The Wagner Gala: A triumphant return of world-class opera to renewed Ian Potter State Theatre
Opera Australia will make a spectacular return to the newly refurbished Ian Potter State Theatre with a selection of Wagner’s most extraordinary pieces, including operatic arias and orchestral masterpieces, performed by some of the leading Wagnerian specialists of our time. The world-class cast will be led by acclaimed German Maestro Michael Güttler and will star British dramatic soprano Catherine Foster, known for her portrayal of Brünnhilde at the Bayreuth Festival, Russian tenor Sergei Skorokhodov, known for his powerful performances as Lohengrin and Tannhäuser and one of the Australia’s most versatile and in-demand baritones, James Clayton, who returns to sing with Opera Australia for the first time in over a decade.
16 October | Ian Potter State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Tickets from $89
La Bohème: A brand new, shimmering production to premiere in Melbourne
A lavish, brand-new production of La Bohème, by visionary young director Constantine Costi, will have its world premiere in Melbourne this November. Set in a snow-kissed Paris, this must-see production will breathe vivid new life into the opera that has inspired countless bohemian love stories. Australian rising star conductor Finnegan Downie will lead a luminous cast of international and Australian talent, including a homecoming season for Melbourne-born Alexandra Flood who will sing Musetta, while Galina Cheplakova and Valeria Sepe will break hearts sharing the role of Mimì and tenors Kang Wang and Paride Cataldo both take on the soaring melodies of Rodolfo.
7 – 18 November | Regent Theatre Melbourne, Tickets from $79
Opera Up Late: Opera’s naughtiest late-night party is back with more music, more glitz and more outrageous fun
The campest night at the opera is back: opera’s greatest late night party, Opera Up Late, hosted by the outrageous Reuben Kaye, returns to Melbourne’s Regent Theatre. A riotous celebration of all things opera, plus a few musical theatre classics and pop numbers for good measure, it’s both the perfect opportunity for newbies to pop their operatic cherries and aficionados to enjoy some of the most iconic arias as they’ve never seen, or heard, before. Award-winning director Shaun Rennie brings together a cast of fabulous singers for a night of big laughs and even bigger voices. Australia’s most highly awarded soprano, Emma Matthews, will be joined by Ruth Strutt, Daniel Macy and Anthony Mackey, all making a welcome return to the glittered Opera Up Late stage.
15 November | Regent Theatre Melbourne | Tickets from $79
The Trumpet of the Swan: For the first time in Australia, Jason Robert Brown’s charming introduction to musical storytelling
Symphony and storytelling bring E.B. White’s classic children’s novel The Trumpet of the Swan to life, with lively narration performed by a group of actors alongside a cinematic, lyrical score played live by Orchestra Victoria. Adapted for the stage by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Marsha Norman and Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, this work, staged especially for families and children, is a charming testament to the power of music and a perfect introduction for young music lovers to live orchestral performance. A hit at its Kennedy Centre premiere, Opera Australia presents this delightful work on the Australian mainstage for the very first time.
20 – 22 November | Regent Theatre Melbourne, Tickets from $59
Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan: A searing Australian opera tells of real-life tragedy and triumph
Ravishing operatic work Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan will premiere in Melbourne at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Playhouse Theatre. Directed by Australian theatre and opera legend, Neil Armfield, this production is as deeply felt as it is thrillingly physical. Half a century since the infamous drowning of Dr George Ian Ogilvie Duncan, which ultimately led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in South Australia, Watershed turns the illicit into the sacred, through powerful choral music, solo voices and dance. Through a searing, no-punches-pulled libretto by Helpmann Award-winning playwright Alana Valentine and author Christos Tsiolkas (The Slap) and a luscious, ultimately transcendent score by Brisbane composer Joe Twist, this 5-star, “if I could give it 6 stars, I would” (Limelight), critically acclaimed production captures a significant turning point in Australian history.
21 – 28 November | Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne, Tickets from $59
Booking Information
Group and concession prices available for most performances.
Opera Australia Box Office | (03) 9685 3700 | opera.org.au
Explore the season online https://opera.org.au/whats-on/melbourne
