The company has brought together some of its most impressive acts yet for the final year of program director Richard Mills.
From fully re-imagined Mozart staging to an immersive storytelling of First Nations opposition towards the arrival of The First Fleet, The Victorian Opera spans a diverse plethora of performances.
Given it’s program director Richard Mills’ final year curating the company’s artists, 2023 is set to be a fitting tribute to the international and local talent sought out by the visionary in the opera world.
Explore Melbourne’s latest arts and theatrical events, exhibitions, productions and performances here.
Bringing the classical story of Cinderella to life, Gioachino Rossini’s La Cenerentola is coming to Melbourne on March 10. Directed by Elizabeth Hill-Cooper, the performance is the first in Melbourne.
In fact, it’s the first performance of it outside of its debut in Launceston. Joined by Mills conducting, it’s the first time the pair have collaborated since 2019.
Bringing the boisterous and grand sounds of Soviet-era opera to the stage is Cheremushki. The performance, which first debuted in Moscow in 1959, explores the stages of the Soviet Union through the lens of the working class.
#VOSeason2023 is now on-sale!
Explore the magical fusion of words and music with #VictorianOpera in 2023https://t.co/AjX8RRlfAy pic.twitter.com/AY9bTRWBCw
— Victorian Opera (@VictorianOpera) November 21, 2022
Taking a dark humour angle, the piece explores income inequality, housing affordability and the other historical factors that inhibited the progress of the working class. Coming to Melbourne from March 22-25, expect a reimagined opera performance in tangent in historical storytelling.
As a fitting way to finish the 2023 season, the departing Richard Mills is set to close the program. The veteran of Australian opera is composing and conducting the world premiere of Galileo, joined by new artistic director Stuart Maunder. Obviously, it’s a bittersweet moment to see such a massive influence on Melbourne opera go, but Mills is staying positive.
“The program celebrates great singing, new work, a commitment to developing artists and young people, and a commitment to diversity,” Mills says, “reaching out to new audiences as well as to our friends and patrons who love traditional opera.”
For more information about the program, visit their website here.
