy of living every moment, every second as the last one of your existence. Living for the… Read More

Category: LIFESTYLE, ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, FEATURES, OPERA, SYDNEY

Tags: Atalla Ayan, la boheme, la boheme opera australia, opera australia, Rebecca Gulinello singer, sydney opera house

First time opera; first time opera singer – Rebecca Gulinello tell us about La Boheme in Sydney

by James Banham

Updated: 10/03/2023

Whether you’re an opera aficionado, or after a new experience for the first time, there’s one thing you can be sure of – you’re not alone! People from all walks of life with all kinds of musical tastes gather on a nightly basis at the world famous Sydney Opera House – which is turning 50 this year! – to see operas by the world-renowned Opera Australia company, which this season is putting on La Boheme and giving even its singers a unique first experience! New singer Rebecca Gulinello is making one of her preliminary performances in the production, taking to the stage after she only took to her first stage performance this January! We got to speak with the highly talented, new singer about her performance as Mimi in La Boheme. Here’s how it went. How excited are you to be playing Mimi this season? To be taking on this role for me is a great responsibility because this stage is my home base. Sydney Opera House is iconic and one of the most coveted stages any singer in the world wants the privilege of being able to sing on. It is where other greats have sung before me and all my incredible colleagues in the company currently perform. To believe in my own greatness and to trust in my voice, my hard work and efforts towards this debut has been the most challenging. The mindset of a singer is also similar to that of a professional athlete. You must maintain a sense of rigour, routine, mental… Read More

Category: LIFESTYLE, ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, FEATURES, OPERA, SYDNEY

Tags: Best operas, La Boheme Australia, La Boheme opera, opera, opera australia, Rebecca Gulinello opera, Rebecca Gulinello singer

Opera Australia’s singer shine bright in new Adriana Lecouvreur

Opera Adriana Lecouvreur woman lying in purple water

by James Banham

Updated: 12/02/2023

From 20 Feb to 7 March, Opera Australia will put on the ultimate story of love, drama and costumery with a hint of espionage, that is Adriana Lecouvreur. Played this season by Opera Australia favourite, Ermonela Jaho, the role demands the finest talent in both singing and acting, and Albanian soprano’s renowned musical and storytelling skills make her perfect to return to Sydney to reprise the part. Michael Fabiano will return also, after his last performance with the Company in 2019, to make his role debut as the romantic lead, Maurizio. Coming from the cast of Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera, Fabiano will first perform his debut Australian solo recital at Melbourne City Recital Hall on February 12. See more info on that here. The production this year is a new reimagining by director Rosetta Cucchi, which will bring to life Cilèa’s operatic incarnation of the true story of Adrienne Lecouvreur is one of many adaptations of her fascinating life across a variety of artforms. Cucchi’s vision of this high-tension love triangle drama, including a stunning silks performance, will have audiences intrigued by Adriana’s scandalous tale until the final curtain falls. Book tickets at the Opera Australia website

Category: LIFESTYLE, ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, FEATURES, OPERA, SYDNEY

Tags: Best Sydney operas, opera australia, sydney opera, What to see Sydney, What's On Sydney

Opera Australia’s chorus is getting their own run

by James Banham

Updated: 19/01/2023

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

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Tags: opera australia, Opera best shows, sydney opera, sydney opera house, the f opera, the f sydney, What opera to see, What's on opera

Opera For All: free in Melbourne this February

by James Banham

Posted: 19/01/2023

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

Category: LIFESTYLE, ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, FEATURES, MELBOURNE, OPERA

Tags: free opera, Melbourne open air opera, melbourne opera, opera australia

Don Giovanni is back on stage with Opera Australia

by James Banham

Posted: 20/12/2022

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

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Tags: Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni is back on stage with Opera Australia, opera australia, sydney opera

Opera’s now free to all thanks to Opera Australia

by James Banham

Updated: 06/12/2022

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.

Category: CITIES, ARTS & CULTURE, LIFESTYLE, MELBOURNE, OPERA

Tags: Best opera Australia, opera australia, opera guide, Opera in Melbourne, the f opera, What opera to see

Opera like you’ve never seen it: a grungy Carmen is coming to Sydney

Carmen on Cockatoo Island Summer 678x449 1

by James Banham

Posted: 11/11/2022

Do away with the dresses and bring out the elbow grease; Carmen is back in Sydney. Normally the saucy southern Spaniard, bringing her heat from the ramparts of Seville to the stage of Sydney is dress-adorned and flaunting what she’s got the enjoyment of fellow cast and audiences – this this time ’round we’re looking at something different. Think Carmen with an Amy Winehouse beehive and all the animal prints your heart can desire. Oh, and motor bikes. It’s something new for Opera Australia, which over the past half a decade and maybe longer has erred on the side of reimagined traditional and minimalistically chic in its stage productions, costumery and on-stage – or pontoon in the case of the annual Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour! And it’s a welcome change. Under the direction of the acclaimed Liesel Badorrek, a cast of brilliant singers and musicians, 12 contemporary dancers and three motorbike riders have begun weaving together the story of Carmen, who Liesel says is the ultimate femme fatale. “This is Carmen as you’ve never seen it before. For me it is a story about misfits, fringe dwellers and outsiders and nothing says that like rock ‘n’ roll. “Sydney’s Cockatoo Island is an industrial and gritty place so we have taken that aesthetic to the next level with the sets and costumes to create a thrilling set. You will feel like you’ve entered our world of Carmen as soon as you step off the ferry, it really is going to be a unique experience,” said director Liesel Badorrek. Incorporating such… Read More

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Tags: Best opera Australia, Carmen opera Sydney, Cheap opera, Cockatoo Island Sydney, opera australia, Opera Cockatoo Island, sydney opera, sydney opera house

Attila is finally on in Sydney after a long Covid wait

by James Banham

Posted: 26/10/2022

If you’re living in Sydney, then rejoice; Opera Australia’s finally putting on Attila by Verdi. It’s the Opera Australia company’s first co-production with the prestigious Teatro alla Scala in Milan, after the COVID pandemic suspended its hugely successful 2020 premiere after only two performances and its 2021 run days before opening. “We had magnificent feedback when Attila opened in 2020 and we’ve received requests to reschedule it ever since, so I’m ecstatic that we are able to present it again in the Sydney Opera House with most of the original cast and enable more people to experience such a marvellous production,” says OA Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini. And with a cast comprising Taras Berezhansky as Attila, Natalie Aroyan as Odabella, Diego Torre as Foresto, Mario Cassi as Ezio, Virgilio Marino as Uldino and Richard Anderson as Pope Leo I; you know it’ll be a quality production. What is Attila about? In a nutshell, telling the story of the King of the Huns’ invasion of Italy, this revenge opera will feature a world-class cast including renowned bass Taras Berezhansky who will reprise his role as the barbarous Attila. For more info and to book tickets for the show in Sydney, go to the Opera Australia website

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Tags: Attila is finally on in Sydney after a long Covid wait, opera australia, opera sydney, sydney opera, the f opera

New opera by Opera Australia to see on Cockatoo Island Sydney

by James Banham

Posted: 09/09/2022

Opera Australia is putting on another open air event outside of the world of Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, this time on Cockatoo Island. Launching in November 2022 with a gritty new production of Bizet’s much-loved Carmen, giving visitors a thrilling opportunity to experience world-class opera under the stars with stunning harbour views. Celebrated director Liesel Badorrek and set and costume designer Mark Thompson have created an edgy and immersive production of Carmen, featuring motorbike stunts and nightly fireworks that are sure to give audiences a thrill. This unique Sydney summer experience is an all-inclusive night out, with customised dining offerings and pop-up bars onsite at one of the most spectacular locations in the city. See the production from 25 November – 18 December 2022. Tickets from $79 at Eastern Apron and Bolt Wharf, Cockatoo Island

Category: ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, LIFESTYLE, OPERA, SYDNEY

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