World renowned Opera Australia Chorus in the spotlight at Geelong Arts Centre

The Opera Australia Chorus in Opera Australia’s 2023 production of Chorus at the Sydney Opera House photo by Keith SaundersThe spotlight will firmly focus on the acclaimed Opera Australia Chorus when it arrives in Geelong for the first time this November to perform in a new production, aptly named Chorus! at Geelong Arts Centre for two exclusive performances.

This will be the first reprise of Chorus! since wowing audiences and thrilling critics at the Sydney Opera House, where the sheer magnitude of 44 of Australia’s finest voices singing a selection of opera’s most iconic choral pieces proved to be a blow-your-hair-back kind of experience.

Featuring music from popular operas such as Madama Butterfly, Il Trovatore and Rigoletto this production takes audiences on a musical journey, spanning five languages and three centuries of operatic masterpieces.

Devised and directed by Matthew Barclay, who uses his wealth of knowledge of the operatic repertoire to shape this original production into a celebration of the Opera Australia Chorus.

Chorus Master Paul Fitzsimon will conduct, drawing not only on his expertise as a conductor but his close relationship with the Chorus, to showcase the skills of each member as a unique performing artist.

Also stepping into the spotlight are Assistant Chorus Master Michael Curtain and repetiteur Kate Johnson, both playing piano throughout the evening.

The Opera Australia Chorus is the nation’s only full-time opera chorus and one of the busiest and most celebrated in the world. They perform all year round in productions at the Sydney Opera House and in Melbourne, plus venues across the country and many spectacular outdoor sites.

Their demanding schedule can see them performing and rehearsing in multiple productions in a single week and even two different operas on the same day.


Chorus!
The Play House – Geelong Arts Centre, 50 Little Malop Street, Geelong
Season:  13 & 15 November 2024
Bookings: www.geelongartscentre.org.au

For more information, visit: www.opera.org.au for details.

Image: The Opera Australia Chorus in Opera Australia’s 2023 production of Chorus! at the Sydney Opera House – photo by Keith Saunders