Read the Limelight review.

The South Pole is a realm rarely touched by human footsteps, shrouded in an aura of mystery and inaccessibility. Yet, within this frozen landscape, lie untold tales and forgotten histories, waiting to be unearthed.

Antarctica, a collaborative endeavour between Mary Finsterer, Tom Wright and the acclaimed Sydney Chamber Opera company, delves into the complex dimensions of the southern continent, blending historical, mythical and scientific narratives into a captivating musical odyssey. Through the outstanding compositions of Australian maestro Finsterer, audiences are taken to an ethereal realm, where the allure of Antarctica unfolds through a fusion of classical and contemporary musical elements, weaving together the exploits of a cartographer, a natural scientist and a philosopher, each driven by their own aspirations and curiosities.

The genesis of Antarctica was a symposium at the University of Tasmania in 2017, where Finsterer and Wright collaborated with scientists from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, through the Creative Antarctica Program.

First performed at the 2022 Holland Festival and in Australia at the ’23 Sydney Festival, this is a rare opportunity to see this groundbreaking work for the first time in Tasmania with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jack Symonds.