Chamber Made, formerly known as Chamber Made Opera, is an Australian arts organisation based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, creating work operating at the intersections of music, sound and contemporary performance. Formed in 1988 by theatre director and

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

Douglas Horton, it was Australia's only full-time company exclusively devoted to the commissioning and presentation of contemporary chamber opera by living artists. After taking up the artistic directorship in 2010, David Young commissioned and presented twelve new Australian operas, many of which were created as part of the company's "Living Room Opera" series. In 2013, Tim Stitz was appointed as Creative Director, leading a new company model consisting of four Artistic Associates. Since 2014 an overt focus on chamber opera has evolved into a broader remit of creating works that re-imagine how music and performance can converge. In 2017, the company restructured again and Tamara Saulwick was appointed Artistic Director. Chamber Made works with established artists and emerging professionals. The company also engages performers from different disciplines and non-traditional music and performance backgrounds. Their productions are highly interdisciplinary, incorporating sophisticated composition and experimental performance practice. The company has forged partnerships with Punctum, Limerick City of Culture, In Between Time Festival,

Arts Centre Melbourne Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central M ...

RMIT University The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (abbreviated as RMIT University) is a public research university located in the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia., section 4(b) Established in 1887 by Francis Ormond, it is the seventh-o ...

, La Mama Theatre, Aphids, Speak Percussion,

Melbourne Recital Centre Melbourne Recital Centre (MRC) is a venue and organisation for live music in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The organisation programs and presents more than 500 concerts and events a year across diverse range of musical genres including class ...

, the

Victorian Opera Victorian Opera is an opera company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company was founded in 2005 by the Victorian Government as a replacement for the Victoria State Opera. It commenced operations in January 2006 with Richard Gill a ...

, the Victorian Writers' Centre, The Wheeler Centre, Fed Square,

Bell Shakespeare Bell Shakespeare is an Australian theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare, his contemporaries and other classics. Founded by actor John Bell and based in Sydney, it is Australia's only national theatre company. Apart f ...

, Rawcus,

Malthouse Theatre Malthouse Theatre is the resident theatre company of The Malthouse building in Southbank, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct. In the 1980s it was known as the Playbox Theatre Company and was housed in the Playbox Theatre in Melbourne's CBD ...

, New Music Network, and the

Australian Music Centre The Australian Music Centre (AMC), founded as Australia Music Centre in 1974 and known as Sounds Australian in the 1990s, is a national organisation promoting and supporting art music in Australia. It operates mainly as a service organisation, a ...

. The company has multi-year, re-current funding from Creative Victoria and has an enduring support base from philanthropic and earned income. Chamber Made is based in a studio managed by the

City of Melbourne The City of Melbourne is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the Melbourne central business district, central city area of Melbourne. In 2021, the city has an area of and had a populati ...

's Meat Market tenancy program.

Company history

Chamber Made Opera was founded in 1988 by Artistic Director Douglas Horton and General Manager Stephen Armstrong. The company quickly established itself as a force in the Australian arts industry, presenting many acclaimed works (see below for list of productions), winning awards, and touring nationally and internationally. Horton was the librettist for many of the company’s works; he stepped down as Artistic Director in March 2009, after 21 years. In 2010 composer David Young was appointed the role of Artistic Director, a position he held until December 2013. Young lead the company through a period of rejuvenation and transformation, pioneering the innovative Living Room Opera series (see below). In early 2013 CMO announced a new company structure would be installed following the departure of David Young, headed by new Creative Director Tim Stitz, who appointed a team of four Artistic Associates to join him in the next phase of the company's life. In 2017, Tamara Saulwick moved from the role of Artistic Associate to Artistic Director. Past staff include Artistic Director David Young, Creative Director / CEO Tim Stitz, Artistic Associate Sarah Kriegler, Artistic Associate Christie Stott, Artistic Associate Erkki Veltheim, General Managers Robina Burton and Geoffrey Williams, Resident Director Margaret Cameron, Resident Conductor Brett Kelly, Caroline Lee, and the late Jacqueline (Jacqui) Everitt, designer.

Productions

''Only first productions are listed'' *1988 ''The Heiress'', music: Donald Hollier, text after

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

' novel '' Washington Square'' *1989 ''Recital'', music:

David Chesworth David Chesworth (born 1958, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom) is an Australian-based interdisciplinary artist, composer and sound designer. Known for his conceptual, and at times, minimalism, minimalist music, he has worked solo, in post-punk group ...

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, s ...

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

et al., text: Douglas Horton and Helen Noonan *1990 ''

The Fall of the House of Usher "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'', then included in the collection ''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' in 1840. The short stor ...

'', music:

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

, text:

Arthur Yorinks Arthur Yorinks (born August 21, 1953) is an American author, playwright and director. He is best known for writing '' Hey, Al'', which won a Caldecott Medal. Early life Arthur Yorinks was born on August 21, 1953, in Roslyn, New York. He was rai ...

after

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

*1991 ''Greek'', music:

Mark-Anthony Turnage Mark-Anthony Turnage (born 10 June 1960) is an English composer of contemporary classical music. Life and career Mark-Anthony Turnage was born in Corringham, Essex on 10 June 1960. Turnage was the eldest of three children. His parents were lov ...

, text:

Steven Berkoff Steven Berkoff (born Leslie Steven Berks; 3 August 1937) is an English actor, author, playwright, theatre practitioner and theatre director. As a theatre maker he is recognised for staging work with a heightened performance style known as "Be ...

*1991 ''Sweet Death'', music: Andree Greenwell, text: Abe Pogos after Claude Tardat *1992 ''

The Cars That Ate Paris ''The Cars That Ate Paris'' is a 1974 Australian horror comedy film, produced by twin brothers Hal and Jim McElroy and directed by Peter Weir. It was his first feature film, and was also based on an original story he had written. Shot mostly in ...

'',

musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition, which combines performance with communication of Emotion, emotions and Musical technique, instrumental techn ...

, text by Douglas Horton after

Peter Weir Peter Lindsay Weir ( ; born 21 August 1944) is a retired Australian film director. He is known for directing films crossing various genres over forty years with films such as '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), '' Gallipoli'' (1981), '' The Y ...

*1992 ''Lacuna'', music: David Chesworth, text: Douglas Horton *1993 ''Improvement: Don Leaves Linda'', music & text:

Robert Ashley Robert Reynolds Ashley (March 28, 1930 – March 3, 2014) was an American composer, who was best known for his television operas and other theatrical works, many of which incorporate electronics and extended techniques. His works often involve ...

*1993 ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

'', music:

Gordon Kerry Gordon Kerry (born 1961) is an Australian composer, music administrator, music writer and music critic. Career Kerry studied composition at the University of Melbourne under Barry Conyngham. He then worked for the Sydney Festival and resided i ...

, text: Justin Macdonnell after

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People, fictional characters and language * Seneca (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname : :* Seneca the Elder (c. 54 BC – c. AD 39), a Roman rhetorician, writer and father ...

*1994 ''The Two Executioners'', music: David Chesworth, text: Douglas Horton after

Fernando Arrabal Fernando Arrabal Terán (; ; born August 11, 1932) is a Spanish playwright, screenwriter, film director, novelist, and poet. He was born in Melilla and settled in France in 1955. Regarding his nationality, Arrabal describes himself as "desterra ...

's ''Les Deux Bourreaux'' *1995 ''Tresno'', music & text: Jacqui Rutten *1995 ''The Burrow'', music: Michael Smetanin, text:

Alison Croggon Alison Croggon (born 1962) is a contemporary Australian poet, playwright, fantasy novelist, and librettist. Life and career Born in the Transvaal, South Africa, Alison Croggon's family moved to England before settling in Australia, first in Bal ...

*1997 ''

Wide Sargasso Sea ''Wide Sargasso Sea'' is a 1966 historical novel by Dominican-British author Jean Rhys. The novel is set in Jamaica between the 1830-40s and serves as a postcolonial and feminist prequel to Charlotte Brontë's novel ''Jane Eyre'' (1847), descr ...

'', music: Brian Howard, text Brian Howard after

Jean Rhys Jean Rhys, ( ; born Ella Gwendoline Rees Williams; 24 August 1890 – 14 May 1979) was a novelist who was born and grew up in the Caribbean island of Dominica. From the age of 16, she resided mainly in England, where she was sent for her educa ...

*1997 ''Fresh Ghosts'', music: Julian Yu, text: Glenn Perry after

Lu Xun Lu Xun ( zh, c=魯迅, p=Lǔ Xùn, ; 25 September 188119 October 1936), pen name of Zhou Shuren, born Zhou Zhangshou, was a Chinese writer. A leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in both vernacular and literary Chinese as a no ...

*1998 ''Dr Forbes Will See You Now'', music: Stephen Ingham, text: Douglas Horton *1998 ''Matricide – The Musical'', music:

Elena Kats-Chernin Elena Davidovna Kats-Chernin (born 4 November 1957) is an Uzbek-born Australian composer and pianist, best known for her ballet ''Wild Swans''. Early life and education Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent (now the capital of independent Uz ...

, text: Kathleen Mary Fallon *1999 ''Eight Songs For A Mad King'', music:

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Music ...

, text:

Randolph Stow Julian Randolph Stow (28 November 1935 – 29 May 2010) was an Australian-born writer, novelist and poet. Early life Born in Geraldton, Western Australia, Randolph Stow was the son of Mary Campbell Stow née Sewell and Cedric Ernest Stow, a ...

*2000 ''

Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

(a synthetic life)'', music: Michael Smetanin, text: Alison Croggon *2000 ''

Teorema ''Teorema'', known as ''Theorem'' in the United Kingdom, is a 1968 Italian surrealist psychological drama film written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini and starring Silvana Mangano, Terence Stamp and Massimo Girotti, with Anne Wiazemsky, La ...

'', music:

Giorgio Battistelli Giorgio Battistelli (born 25 April 1953) is an Italian composer of contemporary classical music. A native of Albano Laziale (province of Rome), he studied at the conservatory in L'Aquila and is a former student of Stockhausen and Kagel. Battistel ...

, scenario after

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, film director, writer, actor and playwright. He is considered one of the defining public intellectuals in 20th-century Italian history, influential both as an artist ...

*2002 ''Slow Love'', music:

Stevie Wishart Stevie Wishart is a composer, improviser, and performer on the hurdy-gurdy and violin. Mainly involved in contemporary music, she has also had a career in early music and has edited and recorded the complete works of Saint Hildegard of Bingen, ...

, text: Richard Murphett *2002 ''Motherland'', music:

Dominique Probst Dominique Probst (born 1954) is a French composer. The son of a noted playwright, Gisèle Casadesus, and an actor and director with the Comédie-Française, Lucien Probst, Dominique Probst won the First Prize for Percussion with the National Musi ...

, text: Le Quy Duong *2003 ''The Possessed'', music: Julian Yu, text: Glenn Perry *2003 ''Phobia'', music:

Gerard Brophy Gerard Louis Brophy (born 26 November 1975, Welkom, Orange Free State, South Africa) is a first-class cricketer, latterly contracted to Yorkshire. He has also played for Ireland, Free State, Northamptonshire and Transvaal in a well travelled c ...

, text: Douglas Horton, in homage to

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

*2003 ''

Walkabout Walkabout is a term dating to the pastoral era in which large numbers of Aboriginal Australians were employed on cattle stations. During the tropical wet season, when there was little work on the stations, many would return to their traditional ...

'', music & text:

Richard Frankland Richard Joseph Frankland is an Australian playwright, scriptwriter and musician. He is an Aboriginal Australian of Gunditjmara origin from Victoria. He has worked significantly for Aboriginal Australian causes. Early life Richard Joseph Fra ...

after

Nicolas Roeg Nicolas Jack Roeg ( ; 15 August 1928 – 23 November 2018) was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing ''Performance (film), Performance'' (1970), ''Walkabout (film), Walkabout'' (1971), ''Don't Look Now'' (1973) ...

*2004 ''The Charcoal Club'' (aka ''Burning Embers''), music & text:

*2006 ''Corruption'', music:

Sasha Stella Sacha, Sasha, or Sascha may refer to: People * Sasha (name), includes list of people with the name and the variants Sascha or Sacha Musicians * Sacha (singer), born Sacha Visagie, Canadian singer and songwriter * Sasha (DJ) (born 1969), born Alex ...

, text: Ania Walwicz after Elisa Evers *2006 ''The Hive'', music: Nicholas Vines, text: Sam Sejavka *2007 ''Crossing Live'', music:

Bryony Marks Bryony Marks is an Australian composer of film scores and theatre music, for which she has won several awards and been nominated for many others. Among her television credits are ''Please Like Me'' and ''Barracuda'', and films include '' Berlin ...

, text:

Matthew Saville Matthew Saville (born 1966) is an Australian television and film director, known for ''Noise'' (2007) and '' A Month of Sundays'' (2015). Early life and education Saville was born around 1966, the youngest of six children, and grew up in Ade ...

*2008 ''

The Children's Bach ''The Children's Bach'' (1984) is a novella by Australian writer Helen Garner. It was her third published book and her second novel. It was well received critically both in Australia and abroad. Plot summary The novel, set in Melbourne, concer ...

'', music:

Andrew Schultz Andrew Schultz (born 18 August 1960 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian classical composer. He has, since 2008, lived in Sydney, New South Wales. He studied at the Universities of Queensland and Pennsylvania and at King's College Lond ...

, text: Glenn Perry based on

Helen Garner Helen Garner (née Ford, born 7 November 1942) is an Australian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist. Garner's debut novel, first novel, ''Monkey Grip (novel), Monkey Grip'', published in 1977, immediately established her ...

's novella *2010 ''Another Lament'', music: Ida Duelund Hansen *2010 ''The Itch'', music: Alex Garsden *2010 ''Exile'', the world's first iPad opera, music: Helen Gifford *2011 ''Minotaur: The Island'', music: David Young, text: Margaret Cameron *2011 ''Dwelling Structure'', by Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey, libretto Cynthia Troup *2011 ''Ophelia Doesn't Live Here '', music:

Darrin Verhagen Darrin Verhagen is an Australian-born composer of dark ambient and gothic music. He has adopted several different monikers for his recorded output, depending on the genre including Shinjuku Thief, Shinjuku Filth and Professor Richmann. . After h ...

, director: Daniel Schlusser *2012 ''The Box'', by

Fritz Hauser Fritz Hauser (born March 29, 1953, Basel) is a Swiss drummer, percussionist and composer from Basel, Switzerland. He began playing as a drummer while a teenager, and then studied as a classical percussionist at the City of Basel Music Academy. In ...

with Boa Baumann, libretto Willoh S. Weiland *2012 ''PM – An incidental video opera'', by Peter Lambropoulos *2012 ''The Minotaur Trilogy'', music: David Young, text: Margaret Cameron *2013 ''Turbulence'', music: Juliana Hodkinson, libretto: Cynthia Troup *2013 ''Opera – therapea'', by David Young, Margaret Cameron, Hellen Sky, Deborah Kayser, Jane Refshuage *2013 ''Between Lands and Longings'', by Zierle & Carter *2013 ''Opera for a small mammal'', written and performed by Margaret Cameron *2014 ''Wake'', conceived by Maeve Stone and John Rodgers, composed by Tom Lane *2014 ''Another Other,'' created and performed by Erkki Veltheim, Sabina Maselli, Natasha Anderson, and Anthony Pateras *2015 ''Captives of the City,'' co-created by Chamber Made and Lemony S Puppet Theatre *2016 ''Permission to Speak,'' created by Tamara Saulwick and Kate Neal, performed by Gian Slater, Georgie Darvidis, Josh Kyle and Edward Fairlie *2017 ''Between 8&9,'' created by Australian and Chinese artists in a collaborative process led by Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey *2018 ''Dybbuks,'' conceived and directed by Samara Hersch *2019 ''Diaspora,'' created by Robin Fox and collaborators *2020 ''Dragon Ladies Don't Weep,'' created by Tamara Saulwick, Nick Roux and Kok Heng Leun, performed by Margaret Leng Tan *2021 ''SYSTEM_ERROR,'' co-created and performed by Tamara Saulwick and Alisdair Macindoe, directed by Lucy Guerin, with Melanie Huang as data visualisation artist *2022 ''My Self in That Moment,'' led by Tamara Saulwick, composed by

Peter Knight (musician) Peter Knight (born 12 March 1965) is an Australian musician, composer and producer. He was the Artistic Director and co-CEO of the Australian Art Orchestra from 2013 to 2023 and founding member of Melbourne group Way Out West., 5+2 Brass Ensem ...

, performed by Jessica Aszodi, Alice Hui-Sheng Chang, and Tina Stefanou

Awards

*1992 Myer Group Arts Award – Chamber Made Opera *1994

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

Performing Arts Awards – Most Outstanding Fringe Performance: ''The Two Executioners'' *1995 A Creative Artist Fellowship ka a 'Keating', after the then Prime Minister, Mr Paul Keating- AD/CEO Douglas Horton, for services to contemporary Australian opera *2002

Green Room Awards The Green Room Awards are Australian peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, theatre companies, independent theatre, musical theatre, contemporary and experimental performance, and opera. The awards, which were established in ...

– Best New Score: ''Slow Love'' *2002 Green Room Awards – Best Lighting Design: ''Motherland'' *2006 Green Room Awards – Best Opera Production: ''The Hive'' *2007

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

– Best Opera Direction: Douglas Horton for ''The Hive'' *2007 Green Room Awards – Best New Australian Work: ''Crossing Live'', *2007 Green Room Awards - Best Performance, New Form: Luke Elliott in ''Crossing Live'' *2013 Art Music Awards – Victorian Performance of the Year, Excellence by an Organisation: ''The Minotaur Trilogy'' *2016 Green Room Awards - Puppetry Performance: ''Captives of the City'' *2016 Green Room Awards - Design & Realisation in Contemporary Performance: ''Captives of the City'' *2017 Art Music Awards - Victorian Performance of the Year: ''Permission to Speak'' *2018 Green Room Awards - Sound Performance: ''Between 8&9'' *2018 Art Music Awards - Excellence in Experimental: ''Between 8&9'' *2020 Green Room Awards - Visual Design: ''Diaspora'' *2020 Green Room Awards - Best Production: ''Diaspora'' *2021 Music Theatre NOW: ''Dybbuks'' *2021 Art Music Awards - Work of the Year Dramatic: ''Dragon Ladies Don't Weep''

Discography

*2001 ''Wicked Voice'' includes excerpts from ''Lacuna'' and ''The Two Executioners'' (Chesworth/Horton),

ABC Classics ABC Music is Australia's largest independent record label. It operates under the ABC Commercial division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It covers a wide range of music genres, including classical, children’s and adult conte ...

*2007 ''Medea'' (Kerry/Macdonnell), ABC Classics *2012 ''Another Lament'' (Ida Duelund), Chamber Made Opera Records *2013 ''Winterreise'' (Ida Duelund), Chamber Made Opera Records *2013 ''The Minotaur Trilogy'' box set, Chamber Made Opera Records

Living Room Operas

From 2010 to 2014, a series of domestic-scale chamber operas were commissioned and developed for presentation in

living room In Western architecture, a living room, also called a lounge room (Australian English), lounge (British English), sitting room (British English), or drawing room, is a room for relaxing and socializing in a Dwelling, residential house or apa ...

s of residential houses. The Living Room Opera Series involved artists and musicians from a range of styles and backgrounds. This series aimed to give the audience new, chamber operas in close proximity. In 2010 new works by composer

Alex Garsden Alex is a given name. Similar names are Alexander, Alexandra, Alexey or Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Cook (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Forsyth (disambiguation), multiple people *Alexand ...

, Rawcus Theatre Company, and the Quiver Ensemble were commissioned and presented in a range of domestic settings with investment by individual donors. The Series represents a mobile and scalable model with support from private philanthropy. Productions that featured in the series were The Itch (2010), Another Lament (2010), Dwelling Structure (2011), Ophelia Doesn't Live Here Anymore (2011), Minotaur The Island (2011), The Box (2012), PM An incidental Video Opera (2012), Between Lands and Longings (2013), Turbulence (2013), and Wake (2014).

The Venny

From 2012-2018, CMO partnered with the Kensington Adventure Playground (The Venny), to deliver a community outreach program for young people. Each year the company enabled professional artists to work with the children and staff of The Venny to develop and present a creative project exploring the children's interests and teaching them creative skills whilst building a sense of fortitude and community.

References

External links

Chamber Made Opera official site
{{authority control Theatre companies in Australia Australian opera companies Musical groups established in 1988 1988 establishments in Australia Performing arts in Melbourne