In 2027, Pinchgut Opera turns 25, and Artistic Director Erin Helyard turns 50. To celebrate, they’ve picked a 2027 season program packing a particularly fun punch.

Pinchgut Opera’s Pyramus and Thisbe. Photo supplied

There are four productions – three are comedies – international guest stars and Australian operatic legends for 2027, but there’s one show that’s particularly special to the harpsichordist and director: a concert performance of Monteverdi’s Madrigals of Love and War, travelling to both Melbourne and Sydney across July, is Helyard’s birthday present from the company he co-founded in 2002.

“When I was asked what I wanted to program, this was my answer. It’s one of my favourite works in all music, and I’ve wanted to perform it with Pinchgut for years,” said Helyard.

Adding a new theatrical twist to the madrigal form, Monteverdi’s landmark collection will be performed by British soprano and Monteverdi specialist Zoë Brookshaw, who makes her company debut in a cast that also features Miriam Allen, Hannah Fraser, Jacob Lawrence, Louis Hurley and Andrew O’Connor.

First up in the Pinchgut season is something lighter in heart. John Frederick Lampe’s lampoon of A Midsummer Night’s Dream‘s play-within-a-play, opening early February. The mock opera Pyramus and Thisbe centres a performance troupe in an earnest attempt to stage the titular work as everything begins to turn sour. Kanen Breen and Cathy-Di Zhang star as Shakespeare’s silliest lovers, with Louis Hurley as both Wall and the Man in the Moon and young vocalist Freddy Shaw as the singing Lion.

Pinchgut Opera’s Egisto. Photo supplied

Directed by Neil Armfield, Cavalli’s Egisto follows suit across April and March with a mix of comedy and heart. Michael Petruccelli and Ashyln Tymms star as Egisto and princess Climene, who return home after a year in captivity to find that their lovers (Aussie soprano Morgan Balfour and American tenor Zachary Wilder) have fallen in love. The two invoke help from the gods, who begin to hinder rather than help.

Handel’s first comic opera Partenope is Pinchgut’s season closer in November. Samantha Clarke is the eponymous Queen, while English countertenor Hugh Cutting is her prospective love Arsace, competing for her affections against three other suitors (Christopher Lowrey, Jacob Lawrence and Ashlynn Tymms). Schemes are hatched, backs stabbed and secrets uncovered in the quest for Partenope’s royal hand.

“For me, this anniversary season is about the repertoire we’ve spent 25 years exploring, but it’s also about the people who have made that exploration possible – our incredible family of supporters and long-time audience members,” Helyard said.

“Our audiences have been adventurous with us over the years. Their curiosity, enthusiasm and willingness to follow us into lesser-known musical territory has allowed Pinchgut to take risks, to explore, and to bring extraordinary music to life.”

More about Pinchgut Opera’s 2027 season can be found here.