SEASON 2015
CONTENTS 4 6 8 12 16 20
The Year at a Glance Foreword: Richard Mills A World of Inspiration A World of Beauty A World of Adventure A World of Magic
24 28 32 36 38 39
A World of Tradition A World of Escape 2015 Artists Support Us Education Connect With Us
40 41 42 43 44 45
Partner With Us Our Partners Why Subscribe? How to Subscribe 2015 Calendar Subscription Form
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’s FOREWORD
RICHARD MILLS our collaboration with the splendid Australian Youth Orchestra for a new production of Der fliegende Holländer directed by Roger Hodgman in partnership with Professor Kim Vincs and the Deakin Motion.Lab, leaders in the theatrical application of digital technology internationally. This project, with a great Australian director embracing the phenomenal possibilities of newly developed 3D technology has the potential to be groundbreaking in its theatricality. Heldentenor Bradley Daley joins Liane Keegan, Warwick Fyfe and Carlos E. Bárcenas to complete a wonderful cast for what we hope will be a revelatory and interesting exploration of Wagner’s early masterpiece, so appropriately located by the sea. Stuart Maunder completes his Sondheim trilogy with a new production of Sweeney Todd, starring the iconic Teddy Tahu Rhodes as the “demon barber of Fleet Street” supported by Antoinette Halloran as Mrs Lovett and a great ensemble cast (ensemble performance is a real strength of our company). Our wonderful Head of Music, Phoebe Briggs conducts. Our focus on the great bel canto literature continues with a concert performance of Bellini’s I Puritani with a group of remarkable singers. Tenor Celso Albelo, whose work defines vocal and stylistic excellence in this repertoire, partners with returning soprano Jessica Pratt, already a favourite of Melbourne audiences following her triumph in La traviata (2014). This great duo will be joined by a fine supporting cast including Paul Whelan, Lucas de Jong and Tania Ferris. Orchestra Victoria joins us for this occasion.
2015 marks Victorian Opera’s 10th Anniversary with a season of contrasts, new productions, new venues, new collaborations, significant regional development, and new work which extends the boundaries of the art form; a season which demonstrates our commitment to accessibility and making available the joy of participation through enabling Victorians to join together in song, and a season which brings some of the great singers of the world to Melbourne in performances, which will, we hope, inspire and delight as well as open new worlds for all who love singing and the magic of theatre. In February we will bring opera back to the Palais Theatre in St Kilda. This theatre has the best acoustics for opera in Australia – and many of us have fond memories of great performances there in former years. Two of the greatest current Wagner singers, basso nobile Vitalij Kowaljow and soprano Petra Lang join
Weill’s Die sieben Todsünden will be placed in the context of commissions from the younger
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complexities of the old world at war with all attendant vicissitudes and horrors – yet with self deprecating sardonic humour and inspiring bravery. We will share this spirit with the people of Victoria, who will participate in this piece as community choirs, both in Melbourne and in our regional hubs thanks to the generous support of the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust. This work will also be given in Perth with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and in Hobart with the TSO. We continue our commitment to young people and families with the ongoing work of VOYCE (Victorian Opera Youth Chorus Ensemble), Alice’s Adventures in Operaland and our commission of The Grumpiest Boy in the World, our Mother’s Day Concert with our new friends the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, our 10th Birthday celebration and Opera for the Earth. Victorian Opera’s commitment to new work and innovation is expressed through our collaborations with Deakin Motion.Lab, Symphony Australia Composer Development projects, Remembrance, our ANZAC collaboration and the commissioning of The Grumpiest Boy in the World.
generation of Australian composers, revealing our capital cities as emblems of the Seven Deadly Sins interspersed with commentary songs by Eisler, Hollander, Spoliansky and other Berlin “Karbarett” masters as a prelude to Meow Meow’s unique exploration of Weill’s sardonic and vital music. This evening will also be the graduation concert of our current group of young artists, students of the Master of Music (Opera Performance) program we run with the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne. These commissions are established and workshopped through the generosity of Symphony Australia and Composer Development Program of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO), wonderful collaborators whose help will enable a platform for some talented young Australians. 2015 is an important landmark in the commemoration of the ANZAC experience. Victorian Opera is responding to this significant moment in the national narrative by developing a new work Remembrance based on the popular songs, images and letters, film clips and photographs of Australia’s involvement in World War I, sourced principally from the National War Memorial and the National Library of Australia. Songs and poetry provide an enriching and eloquent witness to the Australian experience of the War, an experience which, because of the commitment to service, courage, generosity and loyalty it exemplified, became an early and enduringly idealistic expression of nationhood and identity. The songs, their hilarious parodies and their surrounding literature reveal the spirit of a newly-minted nation, encountering the
Bringing our marvellous worlds to life is possible through the continued support of loyal subscribers and audience members, Arts Victoria, The Robert Salzer Foundation, Sponsors and Partners, generous Supporters and Patrons including our Artistic Director’s Circle and New Work and Education Syndicates, and our dedicated Board and staff. I am delighted on behalf of Victorian Opera and our collaborators to invite you to join us for a very special year.
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‘Victorian Opera is dedicated to inspiring the community, transforming young lives and helping Victorians to find their voice.’ In 2015, experience a moving ANZAC tribute around Victoria, an opera filled birthday and a youth chorus; just some of the ways we share the joy of singing.
A WORLD OF INSPIRATION
‘Here at Victorian Opera, beautiful singing is at the heart of everything we do.’ In 2015 experience two spellbinding Wagner singers, a mesmerising cabaret chanteuse and Australian musical theatre’s finest.
‘Victorian Opera challenges the idea of what it means to be an opera company by bringing music to life in an innovative, fresh way.’ In 2015, journey to the dark side of ‘Berliner Kabarett’, see a ghost ship sail into the digital age and witness the rise and fall of a singing serial killer.
‘Victorian Opera is committed to enchanting curious minds and nurturing the next generation of opera-goers and performers.’ In 2015, follow a lost girl, a grumpy boy and magical spirits to fantastical, faraway places in a program to delight the young and young at heart.
‘Here at Victorian Opera we celebrate and preserve the founding traditions of the company, with the history and future of our art form.’ In 2015, discover a masterpiece of the bel canto era, a former home of opera and a moving tribute to our brave heroes.
‘At Victorian Opera we create unforgettable entertainment through music, theatre and a good time for all.’ In 2015, escape with extraordinary stories of a cursed ghost ship, a 19th century barber and a girl in a singing wonderland.
2015
ARTISTS THE FLYING DUTCHMAN. Composer Richard Wagner Conductor Richard Mills Director Roger Hodgman Set & Visual Design Matt Scott & Christina Smith Lighting Design Matt Scott Costume Design Teresa Negroponte Digital Scenography Deakin Motion.Lab* The Dutchman Vitalij Kowaljow Senta Petra Lang Erik Bradley Daley Darland Warwick Fyfe Mary Liane Keegan Steersman Carlos E. Bárcenas Victorian Opera Chorus Australian Youth Orchestra *With research supported by the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects Funding Scheme (project number LP140100742).
HEART AND SOUL MOTHER’S DAY CONCERT. Conductor Richard Mills Soloist David Hobson Featuring Kate Amos Nathan Lay Elizabeth Lewis Emma Muir-Smith Michael Petruccelli Cristina Russo Matthew Tng Australian Philharmonic Orchestra
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN OPERALAND. Composer Various and Richard Mills Librettist Various and Libby Hill Conductor Phoebe Briggs Director Libby Hill Set & Costume Design Isaac Lumis Lighting Design Peter Darby
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Featuring Kate Amos Nathan Lay Elizabeth Lewis Emma Muir-Smith Michael Petruccelli Cristina Russo Matthew Tng Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra
I PURITANI. Composer Vincenzo Bellini Conductor Richard Mills Lord Gualtiero Valton Jeremy Kleeman Sir Giorgio Valton Paul Whelan Arturo Talbot Celso Albelo Sir Ricardo Forth Lucas de Jong Sir Bruno Robertson Carlos E. Bárcenas Enrichetta di Franca Tania Ferris Elvira Jessica Pratt Victorian Opera Chorus Orchestra Victoria
S weeney T odd T he D emon B arber of F leet S treet – A M usical T hriller . Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
From an Adaptation by Christopher Bond
Musical Director Phoebe Briggs Director Stuart Maunder Set & Costume Design Roger Kirk Lighting Design Philip Lethlean Sweeney Todd Teddy Tahu Rhodes Mrs Lovett Antoinette Halloran Featuring Kate Amos Carlos E. Bárcenas Kirilie Blythman Kanen Breen Jeremy Kleeman Nathan Lay Elizabeth Lewis Emma Muir-Smith Michael Petruccelli David Rogers-Smith Cristina Russo Dimity Shepherd Matthew Tng
R emembrance . Arrangement & Conductor Richard Mills Writer & Director Rodney Hall Video Compilation & Lighting Design Peter Darby
Director Cameron Menzies Designer Chloe Greaves Victorian Youth Opera Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra
War Correspondent David Hobson
S even D eadly S ins .
Featuring Kate Amos Carlos E. Bárcenas Nathan Lay Elizabeth Lewis Emma Muir-Smith Michael Petruccelli Cristina Russo Matthew Tng
Featuring Meow Meow
Orchestra Victoria
T he G rumpiest B oy in the W orld . Composer Joseph Twist Librettist Finegan Kruckemeyer Conductor Simon Bruckard
Orchestra Victoria
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Conductor Tahu Matheson Staging Cameron Menzies
With Kate Amos Carlos E. Bárcenas Jeremy Kleeman Nathan Lay Elizabeth Lewis Emma Muir-Smith Michael Petruccelli Cristina Russo Matthew Tng Orchestra Victoria
SUBSCRIPTION BENEFITS
WHY SUBSCRIBE? Our subscription period offers you an exclusive opportunity to beat the rush, create your 2015 Season Package and get your preferred seats at great prices.
B est seats in the house Most of our subscribers book in advance to get the best seats in the house. Want to be close to the action? Want to secure your favourite place in the theatre? Buying a package gives you the best opportunity to do this.
G uarantee your S eats In 2014 Victorian Opera had a number of sold-out performances including family shows, a gala concert and a musical. By subscribing you guarantee your seat to some of our most sought after events in 2015.
E asy P ayments We understand the importance of flexibility. Purchase a package and pay for it in two equal instalments; Your first payment is due at time of application, the second is due in the week commencing 1 December 2014.
C heaper T ic k ets Buying a package can be a cheaper option to buying tickets individually. If you love the idea of discount tickets, then subscribe to three or more performances and get great savings across our 2015 Season.
F le x ible P lanning Life can be unpredictable, but as a subscriber you can exchange your tickets to another time (subject to availability). Exchanges can be made after Monday 10 November 2014 in person at Arts Centre Melbourne Box Office or by posting the tickets (with your first and second date preferences) to Victorian Opera Subscriptions, PO Box 7585 St Kilda Road, VIC 8004.*
D iscounts for your friends and family Most of our subscribers share a night at the opera with friends and family. As a subscriber, you can access exclusive discounted tickets for your guests all year round.
*An administration fee of $4.40 will apply. Exchanges can be made up to three working days prior to the performance.
A U ni q ue G ift VOYAGE
Seeing breathtaking opera or a thrilling musical can be an unforgettable experience. By giving someone tickets to Victorian Opera, you give a present unlike any other.
VOyage subscribers can access special pre-show events and $30 tickets.
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S U B SC R I P T I O N I N F O R M AT I O N
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE Victorian Opera offers a range of package prices to suit all budgets. Some of our larger seasons have up to four price reserves: Premium, A, B and C Reserves.
O nline victorianopera.com.au/subscribe
P hone
For all our complete range of package prices please refer to our subscription booking form on page 45.
Arts Centre Melbourne 1300 822 849
P ost
The best part is, when you create your 2015 Season Package you can choose the reserve you want for the show you want. Spending more on one show and less on another is entirely up to you.
Victorian Opera Subscriptions PO Box 7585, St Kilda Road, VIC 8004
Key D ates Packages on sale Friday 8 August 2014 Packages closing date Friday 31 October 2014 The Flying Dutchman - Single tickets on sale Monday 13 October 2014 Single tickets on sale Monday 10 November 2014
We also offer discounted tickets to Senior and Concession card holders and amazing rates for our 30 and under audience, as part of our VOyage program. Our popular Family Package makes a return as the ‘Magic Package’ in 2015 and our children’s prices start from just $15 for our 10th Birthday presentation and go up to $30 for Alice’s Adventures in Operaland.
Victorian Opera supports green printing initiatives.
Once you’ve decided on your preferred prices, shows and dates, and who you’re taking to the opera, you can book your 2015 Season Package online, via the phone or via form. This 2015 Season Brochure has been printed using vegetable based inks with alcohol free printing initiatives on carbon neutral PEFC certified paper by Printgraphics under ISO 14001 Environmental certification.
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VICTORIAN OPERA 2015
CALENDAR THE ART OF OPERA S weeney T odd T he D emon B arber of F leet S treet A M usical T hriller
Tuesday 3 February, 6pm Deakin Edge, Federation Square Details will be on website
Saturday 14 February, 7.30pm Tuesday 17 February, 7.30pm Thursday 19 February, 7.30pm
Saturday 18 July, 7.30pm Tuesday 21 July, 7.30pm Wednesday 22 July, 1pm & 7.30pm Thursday 23 July, 7.30pm Friday 24 July, 7.30pm Saturday 25 July, 1pm & 7.30pm
Palais Theatre Tickets $50 - $110* | Ticketmaster 136 100
Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne Tickets $50 - $175* | 1300 182 183
1 0 th B irthday
R emembrance
T he F lying D utchman
Saturday 28 February, 2pm
Thursday 13 August, 7.30pm
Deakin Edge, Federation Square Tickets $25* | 1300 182 183
Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne Tickets $40 - $50* |1300 182 183
O pera for the E arth
T he G rumpiest B oy in the W orld
Saturday 28 March, 6.30pm The White House, St Kilda Details will be on website
Friday 2 October, 6.30pm Saturday 3 October, 4pm & 6.30pm Sunday 4 October, 12pm & 2.30pm
H eart & S oul - M other ’ s D ay C oncert
Merlyn, The Coopers Malthouse Tickets $30 - $35* | (03) 9685 5111
Sunday 10 May, 11.30am
S even D eadly S ins
Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne Tickets $50 | 1300 182 183
Friday 6 November, 7.30pm Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne Tickets $60 - $65* | 1300 182 183
A lice ’ s A dventures in O peraland Saturday 23 May, 11.30am, 2pm & 5.30pm
Single tickets available from Monday 10 November 2014, except The Flying Dutchman available Monday 13 October 2014.
Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne Tickets $35 - $40* | 1300 182 183
*Concessions available. Senior, 30 and Under, Student prices may apply. Transaction fees may apply.
I P uritani Thursday 2 July, 7.30pm
Information in Victorian Opera 2015 Season Brochure is correct at time of printing and may be subject to change in the future.
Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne Tickets $50 - $165* | 1300 182 183 44
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Terms and Conditions From 7 August 2014, subscription orders by mail will be allocated by order of date received. Applications must be accompanied by payment (cheque, money order or credit card) made to Arts Centre Melbourne. There are no refunds or exchanges except as outlined in the Entertainment Code of Fair Practice. Any monies due to applicants as a result of being unable to satisfy ticket requests will be automatically refunded. The right is reserved to vary, substitute or withdraw advertised programs, artists and seating arrangements. Right of admission is reserved. Patrons arriving late will not be admitted until a suitable break. Cameras and other recording devices are prohibited in the auditorium. Mobile telephones, pagers and similar equipment must be turned off in the auditorium. You acknowledge that you are responsible for your safety and property and for the safety and property of any person accompanying you. To the extent permitted by law, you release Victorian Opera from any liability from any damage, loss, liability or injury you may suffer in relation to your attendance, howsoever caused including due to any negligence or other act or omission by Victorian Opera. Victorian Opera respects your privacy. We do not disseminate your details to any third parties. Your details are used solely to advise you of Victorian Opera related events and relevant news.
The Grumpiest Boy in the World
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Please mark this box if you wish to attend The Art of Opera talk by Artistic Director Richard Mills. Limited availability.
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$145
$60
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$75
$100
$100
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$50
$55
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