A must see, site-specific one-off that lifts the spirits and justifies an art form.

The report into Australia’s opera companies recommends increased funding and a cap on international singers. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

OA’s chief will leave to take up appointment at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2017. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The Rabbits has become a real success story in contemporary Australian opera. Featuring a gorgeous score by singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke and Iain Grandage, with a libretto by Lally Katz, the work has won four Helpmann awards and was nominated for best world premiere at this year’s International Opera Awards. Based on John Marsden and Shaun Tan’s illustrated tale of the British invasion of Australia, it’s unquestionably powerful, and stylistically the score draws on all manner of genres. The music of the natives (a band of marsupials) is influenced by pop and musical theatre, while music for the bird (Miller-Heidke’s character) incorporates electronic effects to conjure the aerial world it inhabits. The more explicitly operatic elements are reserved for the leporine European invaders, with waltzes and wonky recitatives underscoring the singing of these slapstick caricatures. A band of five packs a real punch, some doubling or tripling on other instruments. Some of the most engaging music on the disc features Miller-Heidke’s extraordinarily agile and expressive singing. Also worthy of mention is Jessica Hitchcock’s honest performance as Flinch, a young marsupial, as well as Kanen Breen’s prim portrayal of a sadistic scientist rabbit, employing his raucous countertenor to hilarious effect. Continue reading…

Alan John’s The Eighth Wonder will return in a large-scale, outdoor production – with headphones attached. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The young Australian baritone is headed for Germany as the recipient of the inaugural Deutsche Oper Berlin Award. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Opera Australia and the Australian Ballet have slammed the NSW Government for a lack of offered compensation. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The star tenor in Parsifal leads a season that includes Nicole Car, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Emma Matthews and Ermonela Jaho. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The curse of the Ring strikes Opera Australia again as Greer Grimsley pulls out due to ill health. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

★★★½☆ Glorious music-making carries the day despite a clunky plot and static staging. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The Royal Shakespeare Company and Tim Minchin's musical wins a record 13 awards at this year's Bobbys.

A beautiful production where gentle comedy makes way for profound sadness.