Directing four brand-new operas at the same time is not a job for those with a hankering for downtime. Lindy Hume says she’s been “busting a gut” to get her next project – a co-production between the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) – over the line.

“I’m basically working with four separate creative teams, which include not just composers and librettists, but also dramaturgs, videographers, camera operators, even puppeteers,” says Hume. “In terms of stakeholder management, this one has been pretty ‘extra’.”

Lindy Hume in rehearsal for Mother. Photo © Stefanie Zingsheim / University of Sydney

Titled Mother, Hume is leading a project that brings together four emerging composers from the Con’s Master of Music program – Oliver John Cameron, Aija Draguns, Jessica O’Donoghue, and Hao Zhen – with first-time librettists from NIDA’s Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing course.

Performed by Master’s students in voice, and instrumentalists from the Con, the production will premiere at NIDA’s Parade Theatre on 28 October.

In rehearsals for Mother. Photo © Stefanie...