Opera Queensland acknowledges and respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the land and seas where we live and perform.
We acknowledge and respect the knowledge, cultures, languages, songs and dances they have created and shared for at least 65,000 years.
Our commitment is to listen and walk respectfully with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities, to celebrate the stories and songs of this place and its First Peoples.
I recently had the good fortune to attend the World Opera Forum in Los Angeles. Over the course of three days artists and executives from opera companies around the world gathered to interrogate why it is important to pursue this four hundred year old artform. What is the urgent need to express ourselves through music and song? How do opera companies remain relevant in an increasingly complex entertainment landscape? How do we acknowledge where we’ve come from while continuing to develop new stories and new ways to tell them?
There was much talk about the impact of Covid, the influence of AI and the need to create work that celebrates the rich diversity of artists and audiences that make up an opera company’s community. In the midst of all the robust conversation and ambitious dreaming about the future, two thoughts continued to rise to the surface.
One – opera is the most deeply collaborative artform of them all, requiring the combined efforts of composers, librettists, orchestras, conductors, singers, directors, designers, choreographers, dancers, acrobats, technicians and administrators to come to fruition. And the other – while technology has shifted the relationship in various ways over the years, to experience an opera in full flight, it requires our presence – the vital contract between performer and audience.
In many respects this idea of presence and attention is at the heart of our collaboration with Circa. Opera singers and acrobats share many qualities. Both feats require phenomenal physical stamina and a level of trust, succinctly described by Maria Callas as, “the fine line between madness and sanity”.
The only way to fully appreciate the wonder and energy generated by the singers and acrobats working intimately with one another is to bear witness to it in the moment.
With its refined libretto and many dance interludes, Dido and Aeneas offered Yaron, Libby and the Circa ensemble the opportunity to explore the story in their uniquely poetic and dynamic way.
As one of Australia’s leading interpreters of baroque music, Benjamin Bayl ensured the sublime playfulness of Purcell’s music matched that of the acrobats. His understanding of the baroque tradition illuminating the many colours and textures of the score for the singing ensemble, so finely led by Anna Dowsley and Sebastian Maclaine in the title roles.
Narelle French’s decision to have the other characters within the story move in and out of the ensemble of singers who make up Dido’s court, the Sorceress’s witches and Aeneas’s sailors, reveals another layer of the deeply collaborative nature of this production. The singers’ transition from soloist to ensemble so beautifully echoing and complementing the flow of the acrobats.
Beyond the rehearsal studio, collaboration and partnership also played an important role. Sincere thanks to the Frazer Family Foundation, whose generous investment was matched by Arts Queensland, making it possible to bring this production to Brisbane audiences.
Thanks also to our production partners the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Queensland Symphony Orchestra. And our other government partners, Creative Australia and the Brisbane City Council.
Our previous collaboration with Circa, Orpheus and Eurydice, played to full houses in its initial season at QPAC in 2019 and did the same again at the Sydney Opera House earlier this year. We launch this production of Dido and Aeneas excited and grateful to be premiering it for the friends and supporters who have played such an important role in the success of our two companies. Here’s to many more successful collaborations in the years to come.
Patrick Nolan CEO & Artistic Director
Henry Purcell is a composer like no other. Despite being an extremely prolific writer of theatre and instrumental music during his short 36 year life, only one complete opera survives – Dido and Aeneas. But what an opera that is, laced through with Purcell’s extraordinary affinity for melodic beauty, harmonic daring and toe-tapping dance.
Dido and Aeneas is barely an hour long, but Purcell does not waste a second. His style of composition helps greatly with the combination of brevity and awe: he was a master of “short form”, where many of the songs and dances are barely a minute long but are full of invention and character, and where chameleon-like transitions lead us from tragedy to comedy and back in the blink of an eye. This is a far cry from the compositional habits and structures of the most famous opera composers who followed Purcell –such as Handel, Vivaldi and Mozart – masters themselves, but often took more time to say what they wanted to say.
One might ask why we are still performing music that is over 335 years old? I think the reason for this is not only the contemporary relevance of the storyline, but also the fact that the music doesn’t really sound “classical” in the traditional or conventional sense. Its numerous “earworms”, whether they be catchy rhythms, tuneful melodies or seductive harmonies, have far more in common with the most timeless pop music.
Baroque music lends itself well to contemporary interpretations because the themes and stories being told still resonate. We understand the message, we feel for the characters, and we have the sense that the dance rhythms are familiar, because they are also timeless and have been used again and again throughout the centuries.
In developing this production, we wanted to explore the fact that Dido and Aeneas’s love, for all its passion and intensity, was an invention of Virgil. We drew upon the extraordinary catalogue of incidental theatre music Purcell composed for other plays to frame our production. We constructed a Prologue where the audience is introduced to both Dido and Aeneas, and we added extra numbers elsewhere in the opera as bridges between certain scenes. To enrich the musical palate further, I added music by two of Purcell’s contemporaries – Matthew Locke and Jeremiah Clarke. These are two other genii whose musical language is perhaps even more eccentric and whimsical than Purcell’s.
I am very happy to present this beautiful story and music to our audience. I’m also curious how this work will be approached, interpreted and presented in the future, whilst being quite sure that Dido and Aeneas will feature in the repertoire of the world’s opera companies for some centuries to come!
Benjamin Bayl
In Virgil’s Aeneid, the poem’s hero, Aeneas, fleeing Troy, is blown off course by a massive gods-induced storm. He lands in Carthage. But his travel is not only spatial, it is also temporal: he is deposited across the Mediterranean 400 years in the future! These dates were well known to Virgil’s audience – Troy fell around 1200 BCE and Carthage was founded around 800 BCE.
Why? Probably politics (Rome would fight the three Punic wars against Carthage) and maybe to ensure the poem was read as a mythic fable, rather than a history. Discovering this delightful dissonance became my key to the opera.
History, progress, war, destiny, ambition are all forms of momentum. They move us forward in what philosopher Peter Sloterdijk calls “infinite mobilization”. In contrast to this drive stands true stillness, found (and soon lost) in love and of course in death.
Our production in some sense is both set in and is an enactment of the history – the propulsion forward, not to anywhere in particular but rather to be in movement. And Dido’s love and (spoiler alert) ultimate demise are the stillnesses that threaten this very momentum. The calm eye in the storm of history.
Our Dido and Aeneas occurs on an empty stage – a blank canvas where time, bodies, and emotions can dance their endless, beautiful, doomed waltz. It opens with a new prologue – a compilation of songs and music in which the returning soldiers, lovestruck heroes, and dread-filled queens flicker as if aswirl in the storm of history. Then we launch into the opera proper. An overture sets the scene – a tangled mass of connections, linking bodies across time and space. The action moves in quick succession from Dido’s Palace to the Sorceress’s Cave, a grove, the docks, and back to the Palace all without leaving our tabula rasa.
At the core of the opera is a woman, Dido. In Act 2, she will transform into the Sorceress – her divided, tormented self bringing about her own destruction. In the Aeneid, Virgil writes of “The queen who ached with longing that her heart's blood fed, a wound or inward fire eating her away”. The rest of the opera – the chorus, Belinda, even Aeneas – are filtered through Dido’s consciousness.
This is an opera of the clash of movement and stillness, of consciousness that fractures under the tension between the two, of our hearts in history and of the history in our hearts. That across its short length it contains immense beauty, aching tragedy, humour, play, and weirdness is a mark of its genius.
Our deepest thanks to the teams from Opera Queensland and Circa and all the artists who came along for this stormy, love and deathinfused ride.
Yaron Lifschitz
Aeneas, a Trojan prince, flees the destruction of his home city. He is caught in a storm that transports him to Carthage. Here, he meets the Queen, Dido, and they fall deeply in love. Dido’s court entreats her to accept Aeneas’s love, and merriment ensues at the impending union.
The Sorceress and her coven of witches plot to ensure that Aeneas will abandon Dido. Dido and Aeneas complete their union while hunting. The Sorceress sends a spirit disguised as Mercury to remind Aeneas of his mission to found Rome and to demand he depart immediately.
Aeneas prepares his sailors to travel. He reveals to Dido that he must obey the god’s command to leave. Dido is shattered by Aeneas’s rejection. She laments her lost love. Upon her death, the court sings to Cupid to watch over her.
This production of Dido and Aeneas is located in the abyss, a mutable void space. The costume design works with this abstracted and stark aesthetic. Fabrics and silhouettes are key to the design choice making.
Conceptually acknowledging the relationship between Dido and Aeneas are the black lace tops and trousers used for the chorus and acrobats. The feminine and masculine fabrics and silhouettes help unite this unique ensemble. The combination of voice, music and muscularity on stage creates a punk energy, and the fabric combination supports this.
Dido, a 1940s cabaret singer glimmers in black sequins. Snake like, she peels off her outer-layer to reveal the Sorceress where organic, curling talons outline her body. Our final encounter with Dido speaks to solitude, death, and stillness.
Aeneas is Dido’s co-star. His boxy tuxedo is both deeply romantic and arguably misogynistic by today’s standards.
Adhering to a conceptual approach to the costume design, characters such as Belinda and the Witches are foregrounded through movement, music and the spatial design.
I’ve applied costume design techniques and aesthetics I’d ordinarily use for pure movement. It’s been an exciting challenge to abstract the character and narrative of the opera in a way that unifies the performance ensemble, addresses key aspects of the story and then gets out of the way, leaving room for the most important materials in this production; music, voice and movement.
Libby
McDonnell
CREATIVE TEAM
Conductor
Benjamin Bayl
Director, Stage Designer
Yaron Lifschitz
Costume Designer
Libby McDonnell
Lighting Designer
Matthew Marshall
Associate Director
Rani Luther
Circa Associate Director
Benjamin Knapton
Circa Producer
Danielle Kellie
Ensemble Preparation
Narelle French
CAST
Dido
Anna Dowsley
Aeneas
Sebastian Maclaine
Belinda
Katie Stenzel
Second Lady
Emily Turner
First Witch
Hayley Sugars
Second Witch
Shikara Ringdahl
Spirit
Jessica Low
Sailor
Lachlann Lawton
CONTINUO ENSEMBLE
Harpsichord
Benjamin Bayl, Mark Connors
Theorbo, Baroque Guitar
Jeremy Stafford
Cello
Hyung Suk Bae
11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27 JULY 2024
Playhouse, QPAC
This performance lasts approximately 70 minutes with no interval.
Sung in English.
Benjamin Bayl
Born and raised in Sydney, Benjamin Bayl has earned a reputation as an internationally respected conductor equally busy in the realms of the orchestral and operatic fields. This unique musical heritage began when Bayl became the first Australian Organ Scholar of King’s College Cambridge after which he studied conducting at London’s Royal Academy of Music.
After working alongside Ivan Fischer with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort, Benjamin's career has grown to one where he is high demand across the globe with highly prestigious opera houses and orchestras. On the opera podium, Benjamin has led productions at the Wiener Staatsoper, Dutch National Opera, Staatsoper Berlin, Royal Danish Opera, Den Norske Opera, Theater an der Wien, Opera Vlaanderen, Opera de Oviedo, Budapest State Opera, Polish National Opera, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Opera Zuid, Norrlands Operan, Theater Aachen, Opera Queensland, Victorian Opera and Opera Australia.
Symphonic work includes engagements with the Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Bochumer Symphoniker, Bremer Philharmoniker, Sinfonieorchester Aachen and Britten Sinfonia amongst many others. Benjamin enjoys conducting a broad range of repertoire from the great Viennese classics, historically informed Baroque and Romantic music, and world premieres of new commissions.
Yaron Lifschitz
Yaron Lifschitz is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, and National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), where he was the youngest director ever accepted into its prestigious graduate director’s course. Since graduating, Yaron has directed over 80 productions including large-scale events, opera, theatre, physical theatre, and circus.
His work has been seen in over forty-five countries and across six continents by nearly two million people and has won numerous awards including six Helpmann awards and the Australia Council Theatre Award. His productions have been presented at major festivals and venues around the world including Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Barbican, Les Nuits de Fourvière, Chamäleon Theatre and all the major Australian festivals. His film work was selected for the Berlin and Melbourne Film Festivals. He was founding Artistic Director of the Australian Museum’s Theatre Unit, Head Tutor in Directing at Australian Theatre for Young People and has been a regular guest tutor in directing at NIDA.
He is currently Artistic Director and CEO of Circa and was Creative Director of Festival 2018: the arts and cultural program of the 21st Commonwealth Games.
Libby McDonnell
Libby is a designer and choreographer and she is currently Head of Design at Circa. Libby works in diverse genres and forms. At the heart of her work is people and movement.
Libby has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Visual Art from Queensland College of Art - Griffith University and an Associate Degree in Dance from Queensland University of Technology. Her professional career has included performing and making independent dance work, as an Artistic Director of Ballet Theatre of Queensland and Choreographer for Blue Roo Theatre Company. For eleven years Libby has worked with the team at Circa to imagine, develop and deliver their productions locally, nationally and internationally. During her time at Circa she has designed costumes for over thirty productions, co-directed three main stage productions and led many of the company’s engagement projects including the pilot of the Circability program.
Libby is based in Brisbane with her family.
Matthew Marshall
Born and raised in Perth Western Australia, Matthew Marshall is a graduate of the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) Production & Design course in 2000.
Recent designs include The Barber of Seville (Seattle Opera), Gatsby at The Green Light (Sydney Opera House/ Caper & Crow), Il tabarro (Victorian Opera) an outdoor opera for Sydney Festival, the world's first digital Der Ring des Nibelungen - The Ring Cycle (Opera Australia), Le comte Ory, Così fan tutte, The Unruly Tourists & Macbeth (New Zealand Operal), Chorus! (Opera Australia), Vigil: Awaken (Sydney Festival), Velvet Rewired (Organised Pandemonium), Oil (Black Swan State Theatre Company), Ballet at the Quarry & Goldberg Variations (West Australian Ballet), Eireborne (Mellen Events/Mpire), The Crowd & I(Australian Chamber Orchestra), A Winters Journey (Musica Viva),Dark Mofo Night Mass (DarkLab), Mary Stewart (Perth Festival/Performing Lines), The Marriage of Figaro (New Zealand Opera), James Galea's Best Trick Ever (Sydney Opera House), City of Lights (Perth Festival), Tim Minchin's The Absence Of You music video, Cinderella (Seattle Opera), Turn of The Screw (New Zealand Opera), a new full length ballet Tchaikovsky (Tulsa Ballet), La bohème the outdoor Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (Opera Australia), American Idiot Australian National Tour (Shake & Stir/QPAC), Athalia (Pinchgut Opera), Asungen (Royal Swedish Opera), Carmen (Oper Leipzig), Club Swizzle (Roundhouse London), La Cenerentola (Oper Leipzig, San Diego Opera).
Matt’s dazzling design for Velvet (Organised Pandemonium) created in 2015 has sailed the high seas on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Jewel & Breakaway ships and opened a second incarnation Velvet Rewired in the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent at Adelaide Fringe 2020 with a Australian tour in 2022/23.
Rani Luther
Rani, born in Melbourne, trained at the National Theatre Ballet School and the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. She began her professional career in 1995 with the Kiel Ballet Company in Germany, later joining the Netherlands Dance Theatre 2 and 1. Returning to Australia in 2003, Rani danced with The Australian Ballet Company, then moved to Sydney Dance Company in 2007, retiring as a principal dancer with Melbourne Ballet Company in 2011.
Rani has performed works by renowned choreographers like Jiri Kylián, William Forsythe, and Graeme Murphy. Her accolades include winning the gold medal at the Sanlam International Ballet Competition in 1993, the outstanding performance award in the City of Sydney Ballet Scholarship in 1994, and a Green Room Award nomination in 2006.
Post-retirement, Rani transitioned to coaching, staging, and choreographing, working with various schools and companies across Australia. She established the classical contemporary course at Brent Street Sydney, taught pilates, worked as a remedial massage therapist, and served as Ballet Mistress for Melbourne and Queensland Ballet. Her choreographic works include Face the Music, Illuminate, Lunar, Heartstrings, and Butterfly Effect
In 2019, Rani was appointed Ballet Mistress and Creative Associate for Queensland Ballet and, in 2022, Creative Associate for Queensland Ballet and Thomas Dixon Centre. She has curated and produced numerous performances and exhibitions, including the Global Fusion series and the inaugural season of Encore in 2022.
Benjamin Knapton
Benjamin Knapton is an Australian stage director, artist and designer. Ben has directed shows for: Chamäleon Theatre in Berlin (Wunderkammer), Brisbane Powerhouse (He Dreamed a Train), MA Scène Nationale in Montbéliard (Devant Vos Yeux / Before Your Eyes), and Bleach Festival on the Gold Coast (Horizon with Angels). Critics have described Ben’s works as “dazzlingly inventive”, “incredibly moving” and “cutting edge”.
During his time with Circa, Ben has created, directed and co-directed new circus works and large-scale events that toured extensively to major international festivals and venues across the globe, including headline projects with London Festival, Norfolk and Norwich Festival (How Like an Angel), International Dance Festival Birmingham (Wings of Desire) and the film adaptation of Tim Winton’s The Turning. He holds a BA in Applied Theatre, an MA in directing, and a practice-led PhD in directing. Ben’s Masters won the prestigious Philip Parsons Prize.
Danielle Kellie
Danielle began her career as a Stage Manager and Production Manager touring Australia and internationally for festivals and companies such as Queensland Theatre; Melbourne Theatre Company; Brisbane Powerhouse, La Boite; Brisbane Festival; QPAT; Queensland Music Festival, Sydney Fringe Festival and Kooemba Jdarra. She was the resident Stage Manager of Queensland Ballet 1998 - 1999 and Opera Queensland 2003 - 2007.
In 2010 Danielle commenced working at Circa moving into the Senior Producer role in 2011 and Executive Producer in 2021. Danielle has a broad role at Circa – she is responsible for Australian and New Zealand sales; delivering Circa’s national and international touring program which averages 400 shows in 15 countries per year; and producing Circa’s new creations with a current total of 32 during her time at Circa.
One of Australia’s most respected and versatile pianists and musicians, Narelle joined Opera Queensland in 1999 encompassing roles including Head of Music, Director of Young Artist Program and Chorus Director. Narelle has appeared as conductor, performer, arranger, librettist and translator, has co-created and performed for numerous touring productions, special events, concerts and workshop programs, and has led the Opera Queensland Chorus for over forty main stage productions, concerts and events.
Anna Dowsley
Anna Dowsley is a prominent Australian mezzo soprano who has performed on operatic and concert stages around the world.
In the 2022/23 season, Anna performed Adalgisa (Norma) with Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova and Olga (Eugene Onegin) with Opera Frankfurt. She recorded with L'Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo (Palazzetto Bru Zane label) and performed in concert with Concerto Budapest.
In 2021, Anna performed the title role of Carmen (Staatstheater Nürnberg) and made her Italian house debut as Zerlina (Don Giovanni). In 2017, she performed Meg Page alongside Sir Bryn Terfel in Falstaff (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic).
With Opera Australia, her roles have included: Dorabella, Rosina, Cherubino, Zerlina, Siébel, Smeton, Flora, Tebaldo and Zaida. With Sydney Chamber Opera, Anna performed the title role in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. She performed the title role in Pinchgut Opera’s 2022 production of Orontea and starred in their 2020 full-length opera film A Delicate Fire
On the concert platform, Anna has performed with the Sydney, Tasmanian, Adelaide and Queensland Symphony Orchestras; Van Diemen’s Band; Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Royal Melbourne Philharmonic. In 2022, Anna toured nationally with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Anna made her debut with Opera Queensland in its production of Così fan tutte
Sebastian Maclaine
Sebastian Maclaine completed his Bachelor of Music at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in 2011, where he featured in a number of productions.
Sebastian has had a wide variety of musical experiences, including singing with the popular Australian touring and recording group, The Ten Tenors. With the group, Sebastian has performed extensively in 16 countries and recorded several albums.
In 2017, Sebastian was the recipient of an Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music scholarship to study at the Royal Northern College of Music, graduating with a Master of Music degree. In 2018, he featured at the Glyndebourne Festival, appearing in the chorus for Giulio Cesare, Pelléas et Mélisande and Vanessa, and understudied the High Priest in Barrie Kosky’s production of Handel’s Saul He subsequently moved to Hildesheim, Germany, performing with Theater für Niedersachsen as soloist and chorus member.
Sebastian returned to Brisbane in 2021, performing with Opera Queensland (OQ) in their schools touring productions. In 2022, he joined the OQ Young Artist Program and performed the role of Gastone in La Traviata. He also appeared in the Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program as Bastian in Der Häusliche Krieg by Schubert and as Adolph in Die Opernprobe by Lortzing. Recently, he performed as tenor soloist in four Bach cantatas with Ensemble Correspondances at the Royal Chapel of Versailles.
Katie Stenzel
Katie Stenzel is a dynamic, coloratura soprano. Described by Limelight Magazine as possessing “a powerful and perfectly controlled upper range”, she has established herself as an engaging and multi-faceted performer.
Since completing her Master of Music Studies at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Katie has performed across Australia and internationally with companies including State Opera South Australia, Opera Queensland, Opera Australia, Brisbane Festival, The Adelaide Fringe Festival, and the Taipei Drama Festival in Taiwan.
Operatic roles have included Queen of the Night in The Sopranos, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Niece 1 in Peter Grimes, Zorah in Ruddigore and the creation of the role of Loretta in The Crushing: A Gothic Opera. She has also understudied roles including Despina in Così fan tutte, Euridice and Amore in Orfeo ed Euridice, Kumudha in A Flowering Tree, Rose Maybud in Ruddigore, Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Cunegonde in Candide, and Yum Yum in The Mikado. She has appeared in concert works including Symphony No. 4 (Mahler), Messiah (Handel), Carmina Burana (Orff), African Sanctus (Fanshawe), The Mysteries of the Macabre (Ligeti), and Oratorio de Noêl (Saint-Saëns)
2024 will see Katie appear in the roles of Bellezza in Handel’s The Triumph of Time and Truth for Voxalis Opera and Belinda in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas for Opera Queensland.
Katie Stenzel
Emily Turner
Hayley Sugars
Shikara Ringdahl
Jessica Low
Lachlann Lawton
Sean Andrews
Matthew Broadbent
Ryan Carlson
Adele King
Andrew Lange
Lachlann Lawton
Jessica Low
Jon Maskell
Rowan Allinson
Jon Bonaventura
Rhiannon Cave Walker
Charlotte Cayer
Jessica Connell
Chelsea Hall
Luke Pearce
Joshua Strachan
Adam Strom
Darby Sullivan
Elizabeth McBride
Shikara Ringdahl
Katie Rutledge
Katie Stenzel
Hayley Sugars
Emily Turner
Connor Willmore
Jia-Peng Yeung
Concertmaster
Margaret Blades
Associate Concertmaster
Stephen Tooke
Violin 1
Rebecca Seymour *
Ann Holtzapffel
Mia
Brenda
Violin 2
Wayne Brennan ~
Runa
Viola
Yoko Okayasu = Bernard Hoey +
Kirsten Hulin-Bobart
Marlena Stanhope
Cello
Hyung Suk Bae =
Double
Dušan Walkowicz =
Sarah Meagher =
Theorbo, Baroque Guitar
Jeremy Stafford *
PO Box 3567, South Bank, Queensland 4101
T: (07) 3840 7444 W: qpac.com.au
Chair
Professor Peter Coaldrake AO
Deputy Chair
Leigh Tabrett PSM
Trust Members
Leanne Coddington
Julian Myers
Georgina Richters
Susan Rix AM
Murray Saylor
Chief Executive
John Kotzas AM
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Queensland Performing Arts Trust is a statutory body of the State of Queensland and is partially funded by the Queensland Government
The Honourable Leeanne Enoch MP: Minister for Treaty, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Minister for Communities and Minister for the Arts
Director-General, Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts: Ms Clare O’Connor
We pay our respects to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestors of this land, their spirits and their legacy. The foundations laid by these ancestors – our First Nations Peoples – gives strength, inspiration and courage to current and future generations, both Indigenous and nonIndigenous, towards creating a better Queensland.
QPAC WARMLY THANKS OUR KEY DONORS WHO HELP US ENGAGE BROADLY ACROSS THE STATE AND CONTINUE ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH PERFORMING ARTS.
Tim Fairfax AC and Gina Fairfax AC, Dr Lee and Professor Peter Coaldrake AO, Leigh Tabrett PSM, Susan Rix AM, Julian Myers, Dr Sally Pitkin AO, Dare Power, Dr Cathryn Mittelheuser AM, Sandi Hoskins, Lance and Suzanne Hockridge, Leigh Wheeler, Queensland Community Foundation, de Groots Charitable Fund, Joachim and Paula Erpf, Dr Colin and Mrs Noela Kratzing, Barbara Snelling, Frank and Karen Alpert, Dr Ailbhe and Dr Frank Cunningham, Jenny Morton, Klaus Beckmann and several donors who wish to remain anonymous.
Patrons are advised that the Performing Arts Centre has EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES, a FIRE ALARM system and EXIT passageways. In case of an alert, patrons should remain calm, look for the closest EXIT sign in GREEN, listen to and comply with directions given by the inhouse trained attendants and move in an orderly fashion to the open spaces outside the Centre.
Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM, Governor of Queensland and Professor Graeme Nimmo RFD
OPERA QUEENSLAND BOARD
Chair Linda Apelt
Deputy Chair Katie McNamara
Treasurer Will Fellowes
Director Judy Mather
Director Jody Currie
Director James Walker
Director Mark Fenton
Director Jane Keating
HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS
Emeritus Professor Christa Critchley
Anne Cross AM
Lady Jane Edwards AM
Sir Leo Hielscher AC
Martin Kriewaldt
David Macfarlane OAM
Marilyn Richardson
Emeritus Professor David Siddle
Dr Nancy Underhil
Opera Queensland Ltd ABN 83 010 258 750
Registered Office
Queensland Conservatorium 140 Grey Street, South Bank, Qld 4101
Postal Address
PO Box 5792, West End, QLD 4101
Telephone 07 3735 3030
Email info@oq.com.au
OPERA QUEENSLAND
CEO & Artistic Director Patrick Nolan
Executive Director Adam Tucker
Chief Financial Officer Christine McEwan
Head of Music and Chorus Director Narelle French
Director of Technical Production Alex Loh
Director of Marketing & Sales Lucy Childs
Director of Learning, Regional & Community Laura Hansford
Director of Development Donnita Maher (maternity cover)
Executive Assistant Karen Griffin
Managing Producer Alicia Cush
Graphic Designer Murray Summerville
Digital Marketing Campaign Specialist Jesse Sobey
CRM & Ticketing Coordinator Alexandra Donald
Partnerships Manager Warrick McDonald
Development Officer – Administration & Events Zoé Noble Fox
Producer – Learning, Regional and Community Simone Doczkal
Associate Producer – Learning, Regional and Community
Justine Hansberry
Senior Producer Gabby Gregory
Project Coordinator Dylan Rettke
Head of Wardrobe Karen Cochet
Principal Cutter Bianca Bulley
Production Administrator Annette Kerwitz
Production Coordinator Rhi Booth
Finance Business Partner Sangeeta Khosla
Assistant Accountant Verkha Perkash
Mr Damian Bartholomew, Mr David & Mrs Davi Bennion, Ms Georgina Blomfield, Mr Nick Breakspere, Dr Janne Coman, Dr Uzo Dibia, Mr Greg & Mrs Janice Ellis, Ms Kathleen Gallagher, Mrs Peta Ganner, Dr Ulrich Hartig, Dr Michael Hurley, Dr Robert Kearney, Prof Christina Lee, Ms June Lloyd, Mr Gregory Molloy, Mrs Brenda Ramsay, Mr Allen & Mrs Mitzi Smith, Mr Antony Tabrett, Mr Harry Thompson
MUSIC CREDITS
Ensemble Preparation Narelle French
Performance keyboard Mark Connors
Music preparation Mark Connors, Narelle French, Jillianne Stoll
Surtitles Operator Narelle French
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Stage Manager Mak Purdy
Deputy Stage Manager Carli Griffin
Assistant Stage Manager Lachlan Paterson
Assistant Stage Manager Skye Heales
Stage Management Intern Rhiannon Tate**
Head of Wardrobe Karen Cochet
Wardrobe Assistant Em Hain
Principal Pattern Maker & Cutter Bianca Bulley
Pattern Maker & Cutter Amelia Klingseisen, Kate Stevenson, Jacinta Vella Campbell
Art Finisher Hannah Moroney
Costume Maker Josephine Clark-Liebke, Marie Dupuy, Danni Grantford, Amelia Klingseisen , Charlotte Parker, Kate Stevenson, Joash Teo, Jacinta Vella Campbell
Wardrobe Volunteer Elodie Cooper
** Stage Management Intern by arrangement with QUT Creative Industries
TECHNICAL CREDITS
Technical Director Alex Loh
Production Coordinator Rhi Booth
Production Administrator Annette Kerwitz
Heads of Staging Adam Paine
Deputy Head of Staging Ashleigh Bradfield
Rigger Ricky Olfacius, Abbey Church
Head of Lighting Tim Gawne
Deputy Head of Lighting Claire Browning
Lighting Desk Operator Iluka Nally
Titles Technician Stephen Brodie
Sound Engineer & Operator Geoff McGahan
Makeup Artist Rachael Appleyard
Hair Stylist Lidiya Kaplun
Dresser Em Hain, Stephanie West
LED Screens CPC Production Services
Rigging Services Uptite Creative Rigging
Rigging Supplier Theatre Safe Australia
Lighting Supplier Krank’d Audio-Visual Productions
Props Fabrication A Noble Event
Transport Roadpro Event Services
Special Thanks Buck Outdoor, Queensland
Conservatorium Griffith University
Text projection
Questionnaire Calle Bouillier pour Les Inrockuptibles
A collaboration between Sophie Calle and Grégoire Bouillier, published in the French magazine Les Inrockuptibles.
Sophie Calle is represented by Paula Cooper Gallery.
CIRCA BOARD
Chair Ann Sherry AO
Treasurer Ric Roach
Directors MJ Bellotti, Christopher Brady, Kerry Comerford, Alanna Herbst, Gene Moyle
Company Secretary Courtney Tuttle
EXECUTIVE
Artistic Director and CEO Yaron Lifschitz
Executive Director Shaun Comerford
Executive Producer Danielle Kellie
Executive Officer Marty Evans
First Nations Advisor Cameron Costello
ARTISTIC
Associate Director Benjamin Knapton
Head of Design Libby McDonnell
Tour Directors Piri Goodman, Kristen Maloney
DELIVERY
Head of Production Mark Middleton
Production Managers Bryce Holmes, Laura Holmes, Luke Laidler
Wardrobe Coordinator Anna Handford
Producers Charmaine Childs, Jake Jobes
Associate Producers Jodie Roche-Jones, Christy Wright
FINANCE
Head of Finance Renee Fletcher
Senior Finance Officer Israt Jahan Tinni
ENSEMBLE
Rowan Allinson
Jon Bonaventura
Holly-Rose Boyer
Charlotte Cayer
Rhiannon Cave Walker
Asha Colless
Maya Davies
Helga Ehrenbusch
Malte Gerhardt
Scott Grove
Chelsea Hall
Jordan Hart
Ally Humphris*
David Kila Biondi-Odo*
Sam Letch
Gerramy Marsden
Rosalani Mordaunt
Oscar Morris
Daniel O’Brien
Edan Porter*
Kimberley Rossi
Sophie Seccombe
OPERATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION
Head of Operations and Administration
Courtney Tuttle
Company Administrator Elanor Nunn
Administration Coordinator Leyla Stanbridge
MARKETING
Marketing Manager Claire Holland
Marketing Assistant Ivy Webster
CIRCA ACADEMY
Head of Circa Academy Alice Muntz
Circa Academy Head Trainer
Vanessa McGregor
Circa Academy Trainers Mia Hughes, Zoe Joiner, Riley McDonald, Jacob Ramis, Ludwig Schukin, Arabella Stone
CIRCA CAIRNS
Artistic Director (Circa Cairns)
Harley Mann
Associate Producer (Circa Cairns)
Julie Rigault
INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIONS
Antonin Coutouly, Book Your Show France
Wolfgang Hoffmann, Aurora Nova Worldwide
Booking and Coordination, Allen Moon, David Lieberman Artists’ Representatives USA, Canada, Central and South America
Shani Stephens
Zachery Stephens
Joshua Strachan
Tristan St John
Adam Strom
Lachlan Sukroo
Darby Sullivan
Luke Thomas
Georgia Webb
Christina Zauner
*Circa Cairns Ensemble Member
THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE IS DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING THE ARTISTIC VISION OF OPERA QUEENSLAND’S PROGRAM.
Members of the Circle understand the value of producing powerful contemporary work in both intimate and large spaces. Philanthropic investment from our donors to join the Circle will support innovative projects and initiatives whilst giving members unparalleled access to the artform and Artistic Director’s vision. We continue to invite our donor community to join us on this important journey and thank our existing members for their continued support.
To join the Artistic Director’s Circle, donors make an additional contribution above their existing annual gift, pledging their commitment for the next three years. In doing so, members help secure the financial future of the Company and opera in Queensland.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our current members for their commitment, loyalty, and generosity in supporting this campaign. Opera Queensland welcomes you to the Artistic Director’s Circle and are delighted to have you join us over the coming years, which we plan to be some of the most exciting in the Company’s history.
For more information scan or visit: oq.com.au/artistic-directors-circle/
LEGACY DONORS
The Estate of Lois Schultz & June Wheeler, the Estate of Marie Jameson
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE
Mr Philip Bacon AO, Prof Ian Frazer AC & Mrs Caroline Frazer, Dr Colin Furnival† & Dr Isobel Furnival†, Prof Frank Gannon & Mrs Mary Gannon, Mr David Gow & Dr Kirsten Gow, Mr Hien Le, Emeritus Prof Andrew Lister & Ms Kate Lister, Emeritus Prof David Siddle & Emeritus Prof Christa Critchley, Dr Susan Urquhart† & Dr Philip Aitken†
FOUNDATION DONORS $15,000 AND ABOVE
Dr Philip Aitken† & Dr Susan Urquhart†, Mr Philip Bacon AO, Mr Tim Fairfax AC & Mrs Gina Fairfax AC, Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Frazer Family Foundation, Hall-Brown Family Foundation, Mather Foundation, Emeritus Prof David Siddle & Emeritus Prof Christa Critchley, Wagner Corporation
PLATINUM DONORS $10,000 – $14,999
Emeritus Prof Peter Coaldrake AO, Dr Damien Foong & Mrs Xiaohong Foong, Mr Douglas Murphy KC & Mrs Geri Murphy
GOLD DONORS $5,000 – $9,999
The Hon Justice Thomas Bradley & Dr Matthew Yoong, Miss Adele Dickman, Dr John Gough & Ms Ann Page, Mr Lee Nevison§ & Mrs Mary Louise North, Mr Louis Peterson & Mrs Diana Peterson, Dr Ken Piaggio, Dr Jonathan Ramsay, Dr Mark Walke
SILVER DONORS $1,000 – $4,999
Ms Linda Apelt, Dr Richard Baer, Mr Damian Bartholomew, Mr John Bashford, Dame Quentin Bryce CVO AD, Emeritus Prof Catherin Bull AM & Emeritus Prof Dennis Gibson AO, Ms Anne Cross AM, Mr Robert Cumming§, Mr Gordon Cumming-Harris, Mr Will Fellowes & Dr Michael McLaughlin, Mr Russell Fortescue, Dr Ruth Gough & Prof Ian Gough AM, F & C Hill, Dr Pamela Greet, Ms Valmay Hill & Mr Russell Mitchell, Dr Annette Kortlucke† & Dr Peter Kortlucke†, Mrs Andrea Kriewaldt & Mr Martin Kriewaldt, Prof Andrew Lister & Ms Kate Lister, Mrs Gay Lohse, Ms Katie McNamara, Mr Patrick Nolan & MS Mathilde de Hauteclocque, Ms Lyn Parsons, Dr John Quinn† & Mrs Deborah Quinn, Mr William Rivers, Geoff Ross Endowment – Australian Philanthropic Service Foundation, Mr Philip & Mrs Jackie Rouse, Mr Robert Sanderson, Mr Allen Smith & Mrs Mitzi Smith, Mr Adam Tucker, Dr Phillip & Ms Marisa Vecchio AM, Anonymous 4
BRONZE DONORS $500 – $999
Mr Roger Bagley, Mr Geoffrey Beames, Mrs Loretta Bertoldo Hyne, Mrs Judith Cush, Mr Terence Daubney, Emeritus Prof Robert Gilbert, Ms Jane Keating, Mr Ross Lamont & Ms Sophie Lamont, Mr Dan Law, Ms June Lloyd, Dr Ranjeny Loneragan, The Hon Justice Margaret McMurdo AC§, Ms Marion Pender, Mr Douglas Ritchie & Mrs Janine Ritchie, Ms Sheila Ryan, Mr Henry Smerdon AM, Mr Robert Wilson & Mrs Patricia Wilson, Anonymous 2
PIANO KEY CAMPAIGN DONORS
Dr Philip Aitken, Ms Linda Apelt, Emeritus Prof Peter Coaldrake AO, Ms Anne Cross AM , Mr Robert Cumming, Ms Patricia Dempsey, Mr David Gow & Dr Kirsten Gow, Dr Damien Foong, Prof Ian Frazer AC, & Mrs Caroline Frazer, Dr Colin Furnival & Dr Isobel Furnival, Prof Frank Gannon & Mrs Mary Gannon, Mr Hien Le, Ms Judy Mather, Ms Katie McNamara, Mr Douglas Murphy QC & Mrs Gerry Murphy, Mr Patrick Nolan, Mr Iain Saul, Emeritus Prof David Siddle & Emeritus Prof Christa Critchley, Dr Susan Urquhart, Ms Janine Walker AM, Dr Mark Walker, Ms Natasha Woodward, Brisbane Racing Club, Cisco Systems Australia, Data#3, Diamond Experiences, Hanworth House, Wagner Corporation
†The Medical Chapter
§ The Legal Chapter
The information in this document is current as of 30/06/2024.
Support Opera Queensland's Piano Key Campaign by donating $1,800 for one of the 88 keys of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX Concert Grand Piano, a renowned instrument as virtuosic as the singers it accompanies. Your contribution symbolises your role in presenting opera of unparalleled quality in Opera Queensland’s Studio.
As a token of our gratitude, donors will be gifted with a bespoke illustration inscribed with a name of your choosing.
For more information scan or visit: oq.com.au/piano-key-campaign
Opera Queensland is proud to partner with leading organisations who are committed to enriching lives through this wonderful artform. Each of our partnerships is unique and meaningful. We deliver a tailored suite of exclusive benefits with the intention to exceed expectations.
If you would like to join us, please phone 07 3735 3030 or email development@oq.com.au
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
PHILANTHROPY PARTNERS
MAJOR PARTNERS
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
PERFORMANCE PARTNERS
ORCHESTRA PARTNER
MEDIA PARTNERS
PRINCIPALPARTNER
