Melbourne Opera

Melbourne Opera was founded in 2002 as a charitable not-for-profit company dedicated to producing opera and associated art forms in Melbourne, Victoria. With philanthropic assistance[1] it has also toured to outer-suburban and regional Victorian theatres, as well as to Canberra and Hobart interstate. Despite receiving no government funding since its foundation,[2][3][4] the company mounts between three to five main stage productions each year. Its principal rehearsal and performance home is the Athenaeum Theatre.

Melbourne Opera is the business and trading name of South East Regional Touring Opera Ltd.[5] The corporate name was changed on 1 June 2007 to reflect the Company's much expanded geographical scope.

History

Melbourne Opera’s inaugural season comprised La Traviata directed by Blair Edgar, a new production of Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers using Bizet’s restored 1863 score, and Mozart’s The Magic Flute, directed by Caroline Stacey. A proposed merger with Melbourne City Opera, in 2005, did not proceed.[6] In 2006 the company's first large scale tour commenced with a production of Don Giovanni travelling to Ballarat, Benalla, Frankston, Geelong, Hobart, Plenty Ranges, Sale, Warrnambool, and the Theatre Royal, Hobart. From 2010 to 2018 the company partnered with Monash University to bring performances to its Clayton Campus. In 2017 Melbourne Opera established the Richard Divall Emerging Artists Programme. In 2020 the company announced that it was embarking on a four-year project to perform Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, commencing with Das Rheingold. This production has been delayed owing to the global outbreak of COVID-19.[7]

Productions[8]

* Australian Premiere ** World Premiere † Concert Performance

Governance

Melbourne Opera is charitable company[32] governed by a Board; the current chair is Michael Flemming. There is also a Chairman’s Advisory Council consisting of twenty leading figures drawn from the opera and business world.[33]

Patrons

Patron-in-Chief: Lady Potter AC CMRI
Patron: Maestro Richard Bonynge AC CBE
Founding Patrons: Sir Zelman Cowen AK GCMG GCVO KStJ QC, Prof Richard Divall AO OBE, Sir Rupert Hamer AC KCMG, Lady Hamer, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE, Dame Joan Sutherland OM AC CBE.

Orchestra

The Melbourne Opera Orchestra was founded in 2003 and has developed into an ensemble in its own right. In December 2015-January 2016, and December 2016-January 2017 the orchestra undertook a concert tour of China.[34]

Conductors

Greg Hocking AM is Melbourne Opera's conductor in residence and Raymond Lawrence is Head of Music. Guest conductors include John Dingle, Richard Divall, Patrick Burns, Ben Hudson, David Kram AM, Armando Krieger, Anthony Negus, Aldo Salvagno, Warwick Stengards and Matthew Toogood.

Stage Directors

Directors who have worked with the company include: Bruce Beresford, Greg Carroll, Suzanne Chaundy, Blair Edgar, Hugh Halliday, Plamen Kartaloff, Robert Ray, and Caroline Stacey.

Richard Divall Emerging Artists Programme

The Richard Divall Emerging Artists Programme was created to honour the memory of Maestro Richard Divall AO OBE, supported by a bequest made by Melbourne born soprano, Sylvia Fisher. Upon her death, Fisher made this bequest to ensure the continuing support of the development new artists of operatic excellence in her hometown, Melbourne. Divall was closely involved in the planning and creation of this program before his death in 2017. The first intake of performers was in 2018.[35]

The Programme aims to develop singers of great potential to a performance-ready standard, focusing on providing opportunities for emerging opera singers to experience the pressure of intensive role preparation, rehearsal and performance in a professional setting whilst continuing artistic development with tailored high quality coaching, workshops, master classes and mentoring.

References
  1. http://henkellfamilyfund.com.au/support/cultural/26
  2. https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/the-opera-wars-20040925-gdyos9.html
  3. http://operachaser.blogspot.com/2017/11/from-melbourne-opera-intellectual-and.html
  4. https://www.playbill.com/article/new-melbourne-opera-company-will-reap-benefits-of-australian-government-funding
  5. https://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/0509ee1711abf8c0c66293ecf13fa4b0
  6. Quinn, Emily (16 May 2005). "Merger of Melbourne Opera Companies Called Off". Playbill. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  7. https://marrinergroup.com.au/shows/wagners-das-rheingold
  8. https://www.melbourneopera.com/past-shows/
  9. https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/work/3162
  10. https://www.australianstage.com.au/200903272374/reviews/melbourne/la-traviata-%7C-melbourne-opera.html
  11. https://visual.artshub.com.au/news-article/reviews/museums/g%C3%A9rard-schneider/tosca-melbourne-opera-179456
  12. https://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/opera-offers-a-merry-opening/news-story/64781258ebc4c3e72882207e7c530a86?sv=160593d90703512bc63fff16211ea44a
  13. https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/faust-is-short-on-vocal-stature/news-story/31d1336589a04fd9577a486d97026b15
  14. https://www.australianstage.com.au/201111144946/reviews/melbourne/carmen-%7C-melbourne-opera.html
  15. https://www.australianstage.com.au/201203115243/reviews/melbourne/la-boh%C3%A9me-%7C-melbourne-opera.html
  16. https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/faust-is-short-on-vocal-stature/news-story/31d1336589a04fd9577a486d97026b15
  17. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/opera/melbourne-operas-performs-rienzi-a-lumpish-curiosity-piece-not-one-of-wagners-best-20131209-2z1n5.html
  18. https://www.australianstage.com.au/201502027108/reviews/melbourne/der-freischutz-%7C-melbourne-opera.html
  19. https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/arts-update/101-arts-update/2627-the-barber-of-seville-melbourne-opera
  20. https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/arts-update/101-arts-update/2714-mary-stuart-melbourne-opera
  21. https://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/opera-review-the-abduction-from-the-seraglio-melbourne-opera/news-story/0ef47c6cd4f2ffdb37e86aa2e6bad5f4
  22. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/opera/tannhauser-review-grand-romantic-new-production-a-great-leap-forward-for-melbourne-opera-20160815-gqsnc3.html
  23. https://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/melbourne-operas-hms-pinafore-is-a-handsome-spit-and-polished-production/news-story/c6fbc44321e626c580a3a0017887cbd6
  24. https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/review-lohengrin-melbourne-opera/
  25. Zwartz, Barney (12 November 2017). "Melbourne opera - Roberto Devereux: Helena Dix imbues work with real credibility". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  26. https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/tristan-isolde-melbourne-opera/
  27. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/opera/opera-gets-a-donald-trump-makeover-20180809-p4zwi6.html
  28. https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/otello-melbourne-opera/
  29. https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/theatre/the-flying-dutchman-review
  30. https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/theatre/norma-review
  31. https://www.smh.com.au/culture/opera/melbourne-opera-in-superb-voice-for-beethoven-s-magnificent-fidelio-20200206-p53y9w.html
  32. https://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/0509ee1711abf8c0c66293ecf13fa4b0
  33. https://www.melbourneopera.com/about/
  34. http://en.chncpa.org/whatson/zdyc/201710/t20171016_178080.shtml
  35. https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/singers-selected-for-the-richard-divall-emerging-arts-program/
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