Victorian Opera has launched its 2024 season, the first under incoming Artistic Director Stuart Maunder.

Maunder was previously Artistic Director of State Opera South Australia and held senior soles at New Zealand Opera and Opera Australia. He has directed several popular productions for Victorian Opera, including its 2015 Sweeney Todd, which he revives for Melbourne audiences in 2024.

VO’s Stuart Maunder. Photo supplied

“I have long admired Victorian Opera’s bold repertoire choices, championing of new Australian work, formidable record of collaborating with other arts companies, commitment to showcasing Australian artists, and for pushing the boundaries of our extraordinary art-form,” said Maunder.

Feeding appetites whetted by the Netflix biopic Maestro, VO’s 2024 campaign begins with a new staging of Leonard Bernstein’s irreverent Candide.

Starring Eddie Perfect and the award-winning star of Hamilton Lyndon Watts, Candide will see St Kilda’s iconic Palais Theatre transformed into “The Best of All Possible Worlds” from 8 – 10 February. Dean Bryant (MTC’s Bloom; STC’s Hubris and Humiliation) directs.  Benjamin Northey will conduct Orchestra Victoria.

In May, VO...