DIRECTED BY CONSTANTINE COSTI
CONDUCTED BY
Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work. We pay respect to the Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
We are delighted to present this remarkable reimagining of Monteverdi’s 1640 opera, brought vividly to life by one of Australia’s most acclaimed composers, Elena Kats-Chernin. We are truly honoured that Elena is able to be with us to witness our production. Elena, thank you for offering the world this bold, contemporary retelling of this legendary story.
This production is the result of many months of dedication and collaboration It began with the artistic vision and planning of Johannes Fritzsch, Professor of Opera and Orchestral Studies, and Senior Lecturer Jillianne Stoll. On behalf of the Conservatorium, I extend our deepest thanks to our brilliant director, Constantine Costi, who has given this story its compelling theatrical form; and to our exceptional design team lighting designer Keith Clark and set and costume designer Isabel Hudson for crafting a visually striking world that bridges the mythic and the modern. We are also deeply grateful to conductor Simon Bruckard, who stepped in during these last few weeks to guide the musical journey with care and precision to its destination; and our thanks to Lois Redman for choreographing this production, once again lending her expertise to our classical voice students.
Behind the scenes, our thanks go to Production Stage Manager, Isabelle Markham, and Production Manager, Len McPherson, for their expert coordination and tireless dedication. And, of course, this production would not be possible without the passion, discipline, and artistry of our outstanding student singers and orchestral players guided by so many committed staff, including Associate Professor Margaret Schindler, Head of Classical Voice, Professor Peter Morris, Chair of Orchestral Instruments & Directed Ensembles, Orchestral Manager, Daniel Fossi, and the Front of House Operations Team led by Michael Hibbard.
Productions of this scale and ambition require not only talent and teamwork but also significant community support We are sincerely grateful to Griffith University’s leadership and to the Arts, Education & Law group for their unwavering recognition of the performing arts as vital to our cultural and educational ecosystem. Their support financial, personal, and ongoing—is evident in so many ways, including their regular presence at our performances.
To each member of our audience: thank you for being here. Your presence supports not only our students but also the future of the performing arts in Queensland. If this is your first time with us, we hope it won’t be your last
Thank you for joining us tonight - and enjoy the journey home with Ulisse.
The opera is set on and around the Island of Ithaca, 20 years after the Trojan Wars.
The Gods of Time (Il Tempo), Love (‘Amore) and Fortune (la Fortuna) mock the Spirit of Human Frailty (l'humana Fragilità). According to their claims, Man is under their control, subject to their whims and they will render him “weak, wretched and bewildered”.
In her palace at Ithaca, Penelope grieves the absence of Ulysses with her nurse, Ericlea. As she leaves, her maid, Melanto, enters with Eurimaco , a servant to the men courting Penelope, and they sing of their love for each other.
On the coast of Ithaca, Ulysses sleeping body washes up to the shore after the sinking of his ship. As Ulysses wakes, he curses the gods for abandoning him.
Disguised as a young boy, the goddess Minerva appears and tells Ulysses that he is in Ithaca, and that Penelope has been true to him, despite her many suitors. She promises to lead him back to his kingdom, if he follows her advice, and returns to court disguised as a beggar. He leaves to his servant, Eumete, while Minerva goes in search of his son, Telemaco, to help him reclaim his kingdom
Back in the palace, Melanto persists with trying to convince Penelope to choose a suitor and reiterates that Ulysses must be dead.
In a grove, Ulysses servant, Eumete, who has been cast out from the palace, is greeted by a beggar who tells him that his master, Ulysses is alive and will return to the palace. Eumete is overjoyed.
Minerva and Telemaco arrive in Ithaca in a flying chariot. Eumete and the Beggar greet him, and as Eumete goes to the palace to inform Penelope of Telemaco’s return, the beggar is swallowed up by a chasm and reappears revealing himself as Ulysses to his son, and they celebrate their reunion.
In the palace, Melanto continues to complain to Eurimaco that Penelope refuses to choose a suitor, after which, Penelope greets three potential suitors, Antinoo, Pisandro and Anfinomo. Despite their efforts to charm her with singing and dancing, she rejects them all. As they leave, Eumete arrives and tells her about the potential arrival of Telemaco. The three suitors discuss another plan to seduce Penelope with gifts.
Ulysses returns to the palace in his beggar disguise being harassed and mocked by the courtier Iro. A wrestling match is called wherein Iro is defeated by the beggar. Penelope then tells the suitors she will accept as husband, anyone who can string Ulysses bow. All three suitors try and fail, then the beggar tries and succeeds He then kills the suitors with the bow.
Reeling from his defeat at the hands of the beggar, Iro laments his humiliation and takes his own life. Meanwhile in the palace Penelope refuses to believe that the beggar is Ulysses and suspects she is being deceived. Ericlea enters and reveals she recognises Ulysses by the scar on his back. Ulysses and Penelope sing together, celebrating their love and reunion.
Photography by Brit Mobbs
Penelope
Ulisse
Melanto
Eurimaco
Minerva
Ericlea
Eumete
mortals immortals
Telemaco
Iro
Pisandro
Anfinomo
Antinoo
Lauren Towns
Jake Lyle
Monica Ruggiero
Freddie Klein
Zoe Catchpoole
Caitlin Monique
Liam Jackson
Emma Mueller
Tashana Hardy
Elliott Beauchamp
Harrison Hammett
Dallas Tippet
L’umana Fragilità
Jasmine Kaye
Nicholas Massouras
Eireann Mears
Luisa Tarnawski
La Fortuna Amore
Johanna Collins
Rebecca Goobanko
Nick Russell
Jemma West
Louise Whittaker
Georgia Butland
Isabelle Dunstan
Bridgette Kelsey
Olivia Munro
Amelia Price
Matilda Smith
Il Tempo
Gabriel Shaw
Viola
Olivia Spyrou *
Harriet Dykes
Cello
Caleb Christian *
Milo Duval
Emma Steedell-Green
Liam Gane
Ai Hasegawa
Masato Matsumoto
Bass
Deakin Darby *
Oliver Murphy
Flute
Keisha Neale * * Principal
Cor Anglais
Liam Robinson *
Logan Nutley
Bassoon
Zane Lai *
Rehearsal Repetiteurs
Jennifer Enchelmaier
John Woods
Horn
Lachlan Smith *
Bass Trombone
Ethan Parfoot *
Harp
Myiesha Maisuria *
Ariel Chang
Percussion
Holly Tate *
Piano
Matthew Crafter *
Maximus Buhner
Basso Continuo Cello
Gyorgy Deri *
Theorbo
Jeremy Stafford *
Constantine Costi is a director, writer working across opera, film, and theatre. He was co-Artistic Director of Red Line Productions at the Old Fitz Theatre 2020 – 2023 and Artistic Director Advisor for The Lysicrates Foundation.
2025 sees Constantine directing a re-imagined version of Mozart’s DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL titled ABDUCTION (Victorian Opera), and he is the co-librettist and director for a new operatic centrepiece for Sydney Festival / LPD Productions, SIEGFRIED AND ROY: THE UNAUTHORISED OPERA. Constantine’s documentary feature following the World Porridge Making Championship THE GOLDEN SPURTLE premiered to sold out screenings at Copenhagen’s CPH:DOX Documentary Film Festival and premieres in Australia in the Sydney Film Festival’s Documentary Award category. He will also direct Monteverdi/Kats-Chernin’s IL RITORNO D’ULISSE IN PATRIA (Brisbane Conservatorium) and Offenbach’s ORPHÉE AUX ENFERS (NIDA/Sydney Conservatorium).
Previous highlights included a staging of Schoenberg’s PIERROT LUNAIRE (Berliner Philharmonic), Puccini’s IL TABARRO (Opera Australia), William Bolcom’s LONG-LOST LOVES (Musica Viva), IL TABARRO set outdoor aboard a historic light-ship (Sydney Festival / Victorian Opera).
Constantine’s acclaimed opera film A DELICATE FIRE for Pinchgut Opera, based on the madrigals of Barbara Strozzi, was awarded Best Australian Feature Film at the Sydney Women’s Film Festival, and the ATOM Award’s Best Experimental Film. His revamped libretto and direction of Shostakovich’s operetta MOSCOW CHEREMUSHKI as MELBOURNE CHEREMUSHKI (Victorian Opera) earned him a Best Direction Green Room Award.
Constantine’s work explores the possibilities of the operatic form from outdoor spectacles LA TRAVIATA ON SYDNEY HARBOUR (Opera Australia), an immersive baroque opera experience for young audiences INFERNO (The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra), and a “physics-defying spectacle” of Weill’s MAHAGAONNY SONGSPIEL AND THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS which included a 15-piece orchestra in a pub-theatre for 60 audience members.
Constantine directed KARAKORUM (Australian Brandenburg Orchestra) starring David Wenham, the award-winning production of BITTERSWEET OBSESSIONS, and MESSIAH which played to standing ovations and sell-out seasons in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Constantine won The Berlin New Music Opera Award with The Opera Foundation for Young Australians where he worked with Komische Oper Berlin’s directing team on the premiere of Tchaikovsky’s EUGENE ONEGIN directed by Barrie Kosky. He has assisted/revived the work of directors including Harry Kupfer, William Kentridge, Sir David McVicar, Damiano Michieletto, Chen Shi-Zheng, Barbara Weber, John Bell, Elijah Moshinsky, and Olivier Py.
Constantine is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Directing and holds a Bachelor of Communications (Media Arts and Production) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Conductor and composer Simon Bruckard has worked with orchestras and opera companies all over Australia, including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, State Opera South Australia, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and Ensemble Q. He worked for several years as Simone Young’s assistant conductor in both Australia and Europe. In 2025 he conducted the premiere of Elena Katz-Chernin’s score Milestone for Sydney Festival alongside the composer and will conduct La Bohème again for Opera Australia.
Simon is also a prolific composer and arranger. He composed the score to the film The Golden Spurtle, which premiered in March 2025 to critical acclaim. An original work written with acclaimed writer and director Constantine Costi, Simon’s opera Cassandra premiered in March 2021 at Victorian Opera. His youth opera The Selfish Giant , written with librettist Emma Muir-Smith, premiered to a sold-out audience as part of Victorian Opera’s 2019 season and won several awards. It had a highly successful return season at the Arts Centre Melbourne in May 2022. He is currently composing a new commission for Darwin Symphony Orchestra
Isabel Hudson is an award-winning set and costume designer Isabel holds a Bachelor of Design from NIDA and a Bachelor of Arts (Screen and Sound) from the University of New South Wales. She is a lecturer at NIDA in Design for Performance.
Design credits include: A FOOL IN LOVE, CONSTELLATIONS, HUBRIS AND HUMILIATION (Sydney Theatre Company); THE MOUSETRAP costume (Crossroads Live); JAILBABY, PONY (Griffin Theatre Company); TORCH THE PLACE set (Melbourne Theatre Company); BLESSED UNION, WINYANBOGA YURRINGA, EVERY BRILLIANT THING (Belvoir); MASTER CLASS (Ensemble Theatre); MAUREEN: HARBINGER OF DEATH (Sydney Festival/Rising Festival); YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN set, AMERICAN PSYCHO set, CRY-BABY set (Hayes Theatre Co); LA BOHEME (Opera Australia); FARNACE (Pinchgut Opera); SON (Circa); RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE (Darlinghurst Theatre Co.); THE SHIFTING HEART, BLACKROCK (Seymour Centre); EDWARD THE EMU (Monkey Baa Theatre); DRY LAND set, SHE RODE HORSES LIKE THE STOCK EXCHANGE (Kings Cross Theatre); KING OF PIGS, EURYDICE (Old Fitz); JESS & JOE FOREVER, (Belvoir 25A); LITTLE BORDERS costume (Old 505 Theatre); CHAMBER POT OPERA (Sydney Opera House, Edinburgh Festival, St Petersburg season); INTERSECTION, JOURNEY’S END (ATYP); THE ROLLING STONE (Outhouse Theatre Co); HURT (HotHouse Theatre & Downstairs Belvoir).
For Global Creatures Isabel is associate set designer for MOULIN ROUGE Australia, Korea and Japan; for Opera Australia, Isabel was assistant designer for MERRY WIDOW and MY FAIR LADY; and for Sydney Theatre Company, she was associate designer on FUN HOME directed by Dean Bryant.
Isabel has won four Sydney Theatre Awards for her outstanding designs; best set design for CONSTELLATIONS, AMERICAN PSYCHO, and CRY-BABY, and best costume design for HUBRIS AND HUMILIATION. She also won an APDG award for best set design for AMERICAN PSYCHO. Nominations include: an APDG Award for best set design, and two more Sydney Theatre Award nominations for best set design She was awarded the Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship in 2022 and the Thelma Afford Award for Costume Design in Stage and Screen in 2022.
Keith Clark’s lighting design work includes Single Asian Female (La Boite Theatre Company), Boy Girl Wall and Packed (The Escapists), Handle with Care (Joymas Creative), De-Generator, Opposite of Prompt, AngelMonster, and The Machine that Carries the Soul (Phluxus Dance Collective), Moon Spirit Feasting (Elision Music Ensemble), Juice (The Crash Collective), Kazka and Legend (Lehenda Dance Company), The Laramie Project (Forward Movement), The Wind in the Willows (La Boite Theatre Company) Die Opernprobe & Der Häusliche Krieg (Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program) and Tarnished (La La Palour) At the Queensland Conservatorium his lighting designs include Grease, Street Scene, Beatrice and Benedict, Iolanthe, Dido and Aeneas, 42nd Street and Legally Blonde. Improvised designs have been for such artists as The Necks, Jeff Lang, The Ordinary Fear of God, Aaron Goldberg, Kate Miller-Heidke, and Nakhane. Keith’s designs for various productions have toured nationally and internationally to Europe and America. He is also a member of the award-winning independent theatre group The Escapists.
Photography by Brit Mobbs
Elena Kats-Chernin is one of the most cosmopolitan composers working today, having reached millions of listeners worldwide through her prolific catalogue of works for theatre, ballet, orchestra, and chamber ensemble. Her dramatically vivid music communicates a mixture of light-heartedness and heavy melancholy, combining strong rhythmic figures with elements of cabaret, tango, ragtime, and klezmer.
Born in 1957 in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Kats-Chernin received training at the Gnessin Musical College before immigrating to Australia in 1975. She graduated from the New South Wales Conservatory in 1980 and was awarded a DAAD (German academic exchange) grant to study with Helmut Lachenmann in Hanover. She remained in Germany for 13 years, returning in 1994 to Australia where she now lives in Sydney.
One of Australia’s leading composers, Elena Kats-Chernin has created works in nearly every genre. Among her many commissions are pieces for Ensemble Modern, the Bang on a Can AllStars, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Adelaide, Tasmanian and Sydney Symphony Orchestras, Present Music, City of London Sinfonia, Swedish Chamber Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony
Her brilliantly scored, energetic, and often propulsive music has been choreographed by dancemakers around the world. In 2000 she collaborated with leading Australian choreographer Meryl Tankard in a series of large-scale dance works. The first of these, Deep Sea Dreaming, was broadcast to an audience of millions worldwide as part of the opening ceremonies of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Works from the following years include the concerto for basset clarinet and chamber orchestra Ornamental Air which has been toured internationally and also released on CD for Chandos by Michael Collins, and her fourth opera The Rage of Life, staged in Belgium, Holland, Hungary, Germany and Switzerland. For the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and choir, she composed Prelude and Cube
Among her most recent premieres was The Witching Hour, a highly acclaimed concerto for eight double basses for the Australian World Orchestra, performed at the Sydney Opera House in September and at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore in October 2016. Her Singing Trees for the Australian Chamber Orchestra was premiered in December 2016 at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
In 2019, she was composer-in-residence in collaboration with Opera Australia. The company performed her work in the brand new opera, Whiteley.
Choreographer
Orchestra Manager
Production Manager
Production Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Lighting Operator
Head Flys
Wardrobe Co-Ordinator
Surtitle Programmer
Surtitle Operator
Props Makers
Lois Redman
Daniel Fossi
Len McPherson
Isabelle Markham
Charlie Crook
Riley Silk
Izzy Chapman
Beth Cook
Stephen Brodie
John Woods
Izzy Chapman & Buck Buckingham
Acknowledgements
A Noble Event
Special thanks to Queensland Conservatorium supporters and donors.
Philanthropy plays a vital role at Queensland Conservatorium. Only through your support can our students experience valuable learning opportunities through productions such as this one. To invest in the future of music and performance in Queensland, contact us on +61 (0)7 5552 7218 or email giving@griffith.edu.au
Queensland Conservatorium thanks our generous donors and supporters. We would like to acknowledge our instrument bank donors supporting the students in tonight’s performance.
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Director
Professor Bernard Lanskey
Deputy Director (Learning and Teaching)
Associate Professor
Donna Weston
Deputy Director (Research)
Dr Alexis Kallio
Head of Ensembles & Orchestral Conducting
Professor Peter Morris
Head of Strings
Associate Professor
Michelle Walsh
Head of Woodwinds
Associate Professor
Tim Munro
Head of Brass
Associate Professor
Peter Luff
Head of Percussion
Professor Vanessa Tomlinson
Head of Classical Voice
Associate Professor
Margaret Schindler
Conservatorium Manager
Stuart Jones
Front of House
Operations Manager
Michael Hibbard
Executive Officer (Engagement)
Dr Natalie Lewandowski-Cox
Technical Team Leader
Cameron Hipwell
Program Coordinator (Ensembles) & Orchestra Manager
Daniel Fossi
Operations Administrator
Clare Wharton
Technical Officers
Keith Clark, Amy Hauser, Len McPherson
Venue Officers
Grace Royle, Joshua White, Joseph Gale-Grant
Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University
140 Grey Street, South Bank 4101 Concert enquiries: (07) 3735 6241 griffith.edu.au/music griffith.edu.au/queenslandconservatorium queenslandconservatorium.com.au
QueenslandConservatorium
QldCon Griffith
Correct at time of publication.
