PRESENTED BY SYDNEY CHAMBER OPERA, OPERA AUSTRALIA AND CARRIAGEWORKS

The world’s oldest poem. Opera’s most cutting-edge artists.

The ancient and contemporary collide to dazzling effect in this world premiere.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is humanity’s oldest written epic poem. Emerging from ancient Mesopotamian mythology, it tells of a restless young king who, through experiences of love and loss, becomes a better person. His unexpected love for a half-man, half-animal leads him wide-eyed into mysterious realms.

Gilgamesh’s story sings to us across millennia, and this brand-new opera uncovers all that remains strikingly relevant: its approach to mortality, sexuality and our relationship with nature. This is the first opera in English based upon this foundational part of civilisation.

Composed by Sydney Chamber Opera Artistic Director Jack Symonds and brought to Carriageworks’ vast performance space by visionary director Kip Williams (Sydney Theatre Company’s The Picture of Dorian Gray), Gilgamesh is an epic that must be experienced.

Singing scorpions share the stage with a Bull of Heaven and oracles predicting the end of the world.

This marks the first time we’ve collaborated with Sydney Chamber Opera, a company renowned for presenting “an astonishing new vision of what contemporary opera can achieve” (Time Out). Two outstanding chamber music ensembles bring a collective virtuosity to this colourful new score: Australian String Quartet and Ensemble Offspring.

Symonds conducts a cast of Australian contemporary opera specialists. Jeremy Kleeman and Mitchell Riley play Gilgamesh and the beast Enkidu, joined by Jane Sheldon, Jessica O’Donoghue and Daniel Szesiong Todd.

PRESENTED BY VICTORIAN OPERA

Puccini’s gift for mesmerising melodies captures the essence of romance and love at first sight between a Parisian courtesan, Magda, and her naive and ardent admirer Ruggero. Magda, a metaphorical swallow, is torn between the life she needs and the life she knows.

Puccini’s exquisite score is warm and sensually delicate. It vividly shapes the characters and choruses, evoking the beguiling essence of Parisian life. La Rondine navigates a spectrum of emotions from the gaiety of the City of Love, the bittersweet sorrow of regret, and the sensuality of young love.

Puccini’s late masterpiece, brimming with themes of youth, passion and heartbreak, will rekindle your understanding of what it truly means to be alive and in love.

PRESENTED BY OPERA AUSTRALIA

A star-studded celebration of some of opera’s most moving music.

Italian composer Giacomo Puccini was opera’s defining force at the turn of the 20th century. His operas reach deep into your soul and transform you through their humanity and beautiful music.

And they’re still amongst the most-performed today: La Bohème, Turandot, Tosca and Madama Butterfly.

No other composer captures the rush of true love, the thrill of discovering something new, or the force of tragedy like Puccini.

2024 marks the centenary of the great composer’s passing. To celebrate his contribution to opera, we’re performing a concert of his finest music.

Homegrown superstar Nicole Car and one of the world’s most popular tenors, Joseph Calleja, are joined by a fabulous cast of singers, including Peter Coleman-Wright AO and Julie Lea Goodwin.

Swoon to the arias and duets you know and love, alongside lesser-known gems from his extraordinary operas, performed by some of our greatest singers along with the extraordinary Orchestra Victoria.

PRESENTED BY OPERA AUSTRALIA

Love. Jealousy. Betrayal.

“Ah! Tosca.” Scarpia growls it, lust in his voice, danger in his eyes. Tosca thinks of her lover, his captive. How far will she go to save him?

Opera’s greatest thriller is a taut tale of passion and betrayal, taking place over just 24 hours in Rome. Renowned prima donna Tosca is in love with Cavaradossi, a painter and revolutionary. When the sadistic Chief of Police Scarpia tries to crush them, our heroine finds the strength to do the unspeakable.

Puccini’s music is sensational: from the overpowering choral power of the famous Te Deum, Tosca’s ode to art ‘Vissi d’arte’ and the haunting tenor showpiece ‘E lucevan le stelle’ as Cavaradossi faces death.

When the final note rings into silence, and you pick your jaw up off the floor, you’ll feel an extraordinary emotional release.

In this acclaimed, five-star production from Opera North, director Edward Dick writes the tension large upon the stage. A stunning renaissance fresco colours a gilded dome hanging over the performers. Dramatic, stadium-style lights by Lee Curran put a razor focus on the unfolding action, revealing beauty and menace in turn.

Tosca is the perfect first taste of opera, and one opera lovers return to again and again, to experience how music can bring great stories to emotional highs. Tosca has it all: romance, action and an unforgettable ending.

Performed in the Margaret Court Arena with all the drama and scale of an epic theatrical experience, this will be very special night at the opera.

The action turns on a trio of brilliant performers, so we’ve found singers you don’t want to miss: Opera Australia audience favourite Karah Son shares the heroic title role with British star Nadine Benjamin. Diego Torre returns to our stage as Cavaradossi, along with Young Woo Kim, making his Australian debut in the role. And we have two formidable Scarpias: Helpmann Award-winning baritone Warwick Fyfe and English singer Robert Hayward.

PRESENTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET

Christopher Wheeldon’s extravagant Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland© returns to take audiences back down the rabbit hole in 2024. Masterfully translated from Lewis Carroll’s beloved book, Wheeldon brings the humour and eccentricities of the original story to the ballet stage in a fantastical tale suitable for the whole family. Watch as The Queen of Hearts rampages around her court, the White Rabbit shimmies his tail and the Caterpillar sparkles in 16 crystal-covered pointe shoes.

Tony Award-winning designer Bob Crowley has blended high-tech wizardry and traditional stage craft, weaving magic through puppetry and eye-catching design elements. Composer Joby Talbot captures Wonderland’s moods in an evocative score alive with Cheshire purrs and ticking clocks.

The Australian Ballet’s production of Alice won the 2018 Helpmann Award for Best Ballet and Best Female Dancer (Ako Kondo), and was nominated in three other categories, including Best Choreography, Best Scenic Design and Best Male Dancer.

This family favourite is The Australian Ballet’s farewell season at Melbourne's State Theatre before it closes for renovations until 2027, and the company temporarily relocates to Melbourne’s historic Regent Theatre.

As the White Rabbit insists, “Don’t be late for this very important date!”

PRESENTED BY THE MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Force will be with the MSO when it performs The Empire Strikes Back in Concert, featuring the classic 1980 movie on the big screen with John Williams’ legendary score performed live.

After the destruction of the Death Star, the Empire has regrouped – with Darth Vader leading the hunt for Luke Skywalker. Enjoy the most memorable moments from this iconic film including Han Solo being frozen in carbonite, Luke Skywalker discovering who his true father is and his training methods as a Jedi under the watchful eye of his master, Yoda, all while the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra plays the incredible music in full symphonic surround sound.

Film classification
PG (mild science fiction violence)

Running time
Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 20-minute interval

Featuring

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Nicholas Buc conductor

PRESENTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET

George Balanchine’s Jewels is a three-part ballet celebrating his vision of three jewels. Visually and thematically structured around the motifs of Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds, the piece explores the idea of movement radiating from the body through each specific jewel.

Making its world premiere at New York City Ballet in 1967, Jewels showcases Balanchine’s atmospheric musicality. These contrasting works explore his time in Paris, New York and St Petersburg through the harmony of music and the defining visual elements of colour, shape and silhouette. Each of the three acts is distinct in style and mood, set to music by three different composers: Fauré for Emeralds, Stravinsky for Rubies, Tchaikovsky for Diamonds. Opulent costumes and sets unify each of the three sections to achieve one regal whole, which will showcase the breathtaking classical precision of The Australian Ballet’s artists.

A mesmerising spectacle that is both soft and sharp, racy and refined, flashy and majestic, Jewels is a lavish work capturing the company’s celebratory spirit in its milestone 60th anniversary year.

PRESENTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET

“ Two world premieres see Daniel Riley break new ground, while Alice Topp rejoices in our national company's diamond anniversary. ”

"Daniel Riley and Alice Topp are two of Australia’s leading choreographic voices. They both explore what identity means to them, whether it be the identity of Australia, the identity of community, or the identity of art. In honour of our 60th anniversary, we look at the sense of identity in today’s artists."

PRESENTED BY OPERA AUSTRALIA

Before Eurovision, there was the Wartburg Song Contest. Eurovision could only wish for this much drama!

Imagine basking in the adoration of Venus herself. Our minstrel-knight Tannhäuser has found a paradise of passion and pleasure with the goddess of love and beauty. Life is perfect. Until, he gets bored – and homesick.

Venus banishes him. Much to the joy of his friends and former love Elisabeth, Tannhäuser finds himself in Wartburg and enters the upcoming song contest. Only, he is unable to forget the sensuous realm of Venusberg, and praises Venus in song. Horrified, the crowd turns on him, insisting he atone for his sins with a pilgrimage. Elisabeth prays for his soul as Tannhäuser seeks salvation in Rome. Will he be absolved, or are Venus’ charms impossible to resist?

Understatement was never in Wagner’s vocabulary. His works are epic in scale, mythical of storyline, and radical in their orchestration. Tannhäuser is no exception.

From its thrilling overture to its shattering climax, Wagner’s exploration of love, religion and redemption through German folklore has fascinated and entranced audiences since its scandalous premiere.

Presented in concert at Arts Centre Melbourne, Wagner’s magnificent orchestrations are conducted by Johannes Fritzsch and gloriously played by Orchestra Victoria. Featuring our own “Pilgrim’s Chorus”, the Opera Australia Chorus, this is ‘Romantic grand opera’ at its legendary best.

PRESENTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET

In a creative feat that will see ballet transposed from screen to stage, Don Quixote recreates Rudolf Nureyev and Robert Helpmann’s 1973 film in a wildly colourful, palpably textured stage spectacle. A tribute to the legacy of the legendary Russian dancer and director who was a guest of The Australian Ballet in the early 1970s, this production resembles a painting come to life, enriched by a Spanish-flavoured score by veteran 19th-century ballet composer Ludwig Minkus, and vibrant costumes and sets that immerse audiences in a sultry experience of classical ballet.

Don Quixote moves from a rowdy Barcelona port to the ethereal happenings of the Don’s dream, to the candle-lit finery of the wedding celebration. A spirited ballet bursting with humour, the story follows the barber Basilio, who wins the hand of his girlfriend Kitri with the help of the visionary knight.

No detail is left unexplored in this rendition of Don Quixote. Emphasising the integral role of the set in evoking the film’s seductive atmosphere, the stage brims with everything from flowers to candles, evoking the bustling streets of Spain.

From the ballet’s spectacular lifts in Act I, to rousing ensemble scenes and a glittering confection of tutus, Don Quixote is a multi-sensory feast that reminds us of ballet’s power in the historical creative canon.

The re-design and restoration of Don Quixote has been funded by The David Hallberg Fund, with support from The Barry Kay Fund.

PRESENTED BY TEG VAN EGMOND

TEG Van Egmond is thrilled to announce one of the world’s greatest classical stars, esteemed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, will return to Australian stages with the 70-piece Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra and 75-voice Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir, this October/November for a 5-city national tour.

Drawing from his extensive back catalogue – which spans almost 3 decades – Andrea Bocelli is set to uplift Australian audiences with a stunning selection of soul-stirring arias, enduring love songs, and beloved crossover hits, conducted by his lifelong friend and musical collaborator, maestro Carlo Bernini.

Of his upcoming Australian tour, which is bound to be one for the history books, Bocelli says, “It will be like finally being able to hug many friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. The magic of a packed auditorium is incomparable.”

Secure your tickets early to avoid disappointment and then prepare for standing ovations galore. You don’t want to miss this voice of an angel in full flight.

PRESENTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET

Our cities are reopening, and colour and brightness are returning to our lives. Celebration Gala features grand classical showpieces, thrilling contemporary excerpts, perennial favourites and more.

After our dancers performed a five-star (Limelight Magazine) Sydney season, our Celebration Gala comes to Melbourne, where the whole company brings you a taste of what you missed this year including pieces from New York Dialects (George Balanchine’s Serenade and an excerpt from Pam Tanowitz’s Watermark) and Counterpointe (an excerpt from William Forsythe’s Artifact Suite). 

SERENADE 
Excerpt from ARTIFACT SUITE 
Black Swan Pas de deux from SWAN LAKE  
Pas de deux from THE MERRY WIDOW 
Excerpt from WATERMARK  
LA FAVORITA  
Pas de deux from CHROMA  
Dance of the Snow Fairies from Act I of THE NUTCRACKER  

It’s an exhilarating celebration of our artists’ talent and commitment, the many facets of ballet, and our joy in being able to dance for you again. What better way to kick off the festive season?  

The orchestra is tuning up. The curtain is rising. 

PRESENTED BY MELBOURNE OPERA

Following the sellout February success of Das Rheingold at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne Opera is thrilled to be returning to the magnificent Her Majesty’s Theatre for this brand new production.

Featuring a magnificent cast starring Helena Dix (Norma, Roberto Devereux, Lohengrin), Simon Meadows (Das Rheingold), Samuel Sakker (Norma), Eddie Muliaumaseali’i, Adrian Tamburini, Robert Macfarlane, Michael Dimovski, Eleanor Greenwood, and Alex Pokryshevsky. Including the 60-strong Melbourne Opera Chorus.

Greg Hocking and Raymond Lawrence will conduct the acclaimed MO Orchestra and Academy Award winning director Bruce Beresford will bring this exciting masterpiece to life.

Macbeth is a famous vehicle for a star soprano and baritone, is packed with wonderful arias, choruses and magnificent ensembles and was one of Verdi’s greatest early successes. It’s a masterpiece to which he returned later in life and it is his superb later revised version which MO will present.

Principal Sponsor: Lady Potter AC and Dr Alastair Jackson AM.

PRESENTED BY MELBOURNE CONSERVATORIUM OF MUSIC

Featuring the next generation of Australia’s emerging opera performers, Master of Music (Opera Performance) students from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music present Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi.

In the first, Sister Angelica is a young noblewoman who has been forced to become a nun by her family after having had a child out of wedlock. Gianni Schicchi, from Dante’s Inferno, hilariously swindles the members of the wealthy Donati family to provide a dowry for his daughter, who is engaged to a Donati family member.

Working with guest director Andrew Sinclair (Covent Garden) and mentor singer Conal Coad, these two one-act operas explore familial love, involving hopeful tragedy and uproarious comedy all in one evening.

PRESENTED BY VICTORIAN OPERA

Best known for his witty comedy of manners and novella The Picture of Dorian Gray, the multi-faceted Oscar Wilde also delved into the enchanting universe of fairy tales, producing splendid creative gems such as The Selfish Giant.

This season’s Youth Opera is about the necessity of opening up to the unknown in order to enrich our lives. A grumpy giant excludes children from his garden causing it to fall into perpetual winter. Only once he finds the love and generosity to welcome back the children, does his garden flourish with life and restore his happiness.

This beautiful new opera, featuring a cast of emerging artists, comes from the brilliant creative minds of two former Victorian Opera Young Artists: composer Simon Bruckard and librettist Emma Muir-Smith.