General Director’s Message

Again this year we are presenting an interesting mix of repertoire and other events including three subscription operas at the Adelaide Festival Theatre, an exciting Australian premiere in partnership with the Adelaide Festival, some innovative activities at The Opera Studio, two recitals presented in association with Musica Viva, and a concert presented by arrangement with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

Starting the year, and opening the Adelaide Festival on 29 February, will be the Australian premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s amazing opera Ainadamar – Fountain of Tears.  This wonderful one act opera features an impressive cast including guest artists from the original 2005 world premiere production in Santa Fe, Jessica Rivera and Kelley O’Connor.  They are joined by leading Australian singers and Venezuelan conductor Giancarlo Guerrero leading the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the Adelaide Vocal Project. 

In early March we will present two ‘work in progress’ public workshops of a fascinating new opera in development – Ingkata.  This exciting new work is based on the life of the brilliant and controversial South Australian anthropologist T G Strehlow. 

In May we present, in association with Musica Viva, world renowned Australian opera stars Cheryl Barker and Peter Coleman-Wright performing a newly commissioned song cycle by Richard Mills together with other works by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Wolf, Strauss and Weill. 

June and August sees the start of another interesting initiative to be called The Baroque Project as we welcome acclaimed stage director Lindy Hume to Adelaide as our Artist in Residence in 2008.  Lindy will work with local artists on reinterpreting a rarely performed operatic work L’Orfeo by Monteverdi from the Baroque period.  The program will also include a series of masterclasses and activities involving South Australian artists, local theatre practitioners and the broader community.

In July we present a return of Puccini’s spectacular Turandot in Graeme Murphy’s magnificent production from Opera Australia.  The production features a wonderful cast led by sensational Moldovan soprano Lada Biriucov as Turandot, with renowned Australian tenor Julian Gavin as Calaf.  Teresa la Rocca makes a long overdue return to State Opera as the tragic slave girl Liu, along with other leading Australian artists.  The performances will be conducted by Puccini specialist Aldo Salvagno, leading the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the State Opera Chorus.

September sees a return of Mozart’s great masterpiece The Marriage of Figaro in a superb Opera Australia production directed by Neil Armfield and not seen before in Adelaide.  The production features a wonderful cast that includes some of State Opera’s most outstanding former young artists including David Thelander as Figaro, Grant Doyle as the Count, Catriona Barr as Cherubino, Adam Goodburn as Don Basilio and Samantha Rubenhold as Barbarina.  They are joined by Tiffany Speight and Jacqueline Mabardi in their State Opera debuts as Susanna and the Countess, with State Opera favourites Elizabeth Campbell as Marcellina and David Hibbard as Bartolo.  Distinguished Adelaide-based conductor Graham Abbott returns to conduct the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and State Opera Chorus.

Our final mainstage production of the year is a revival of Verdi’s ever-popular Rigoletto in Elijah Moshinsky’s celebrated production from Opera Australia, staged here in Adelaide for the first time.  A wonderful cast has been assembled including Adelaide’s own Michael Lewis as Rigoletto, West Australian soprano Rachelle Durkin as Gilda and Aldo Di Toro as the Duke.  They are joined by a first class supporting cast, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and State Opera Chorus led by talented conductor Tom Woods.

In November we also present, in association with Musica Viva, the world renowned period ensemble Hesperion XXI with soloists Montserrat Figueras and Arianna Savall in a fascinating mixed vocal and instrumental program of medieval Sephardic music as well as Spanish and Italian renaissance music.

Enjoy the season!

Stephen Phillips
General Director