The full cast has been revealed for Opera Australia’s 70th Anniversary Gala, a spectacular one-night-only concert at the Regent Theatre on Sunday 17 May, which will celebrate its extraordinary contribution to Australia’s cultural landscape over the past seven decades.
Starring some of the company’s most superb singers, the milestone concert will bring to life a program of thrilling operatic highlights from the company’s diverse performing history.
CEO Alex Budd said, “A 70th anniversary gala is defined by its artists, and this cast reflects the depth of talent that has sustained Opera Australia for seven decades. It will be a night that honours both the company’s history and the voices that continue to shape it.”
The outstanding cast will include Emma Matthews, Stacey Alleaume, Olivia Cranwell, Jane Ede, Sian Sharp, Diego Torre, Filipe Manu, Iain Henderson, Andrii Kymach, Luke Gabbedy, and David Parkin. Two of Opera Australia’s current Young Artists, soprano Shikara Ringdahl and baritone Leon Vitogiannis will also take to the stage.
A celebration of Opera Australia is only complete with the full force of its internationally renowned Opera Australia Chorus, which will be 58-strong for the evening. Regarded as one of the world’s best opera choruses, audiences can expect to be blown away by the sheer magnitude of their collective voices.
Directed by Victorian Opera Artistic Director, Stuart Maunder AM and under the baton of acclaimed Italian conductor Giampaolo Bisanti, Orchestra Victoria will join the singers in traversing Rossini, Mozart, Donizetti, Offenbach and more, with an appearance by Australian conductor Sam Weller also featured in the program.
Now recognised as the country’s largest performing arts company, Opera Australia was formed when a band of everyday Australians – butchers, pharmacists and newsagents – united to celebrate the 1956 Mozart bicentenary with a touring season of the composer’s The Magic Flute, Così fan tutte, The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni.
The company they dreamt of has since grown into a major force in opera, bringing together Australia’s finest singers, musicians and creatives, as well as many international guests, to perform for audiences across the country new works that redefine what opera can be, and much-loved works from the canon.
Tickets are on sale now from $79 at the Opera Australia Box Office (03) 9685 3700 or online at www.opera.org.au
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