Lyric Opera of Melbourne returns to fortyfivedownstairs this October with the Australian premiere of Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt, with music by Missy Mazzoli and libretto by Royce Vavrek.
First performed in New York, this immersive 90-minute chamber opera fuses baroque, minimalism and indie rock influences to bring to life the journals and inner world of one of history’s most unconventional women.
Isabelle Eberhardt’s journals were a rich source of inspiration for Mazzoli and Vavrek. Eberhardt, born in 1877, led an extraordinary though short life. After the deaths of all her immediate family, she travelled unfettered to North Africa on a journey of self-discovery.
She rode through the desert dressed as a man, outraged authorities, married an Algerian, converted to Sufism, and died in a flood, all by the age of 27.
With direction of Beng Oh, mezzo-soprano Olivia Federow-Yemm leads the cast as the fiercely independent Eberhardt, joined by rising talents Lisette Bolton, Leah Phillips, Olive Cullen, Tim Daly, Daniel Felton, and accompanied by a dynamic ensemble of Melbourne’s finest instrumentalists under the baton of Patrick Burns.
Established in 2003, the Lyric Opera of Melbourne is a bold and creative company committed to developing operatic artists, building new audiences, and expanding the operatic repertoire.
Lyric creates space for the production of lesser-known and newly commissioned works, using contemporary practices that challenge, engage, and inspire. Its work is grounded in collaboration, innovation, and a belief in opera as a living, evolving art form.
“In the electric surge of Ms. Mazzoli’s score you felt the joy, risk and limitless potential of free spirits unbound.” – The New York Times
Director: Beng Oh | Conductor: Patrick Burns | Featuring: Olivia Federow-Yemm, Lisette Bolton, Leah Phillips, Olive Cullen, Timothy Daly, Daniel Felton | Set and Costume Designer: Adrienne Chisholm | Lighting Designer: Shane Grant
Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt
fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Season: 18 – 25 October 2025 (preview: 17 October)
Bookings: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com
For more information, visit: www.lyricopera.com.au for details.
Image: Olivia Federow-Yemm stars as Isabelle Eberhardt – photo by Jodie Hutchinson