Victorian Opera is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

company 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 ...

, 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 as Artistic Director. Stuart Maunder is the current Artistic Director. The company is supported through government funding, patron contributions and corporate sponsorship.

Seasons

2006 (inaugural) season

Victorian Opera's first production was Britten's '' Noye's Fludde'', performed by the Victorian Youth Opera from 30 June to 2 July 2006. It was a collaboration with the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...

' School of Production, whose students designed and crewed the show. This was followed by an Opera Gala Concert on 15 July 2006, at Melbourne's Hamer Hall, accompanied by Orchestra Victoria under the baton of Richard Gill. The company's inaugural mainstage production was Mozart's ''

Così fan tutte (''Women are like that, or The School for Lovers''), Köchel catalogue, K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written ...

'', directed by Jean-Pierre Mignon and presented at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne between 19 and 26 August 2006. The principals were Gary Rowley (Don Alfonso), Christopher Saunders (Ferrando), Christopher Tonkin (Guglielmo), Antoinette Halloran (Fiordiligi), Jacqueline Dark (Dorabella) and Tiffany Speight (Despina). Bach's ''

St John Passion The ''Passio secundum Joannem'' or ''St John Passion'' (), BWV 245, is a Passion or oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, the earliest of the surviving Passions by Bach. It was written during his first year as director of church music in Leipzi ...

'' was performed on 8 September, at St Michael's Uniting Church, Collins Street, Melbourne. The principals were Matthew Davine (The Evangelist). A concert version of Brian Howard's ''Metamorphosis'' was performed on 3 November, at Melba Hall, Conservatorium of Music,

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

which completed the Victorian Opera's first season.

2007 season

The historic Horti Hall in Victoria Street, Melbourne, became the company's permanent headquarters in 2007. The company's second season commenced on 17 February 2007, with a concert presentation at Hamer Hall of a double bill of Stravinsky's ''

Les noces ''The Wedding'', or ''Svadebka (''), is a Russian-language ballet-cantata by Igor Stravinsky scored unusually for four vocal soloists, chorus, percussion and four pianos. Dedicating the work to impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the composer described ...

'' and ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...

'', with Richard Gill conducting Orchestra Victoria, and a cast which included most of the coming season's principals and the Victorian Opera Chorus. Between 1–3 June, the Victorian Youth Opera, again in collaboration with the Victorian College of the Arts School of Production, presented an interpretation of Andersen's story ''

The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" () is an 1844 original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in ''New Fairy Tales. First Volume#New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection, New Fairy Tales. First Vo ...

'', by Grahame Dudley and Nick Enright. A new production of '' The Love of the Nightingale'' by Richard Mills and

Timberlake Wertenbaker Timberlake Wertenbaker is a British-based playwright, screenplay writer, and translator who has written plays for the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and others. She has been described in ''The Washington Post'' as "the doyenne of po ...

, directed by Lindy Hume, premiered at

Her Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...

on 27 and 29 July. Based on the 3000-year-old legend of Philomele and Procne, it featured Leanne Kenneally (Philomele), Elizabeth Campbell (Niobe), James Egglestone (Captain/Hippolytus), Adrian McEniery (First Soldier/Pandion), Samuel Dundas (Second Soldier), Sarah Crane (Hero), Sarah Cole (Iris) and Roxanne Hislop (Juno). Once again Richard Gill conducted Orchestra Victoria. Gluck's '' Orphée et Eurydice'' was performed at Her Majesty's Theatre between 6–13 August in the

Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

version, directed by Stephen Page, with mezzo-soprano Dimity Shepherd as Orphée, Alison Rae Jones (Eurydice) and Jacqueline Porter (L'Amour). The Victorian Opera Chorus and Orchestra Victoria were conducted by Matthew Coorey. The previous season's production of ''Così fan tutte'' toured metropolitan and regional Victoria during October and November. Sung in English, with a chamber ensemble drawn from Orchestra Victoria, and conducted by Nicholas Carter, only Gary Rowley (Don Alfonso) and Jacqueline Dark (Dorabella) remained from the original cast, with James Egglestone as Ferrando, Samuel Dundas (Guglielmo), Mylinda Joyce (Fiordiligi) and Jacqueline Porter (Despina).

2008 season

The opening performance of the year was a Gala Concert on 16 February at Hamer Hall. Entitled ''Puccini ~ The Sacred and Profane'', it consisted of Puccini's '' Messa di Gloria'', several well-known arias from his operas, and the complete Act II of ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...

''. The season's new contemporary production was the

chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a Chamber music, chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas ...

'' Through the Looking Glass'' by Alan John and

Andrew Upton Andrew Upton is an Australian playwright, screenwriter, producer and director. He has adapted the works of Gorky, Chekhov, Ibsen, and others for London's Royal National Theatre and the Sydney Theatre Company. He wrote the original play ''Rifle ...

, directed by Michael Kantor, and performed at the Merlyn Theatre, CUB Malthouse, South Melbourne, 17–31 May. The small cast of David Hobson, Dimity Shepherd, Suzanne Johnston, Margaret Haggard, Gary Rowley and Kanen Breen, sang multiple roles, and a small on-stage ensemble was conducted by Richard Gill. (Won 2008 Green Room Award for Best New Opera.) Monteverdi's ''

The Coronation of Poppea ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' (Stattkus-Verzeichnis, SV 308, ''The Coronation of Poppaea'') is an Italian List of operas by Claudio Monteverdi, opera by Claudio Monteverdi. It was Monteverdi's last opera, with a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Buse ...

'', directed by Kate Cherry, was presented at the Australian National Academy of Music, South Melbourne Town Hall, 18–26 July. The orchestra, arranged in 17th-century fashion on either side of the performance space were led by Richard Gill, conducting from one of the two harpsichords. Artists performing in one of the earliest of all operas (1643) were: Tiffany Speight (Poppea),

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a ...

s David Hansen (Nerone) and Daniel Goodwin (Ottone), Sally Wilson (Ottavia/La Fortuna), Jacqueline Porter (Drusilla/La Virtù), Paul Hughes (Seneca), Isabel Veale (Arnalta/Nutrice), Adrian McEniery (Luciano/Primo Soldato), Jessica Aszodi (Damigella), Edmond Choo (Liberto), Laurence Meikle (Mercurio/Littore) and Jacob Caine (Secundo Soldato). (The production shared the 2008 Green Room Award for Best Opera with Opera Australia's ''Arabella'', and Tiffany Speight received a Helpmann Award for Best Female Opera Performer in a Principal Role.) Between 11–21 August, Donizetti's '' The Elixir of Love'' was presented at the Merlyn Theatre, CUB Malthouse, South Melbourne. Directed by Stephen Medcalf, with Orchestra Victoria conducted by Warwick Stengards, with alternating casts of David Hobson/Roy Best (Nemorino), Antoinette Halloran/ Elena Xanthoudakis (Adina), Christopher Tonkin/Samuel Dundas (Sergeant Belcore), Roger Lemke/Roger Howell (Dulcamara) and Danielle Calder (Gianetta). Closing the 2008 season were five performances by the Victorian Youth Opera of Malcolm Williamson's ''The Happy Prince'', based on the story by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, between 3–5 October at the Victorian College of the Arts.

2009 season

The Victorian Opera's 2009 season began on 21 February, with a Gala Concert at Hamer Hall. The programme consisted of Bartók's ''

Bluebeard's Castle ''Duke Bluebeard's Castle'' (, literally ''The Blue-Bearded Duke's Castle'') is a one-act Symbolism (movement), Symbolist opera by composer Béla Bartók to a Hungarian libretto by his friend and poet Béla Balázs. Based on the French folk legen ...

'', with Grant Smith (Narrator), Andrew Collis (Bluebeard) and Lecia Robertson (Judith); and Orff's ''

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreveren ...

'' with soloists Joanna Cole (soprano), Tobias Cole (counter-tenor) and Gary Rowley (baritone). The Victorian Opera Chorus and Orchestra Victoria will be conducted by Richard Gill. Mozart's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'' was presented at The National Theatre, St. Kilda, in March, with Richard Gill conducting the first three performances and Nicholas Carter the remaining three. The production was directed by Jean-Pierre Mignon, with baritones Samuel Dundas (Don Giovanni) and Andrew Collis (Leporello); bass baritone Anthony Mackey (Masetto); and bass Steven Gallop (The Commendatore). The opera's other roles were sung by tenor James Egglestone (Don Ottavio) and sopranos Caroline Wenbourne (Donna Anna), Tiffany Speight (Donna Elvira) and Michelle Buscemi (Zerlina). A tour of regional Victoria followed the Melbourne season. The new Australian work of the 2009 season was the Andrew Ford/ Sue Smith chamber opera '' Rembrandt's Wife'', performed at the Merlyn Theatre in April. Directed by Talya Masel and conducted by Richard Gill, the cast consisted of Paul Biencourt (The Pretender); Roxanne Hislop (Geertje Dircx); Jacqueline Porter (Saskia/Hendrickje Stoffels) and Gary Rowley (Rembrandt van Rijn). The company's first performances at

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 ...

was between 21–27 July when Strauss' ''

Ariadne auf Naxos (''Ariadne on Naxos''), Op. 60, is a 1912 opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The opera's unusual combination of elements of low commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria points up one of the work's ...

'', directed by James McCaughey, was presented at The Playhouse. Richard Gill conducted Orchestra Victoria, with artists Elizabeth Stannard (Prima Donna/Ariadne); Jacqueline Dark (Composer); Theresa Borg (Zerbinetta); Gary Rowley (Music Master); Adrian McEniery (Dancing Master); Samuel Dundas (Harlequin); John MacMaster (Tenor/Bacchus); Paul Hughes (Wig-maker); Roxanne Hislop (Dryad); Grant Smith (Haushoffmeister); Jessica Aszodi (Echo); Melanie Adams (Naiad); Paul Biencourt (Brighella); Jacob Caine (Scaramuccio/Officer); and Anthony Mackey (Truffaldino/Lackey). The Melbourne Recital Centre opened in February 2009, and the company performed Handel's '' Xerxes'' in its principal space

Elisabeth Murdoch Hall 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 ...

in August. In a co-production with The NBR New Zealand Opera directed by Roger Hodgman, early music expert John O'Donnell conducted a specialised baroque orchestra and a cast including counter-tenor Tobias Cole (Xerxes); mezzo-sopranos Roxanne Hislop (Amastre) and Dimity Shepherd (Arsamene); sopranos Tiffany Speight (Romilda) and Jessica Aszodi (Atalanta); baritone Gary Rowley (Elviro) and bass Steven Gallop (Ariodate). The final production of the 2009 season was Britten's '' The Little Sweep'', presented by the Victorian Youth Opera in five performances between 2–4 October at Horti Hall in Melbourne.

2010 season

The State Government's increased the Company's annual grant to $3.79 million in 2010. The company's fifth season included: A free summer concert – ''Opera in the Bowl'' with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on 27 February at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. A gala concert presentation of '' The Damnation of Faust'' by Berlioz on 19 February at Hamer Hall, The Arts Centre. Soloists included

Julian Gavin Julian Gavin (born 1965) is an Australian-born British operatic tenor who has sung leading roles both in the United Kingdom and internationally. His full-length opera recordings include Don José in ''Carmen'' and the title roles in ''Ernani'' an ...

(Faust); Tania Ferris (Marguerite); Pelham Andrews (Mephistophélès); and David Hibbard (Brander). The Victorian Opera Chorus and Orchestra Victoria conducted by Richard Gill. The first main-stage productions of the year between 10 and 20 March at The Arts Centre, Playhouse, with the double-bill of Walton's '' The Bear'' and Ibert's '' Angélique''. Directed by Talya Masel and conducted by Ollivier-Philippe Cuneo. A co-production with Malthouse Theatre of ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a 1928 German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François V ...

'' by

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (; ; March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for hi ...

and

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

in the Merlyn Theatre between 28 May and 17 June. Directed by Michael Kantor and conducted by Richard Gill. '' The Turn of the Screw'', an operatic ghost story by Britten. Handel's ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'', presented at the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre, 20–30 July, conducted by Richard Gill and directed by former Australian Ballet principal Stephen Heathcote. Two world premieres by the Victorian Youth Opera. Firstly, ''The Parrot Factory'' a newly commissioned work by Frederick and Mary Davidson, performed at the CUB Malthouse Merlyn Theatre 1–5 October. Secondly, ''The Cockatoos'' by Sarah de Jong and Sarah Carradine was presented at the New Ballroom, Trades Hall, 10–12 December.

2011 season

* ''Verdi Gala'' – '' La traviata / Il trovatore'' * Mozart's ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'' * ''How To Kill Your Husband (And Other Handy Household Hints)'' ( Alan John and Timothy Daly from the novel by Kathy Lette) * ''

Albert Herring ''Albert Herring'', Op. 39, is a chamber opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten. Composed in the winter of 1946 and the spring of 1947, this comic opera was a successor to his serious opera '' The Rape of Lucretia''. The libretto, by Eric Cro ...

'' (

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

) * Baroque triple bill – Bach's '' The Fight Between Phoebus and Pan'' and ''

Coffee Cantata ' (Be still, stop chattering), BWV 211, also known as the ''Coffee Cantata'', is a secular Bach cantata, cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it probably between 1732 and 1735. Although classified as a cantata, it is essentially a mi ...

'', and Monteverdi's '' The Fight Between Tancredi and Clorinda''

2012 season

* Stravinsky's ''

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...

'' * '' The Play of Daniel'' (the Youth of

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise Departments of France, département, in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, north of Paris. The Communes of France, commune o ...

) * ''

Midnight Son ''Midnight Son'' is a 2011 vampire horror film written and directed by Scott Leberecht, produced by Matt Compton, and starring Zak Kilberg. A trailer was released late October 2010. Plot Jacob (Zak Kilberg) is a young man in Los Angeles, Californ ...

'' ( Gordon Kerry /

Louis Nowra Mark Doyle, better known by his stage name Louis Nowra, (born 12 December 1950) is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist. He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights. His works have been performed by all o ...

) – world premiere * Mozart's ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...

'' * Double bill – de Falla's '' Master Peter's Puppet Show'' ( Carter's '' What Next?'' The 2012 season was Richard Gill's final season as Artistic Director, and concluded with a Gala concert in his honour on 19 December 2012.

2013 season

The 2013 season marked the first of Richard Mills as Artistic Director. * ''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

'' * ''Opera on a White Night'' * Adams' '' Nixon in China'' * ''

Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting '' A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La G ...

'' (

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

James Lapine James Elliot Lapine (born January 10, 1949) is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for ''Into the Woods'', ''Falsettos'', and '' Passion''. He ha ...

) * '' María de Buenos Aires'' (Piazzolla) * ' ( Xavier Montsalvatge) * ''

The Magic Pudding ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

– The Opera'' * ''Rush Hour''

2014 season

The 2014 season was announced on 28 August 2013. * Games of Love and Chance (Concert with Monash Academy Orchestra) * '' La traviata '' * ''

Hansel and Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...

'' * ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' * ''

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) ** Norma Lizbeth Ramos, a Mexican bullying victim Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral ...

'' * '' The Riders'' (based on the Novel by

Tim Winton Timothy John Winton (born 4 August 1960) is an Australian writer. He has written novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and short stories. In 1997, he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and has won the ...

); at the APRA Music Awards of 2015 it won the Vocal / Choral Work of the Year category. * ''The Play of Herod''

2015 season

The 2015 season was announced on 7 August 2014. * '' The Flying Dutchman'' * ''

I puritani ' (''The Puritans'') is an 1835 opera by Vincenzo Bellini. It was originally written in two acts and changed to three acts before the premiere on the advice of Gioachino Rossini, with whom the young composer had become friends. The music was set ...

'' * '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' * ''The Grumpiest Boy in the World'' * '' The Seven Deadly Sins''

2016 season

The 2016 season was announced on 20 August 2015. * ''Voyage to the Moon'' (based on ''

Orlando furioso ''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was not published in its complete form ...

''), a collaboration between Victorian Opera and Musica Viva Australia * ''Banquet of Secrets'' * '' Cendrillon'' (''Cinderella'') * ''The Pied Piper'' * ''Laughter and Tears'', a collaboration between Victorian Opera and Circus Oz * '' Four Saints in Three Acts''

2017 season

The 2017 season was announced on 13 September 2016. * ''Tis Pity, an Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth'', 4–8 February, Melbourne Recital Centre * '' La bella dormente nel bosco'' (''The Sleeping Beauty''), 11–18 March, Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse * ''The Princess and the Pea'', 25 March, Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse * ''

La sonnambula ''La sonnambula'' (; ''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the ''bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eu ...

'', 5 May, Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall * ''

The Cunning Little Vixen ''The Cunning Little Vixen'' (original title ''Příhody lišky Bystroušky'' or ''Tales of Vixen Sharp-Ears'' in English), is a three-act Czech-language opera by Leoš Janáček completed in 1923 to a libretto the composer himself adapted from a ...

'', 22 June – 1 July, Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse * '' The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets'', 15 September – 8 October, a co-production between Victorian Opera and Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne

2018 season

The 2018 season was announced on 27 September 2017 at Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse * ''

William Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...

''(''Guillaume Tell''), 14–19 July 2018,

Palais Theatre The Palais Theatre, formerly known as Palais Pictures, is a historic Movie Palace, picture palace located in St Kilda, Victoria, St Kilda, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. With a capacity of nearly 3,000 ...

, St Kilda * ''The Capulets and the Montagues'' (''

I Capuleti e i Montecchi ''I Capuleti e i Montecchi'' (''The Capulets and the Montagues'') is an Italian opera (''tragedia lirica'') in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini. The libretto by Felice Romani was a reworking of the story of ''Romeo and Juliet'' for an opera by Nicol ...

''), 14 September 2018, Hamer Hall * ''Pelleas and Melisande'' ('' Pelléas et Mélisande''), 11–13 October 2018, Palais Theatre, St Kilda * ''Lorelei'' (new work), 3–10 November 2018, The Coopers Malthouse, Merlyn Theatre, Melbourne * ''The Magic Pudding – The Opera'', 15–17 March 2018 Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse * ''

'', 9–12 June 2018, Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse

2019 season

Victorian Opera's season 2019 was announced on 10 October 2018 at Palais Theatre, St Kilda.Season brochure 2019Victorian Opera Season 2019
stagewhispers.com.au This season marked Victorian Opera's first year as Major Performing Arts company. * ''

Parsifal ''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is freely based on the 13th-century Middle High German chivalric romance ''Parzival'' of th ...

'', 20–24 February 2019, Palais Theatre, St Kilda * ''Alice through the Opera Glass'', 14–15 June 2019, Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse * '' A Little Night Music'', 27 June – 6 July 2019, Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse * ''Heroic Bel Canto'', 14 July 2019, Hamer Hall * ''The Selfish Giant'' (new work), 17–19 October 2019, Gasworks Theatre, Albert Park * ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy ' ...

'', 21 November at Princess Theatre, Launceston, 12–14 December at Melbourne Recital Centre

2020 season

Victorian Opera launched its Season 2020 on 3 September 2019 at Palais Theatre, St Kilda; the company's largest season to date. * ''

Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...

'', 22–27 February 2020, Palais Theatre, St Kilda * '' Cendrillon'', 12–13 June 2020, Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse * ''

Yma Sumac Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo (born Zoila Emperatriz Chávarri Castillo; September 13, 1922 – November 1, 2008), known as Yma Sumac (or Imma Sumack), was a Peruvian singer. She won a Guinness World Records, Guinness World Re ...

: The Peruvian Songbird'', 18–20 June 2020, Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse * ''Three Tales'' (new work, based on Flaubert's '' Three Tales''), 26–27 June 2020, Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse * '' The Who's Tommy'', 14–21 August 2020, Palais Theatre, St Kilda * ''

Die tote Stadt (German for ''The Dead City''), Opus number, Op. 12, is an opera in three acts by Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957) set to a libretto by Paul Schott, a collective pseudonym for the composer and his father, Julius Korngold. It premiered in ...

'', 21 August 2020, Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall * '' Margaret Fulton: The Musical'', 15–19 September 2020, Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse * ''

Die Freunde von Salamanka ''Die Freunde von Salamanka'' D. 326, is an 1815 Singspiel in two acts by Franz Schubert to a libretto by Johann Mayrhofer. The opera is set at the beginning of the 19th century in Salamanca, Spain. It consists of an overture and eighteen number ...

'', 25–26 September 2020, Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse

References

External links

*
The Arts Centre, Melbourne official website
{{authority control APRA Award winners Australian opera companies Performing arts in Melbourne Musical groups established in 2005 2005 establishments in Australia Music in Victoria (state)