Discover your
2023 season
Fly on the wings of madness, melancholy and music.
Discover your
2023 season
Fly on the wings of madness, melancholy and music.
Sydney Opera House
5 January–17 February
He’s mad. He’s bad. He’s dangerous. But damn him to hell, his serenades are divine.
It’s the last day of Don Giovanni’s life, but he doesn’t know that.
For opera’s own Casanova, it’s just another day of pleasure-seeking. Seducing a bride on her wedding day. Breaking into a woman’s bedroom in the dead of night. Killing her furious father.
Even before the curtain rises, Mozart reveals Don Giovanni’s fate. An earth-shattering chord from the orchestra signals the gates of hell clanging open. The scoundrel’s debauched days are at an end.
When he hears a voice from beyond the grave, warning of impending punishment, Don Giovanni has no fear. Half-mocking, half-earnest, he invites the statue of the man he’s just killed to dinner.
Sir David McVicar’s production reveals the darkness in opera’s most compelling anti-hero. His Don Giovanni is a psychological thriller on a grand scale.
Monumental sets place the story in a gothic underworld inspired by the catacombs of Vienna. Monochromatic period costumes feature stunning embroidery. Can the characters keep their morals as tightly buttoned?
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Sydney Opera House
12 January–11 March
On a freezing Christmas Eve, love sparks. Two hands meet in the dark and four friends’ lives change forever.
Experience the romance of the original bohemian love story.
When Mimì meets Rodolfo, it’s love at first touch. They head out to bustling Café Momus, where the feisty Musetta and Marcello rekindle their relationship. But even the deepest love can’t warm a freezing winter. The Bohemians have some growing up to do.
Some emotions are too big for words alone, and for that, we have music. La Bohème exposes your soul to the feelings that only music can express. The music soars with the ecstasy of love, crackles with the pain of jealousy and cries with the agony of loss.
This touching tale is set among the fishnets and fairy lights of 1930s Berlin.
Stellar sopranos Karah Son, Danita Weatherstone and Rebecca Gulinello sing the role of Mimì. Iván Ayón Rivas and Atalla Ayan sing as the poet, Rodolfo. Julie Lea Goodwin and Esther Song sing the iconically blonde Musetta, while Haotian Qi croons as her Marcello. Michelangelo Mazza and Tahu Matheson conduct.
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Sydney Opera House
20 February–7 March
Mystery, intrigue, murder? Lovers’ liaisons don’t come any more dangerous than this.
She’s a superstar. Adored by all. She can have any man she chooses. Or can she?
Based on a true story, Adriana Lecouvreur is renowned as “the operatic equivalent of Sunset Boulevard” (The Guardian). Ermonela Jaho, “the world’s most acclaimed soprano” (The Economist), blazes in a role that calls for a pure diva.
This is a tryst with a twist. A tumultuous real life entanglement is a love triangle ripe for operatic excess: the stellar actress, her aristocrat admirer, and his jealous ex who just happens to be Adriana’s greatest rival. Lashings of secrets, pungent violets, and composer Francesco Ciléa’s seductive score make this a high verismo drama.
From Montserrat Caballé and Joan Sutherland to Anna Netrebko, prima donnas of every era have aspired to sing Adriana. Ermonela’s voice of a ‘fiery angel’ meets its match in Carmen Topciu’s smouldering mezzo as the Princess.
Tensions between the two simmer then explode over the attention of Count Maurizio, played by opera’s “high-flying leading man” (Vanity Fair), Michael Fabiano. Baritone Giorgio Caoduro adds depth to the potent mix as Michonnet, Adriana’s doting stage director.
Opera’s definitive statement on celebrity scandals brims with passion and peril. Inventive Italian director Rosetta Cucchi takes this salacious tale from the repertoire’s shadows to the limelight – where Adriana Lecouvreur rightfully belongs.
Sydney Opera House
20 February–7 March
Mystery, intrigue, murder? Lovers’ liaisons don’t come any more dangerous than this.
She’s a superstar. Adored by all. She can have any man she chooses. Or can she?
Based on a true story, Adriana Lecouvreur is renowned as “the operatic equivalent of Sunset Boulevard” (The Guardian). Ermonela Jaho, “the world’s most acclaimed soprano” (The Economist), blazes in a role that calls for a pure diva.
This is a tryst with a twist. A tumultuous real life entanglement is a love triangle ripe for operatic excess: the stellar actress, her aristocrat admirer, and his jealous ex who just happens to be Adriana’s greatest rival. Lashings of secrets, pungent violets, and composer Francesco Cilèa’s seductive score make this a high verismo drama.
From Montserrat Caballé and Joan Sutherland to Anna Netrebko, prima donnas of every era have aspired to sing Adriana. Ermonela’s voice of a ‘fiery angel’ meets its match in Carmen Topciu’s smouldering mezzo as the Princess.
Tensions between the two simmer then explode over the attention of Count Maurizio, played by opera’s “high-flying leading man” (Vanity Fair), Michael Fabiano. Baritone Giorgio Caoduro adds depth to the potent mix as Michonnet, Adriana’s doting stage director.
Opera’s definitive statement on celebrity scandals brims with passion and peril. Inventive Italian director Rosetta Cucchi takes this salacious tale from the repertoire’s shadows to the limelight – where Adriana Lecouvreur rightfully belongs.
Sydney Opera House
4 February–10 March
Thrill to the sound of a mass of voices, singing as one.
Prepare to have your hair blown back by the sheer magnitude of these exquisite voices.
The Opera Australia Chorus has long been the backbone of our productions. Now, hear the lyrical beauty and power of this chorale centre stage in the Joan Sutherland Theatre.
Chorus! showcases famous choral pieces by the legends of opera, including Verdi, Puccini, Wagner and Tchaikovsky. Director Matthew Barclay and esteemed Chorus Master Paul Fitzsimon thread a compelling narrative through the masterworks of all eras.
The voices of 46 choristers come together to explore vast musical terrain through the emotional language of song.
From Rigoletto’s urgent ‘Zitti, zitti, moviamo a vendetta’ to the sacred incantations of ‘Beglückt darf nun’ (Pilgrim’s Chorus) in Tannhäuser, Pagliacci’s lively Bell Chorus and Madama Butterfly’s exquisitely poignant Humming Chorus, Chorus! is a unique operatic experience that will make your heart sing.
PRODUCTION PARTNER
Sydney Opera House
4 February–10 March
Thrill to the sound of a mass of voices, singing as one.
Prepare to have your hair blown back by the sheer magnitude of these exquisite voices.
The Opera Australia Chorus has long been the backbone of our productions. Now, hear the lyrical beauty and power of this chorale centre stage in the Joan Sutherland Theatre.
Chorus! showcases famous choral pieces by the legends of opera, including Verdi, Puccini, Wagner and Tchaikovsky. Director Matthew Barclay and esteemed Chorus Master Paul Fitzsimon thread a compelling narrative through the masterworks of all eras.
The voices of 46 choristers come together to explore vast musical terrain through the emotional language of song.
From Rigoletto’s urgent ‘Zitti, zitti, moviamo a vendetta’ to the sacred incantations of ‘Beglückt darf nun’ (Pilgrim’s Chorus) in Tannhäuser, Pagliacci’s lively Bell Chorus and Madama Butterfly’s exquisitely poignant Humming Chorus, Chorus! is a unique operatic experience that will make your heart sing.
PRODUCTION PARTNER
Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point
24 March–23 April
“A modern Butterfly soars as art and spectacle combine on Sydney Harbour.” (Limelight)
The critically-acclaimed and wildly popular Madama Butterfly returns to the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour stage. Under the stars, with fireworks every night as well as pop-up bars and eateries, this is “the most impressive outdoor event in Australia... You don’t need to understand opera to understand what makes the occasion great” (Concrete Playground).
Take your seats overlooking ‘Paradise’ – complete with a bamboo grove and a giant moon and rising sun floating on the harbour. The picture-perfect backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge twinkles with thousands of city lights as night falls.
For innocent Cio-Cio-San, love flutters on wings of desire. For brash Pinkerton, a flight of fancy is irresistible. On their wedding night, passions ignite. Yet, how ephemeral is their ecstatic embrace?
Puccini’s intimate ode to unrequited love has always been shocking. East meets West, devotion meets disregard, expectation meets disappointment. In the clash, Cio-Cio-San’s dreams shatter.
Join us for Sydney’s best night out. Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour’s Madama Butterfly is a “five star world-beating triumph, surely one of the most spectacular outdoor operas ever staged anywhere” (Time Out).
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OPERA AUSTRALIA GOVERNMENT PARTNER
Sydney Opera House
13–26 June
He’s hideous. He’s hated. He’s untouchable. But in this shimmering world of secrets and seduction, can he keep the one he loves most safe?
At the Duke’s infamous parties, one man’s words light the darkness with a sinister glitter. Among the glamorous girls and greasy gangsters, Rigoletto serves his master with sharp wits and averted eyes.
From the moment he wrote it, Verdi knew he had a hit on his hands. The story has everything: royalty, loyalty, devotion, lust and revenge.
And the music? The music is sensational, so full of hummable tunes that Verdi demanded complete secrecy from his premiere cast. The tenor was forbidden from even whistling the catchy ‘La donna è mobile’ outside of rehearsals.
The morning after Rigoletto’s triumphant premiere, that melody rang out in the streets: a hit for ever after. The title character Verdi called the “greatest creation” in the history of theatre had found a home in a masterpiece of music.
Elijah Moshinsky’s much-loved production of Rigoletto returns to the Sydney Opera House stage, complete with its glamorous La Dolce Vita-inspired sets and costumes and scene-stealing Fiat 500.
The revolving dolls-house style set gives a cinematic detail to each scene. We’ve assembled a brilliant cast led by Verdi master Renato Palumbo. Ernesto Petti is the tortured jester at the heart of Verdi’s masterpiece.
Sydney Opera House
19 June–21 July
Queensland Performing Arts Centre
6–20 December
This is a story of love so strong it defies enemy lines. This is a story of a kingdom in triumph and a nation in chains. This is a story of betrayal.
Verdi’s monumental music makes this historic epic an enduring favourite. Davide Livermore’s radiant production is a thrilling theatrical experience.
Ten towering digital screens create ever-changing floor-to-ceiling set pieces. Immersive digital video design ranges from rich symbolism to vivid landscapes.
Opulent costumes and props reflect the splendour of Egypt at the height of its power. Together with dramatic video, the massed grandeur of the famous Triumphal March is a visual and musical feast.
It’s “a captivating cinematic experience that fuses live performance and video” (Time Out).
“As magnificent, jaw-dropping, gasp-enticing and lavish a staging as you can imagine.” (The AU Review)
Lorenzo Passerini and Tahu Matheson conduct two magnificent casts. Sensational sopranos Leah Crocetto and Natalie Aroyan perform as the enslaved princess, Aida. Elena Gabouri reprises her critically acclaimed turn as Aida’s rival, Amneris, sharing the role with Agnieszka Rehlis.
Najmiddin Mavlyanov and Diego Torre are powerful Radamès’, the man loved by both women.
Sydney Opera House
11–22 July
Four intoxicating parts. One superstar soprano. Homegrown superstar Jessica Pratt returns to Australia to perform in Offenbach’s last and greatest work
Hoffmann is tipsy and in the mood for storytelling. He’ll tell you of his four great loves: a wind-up doll, an innocent singer, a cruel courtesan… and the woman who combines them all. But who is his mysterious muse? And the evil shadow that dogs his every move?
This is The Tales of Hoffmann: Offenbach’s last and greatest work. It’s an intoxicating mix of emotion and dazzling music, including the famous, fiendishly difficult Doll Song.
Soprano Jessica Pratt returns to Australia to sing all the female leads. It’s a rare soprano who can sing these roles and bring you deep into Offenbach’s emotional world. Pratt follows in the footsteps of Joan Sutherland and a handful of other stars who can pull it off.
“Pratt… (sings) all the female roles... with dramatic truth and with a vocal mastery worthy of the greatest.” (ConcertoNet)
Iván Ayón Rivas sings the title character and Marko Mimica sings the four villains.
Celebrated director Damiano Michieletto (Il Viaggio a Reims) creates a brand new production of this beloved opera. Elaborate sets depicting Hoffmann’s three worlds are designed and built by our team in Australia before travelling to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Andrea Battistoni conducts.
The Tales of Hoffmann - the costumes
The Tales of Hoffmann - the costumes
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
Sydney Opera House
11–22 July
Four intoxicating parts. One superstar soprano. Homegrown superstar Jessica Pratt returns to Australia to perform in Offenbach’s last and greatest work
Hoffmann is tipsy and in the mood for storytelling. He’ll tell you of his four great loves: a wind-up doll, an innocent singer, a cruel courtesan… and the woman who combines them all. But who is his mysterious muse? And the evil shadow that dogs his every move?
This is The Tales of Hoffmann: Offenbach’s last and greatest work. It’s an intoxicating mix of emotion and dazzling music, including the famous, fiendishly difficult Doll Song.
Soprano Jessica Pratt returns to Australia to sing all the female leads. It’s a rare soprano who can sing these roles and bring you deep into Offenbach’s emotional world. Pratt follows in the footsteps of Joan Sutherland and a handful of other stars who can pull it off.
“Pratt… (sings) all the female roles... with dramatic truth and with a vocal mastery worthy of the greatest.” (ConcertoNet)
Iván Ayón Rivas sings the title character and Marko Mimica sings the four villains.
Celebrated director Damiano Michieletto (Il Viaggio a Reims) creates a brand new production of this beloved opera. Elaborate sets depicting Hoffmann’s three worlds are designed and built by our team in Australia before travelling to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Andrea Battistoni conducts.
The Tales of Hoffmann - the costumes
The Tales of Hoffmann - the costumes
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
Sydney Opera House
16 & 18 March
She ruled her country. But she couldn’t rule his heart.
Elizabeth I has been the Virgin Queen too long. Her looks are fading. She relishes the attention of a younger courtier: the ambitious Roberto Devereux. But Devereux stands accused of treason. Elizabeth must choose between her country and her heart. This tale of love, lust and betrayal in the Tudor royal courts strays a long way from history but makes a sensational plot.
After the success of Maria Stuarda in Concert in 2022, Donizetti’s Tudor queens return with these concert performances of Roberto Devereux.
City Recital Hall
27 April
Melbourne Recital Centre
22 April
With a voice that speaks volumes in every note, Ferruccio Furlanetto is one of the greatest basses of our time.
Over five decades, Ferruccio Furlanetto has become one of the world’s most sought after singers. Renowned for his vast range, thundering vocal power and masterful acting, he has performed on opera’s finest stages from Milan, Paris and Vienna to London and New York, collaborating with leading orchestras and conductors including Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti and the legendary Leonard Bernstein.
Accompanied by pianist Natalia Sidorenko, Furlanetto traverses the emotional landscape of Brahms, Mussorgsky and Rachmaninov before filling City Recital Hall with beloved bass arias from The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Boris Godunov and Don Carlo.
Message from Ferruccio Furlanetto
Message from Ferruccio Furlanetto
Sydney Opera House
3 August
Feel the wind on the wing of madness.
A soprano – solo in the spotlight – vocally and emotionally crumbles into madness before your eyes. Favoured by the likes of Bellini, Verdi and Donizetti, ‘mad scenes’ evoke some of the most dramatic, heartbreaking and impressive moments in opera.
Hailed by the New York Times as a soprano of “gleaming sound, free and easy high notes, agile coloratura runs and lyrical grace,” Australia’s own Jessica Pratt is considered one of the world’s foremost bel canto interpreters. Now, discover the method in her madness. This one-night-only showcase of ‘mad scenes’ gives Jessica an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate her dramatic range and vocal acrobatics as part of the Sydney Opera House's 50th birthday celebrations.
Sydney Opera House
9 & 12 August
Jonas Kaufmann – “The world’s greatest tenor” (AFR) – returns to Australia.
Luscious melodies transport us to Venice, where carnevale is in full swing. A furtive spy – Barnaba – eyes a young singer among the revellers. He steps out of the shadows, taking a chance on an amorous advance.
When the singer rejects him, Barnaba’s vengeful acts set in motion a chain of twists and treachery that threaten to pull all asunder. Must La Gioconda risk everything to save Enzo – the man she adores?
Famously sung by Maria Callas, the title role takes on a newly empowered dimension through the vocal fireworks of Saioa Hernández – a soprano hailed as “the diva of our century” by none other than Montserrat Caballé. Jonas Kaufmann makes a welcome return to Australia, making his role debut as the ardent Enzo in these two exceptional concerts as part of the Sydney Opera House’s 50th birthday celebrations.
Message from Jonas Kaufmann
Message from Jonas Kaufmann
Sydney Opera House
16 & 18 March
She ruled her country. But she couldn’t rule his heart.
Elizabeth I has been the Virgin Queen too long. Her looks are fading. She relishes the attention of a younger courtier: the ambitious Roberto Devereux. But Devereux stands accused of treason. Elizabeth must choose between her country and her heart. This tale of love, lust and betrayal in the Tudor royal courts strays a long way from history but makes a sensational plot.
After the success of Maria Stuarda in Concert in 2022, Donizetti’s Tudor queens return with these concert performances of Roberto Devereux.
City Recital Hall
27 April
Melbourne Recital Centre
22 April
With a voice that speaks volumes in every note, Ferruccio Furlanetto is one of the greatest basses of our time.
Over five decades, Ferruccio Furlanetto has become one of the world’s most sought after singers. Renowned for his vast range, thundering vocal power and masterful acting, he has performed on opera’s finest stages from Milan, Paris and Vienna to London and New York, collaborating with leading orchestras and conductors including Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti and the legendary Leonard Bernstein.
Accompanied by pianist Natalia Sidorenko, Furlanetto traverses the emotional landscape of Brahms, Mussorgsky and Rachmaninov before filling City Recital Hall with beloved bass arias from The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Boris Godunov and Don Carlo.
Sydney Opera House
3 August
Feel the wind on the wing of madness.
A soprano – solo in the spotlight – vocally and emotionally crumbles into madness before your eyes. Favoured by the likes of Bellini, Verdi and Donizetti, ‘mad scenes’ evoke some of the most dramatic, heartbreaking and impressive moments in opera.
Hailed by the New York Times as a soprano of “gleaming sound, free and easy high notes, agile coloratura runs and lyrical grace,” Australia’s own Jessica Pratt is considered one of the world’s foremost bel canto interpreters. Now, discover the method in her madness. This one-night-only showcase of ‘mad scenes’ gives Jessica an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate her dramatic range and vocal acrobatics as part of the Sydney Opera House's 50th birthday celebrations.
Sydney Opera House
9 & 12 August
Jonas Kaufmann – “The world’s greatest tenor” (AFR) – returns to Australia.
Luscious melodies transport us to Venice, where carnevale is in full swing. A furtive spy – Barnaba – eyes a young singer among the revellers. He steps out of the shadows, taking a chance on an amorous advance.
When the singer rejects him, Barnaba’s vengeful acts set in motion a chain of twists and treachery that threaten to pull all asunder. Must La Gioconda risk everything to save Enzo – the man she adores?
Famously sung by Maria Callas, the title role takes on a newly empowered dimension through the vocal fireworks of Saioa Hernández – a soprano hailed as “the diva of our century” by none other than Montserrat Caballé. Jonas Kaufmann makes a welcome return to Australia, making his role debut as the ardent Enzo in these two exceptional concerts as part of the Sydney Opera House’s 50th birthday celebrations.
In Brisbane
Queensland Performing Arts Centre
1–21 December
We’re bringing a new production of the Ring Cycle to Brisbane in 2023, exclusive to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
Come on an exhilarating adventure with men and maidens, gods and giants, dragons and dwarves. As greed and violence threaten to destroy the heavens and earth, a glimmer of hope rises from an unexpected source.
This is Wagner’s Ring Cycle — the pinnacle of opera — a 15-hour epic performed over four performances.
Enjoy a week in sunny Queensland and see a spectacular new production by visionary Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng.
In Melbourne
Arts Centre Melbourne
13 May
A meditation on the man and the myth that became a movement.
Philip Glass’s Satyagraha is a hypnotic and captivating spectacle – an ethereal tribute to one of the world’s most significant civil rights figures, Mahatma Gandhi. Now, experience it in concert exclusive to Melbourne.
From his suit-wearing lawyer origins to his far-reaching spiritual notoriety, the work loosely charts the critical moments of Gandhi’s life – as he sought and fought for social reform and non-violent resistance.
Having influenced artists from Hans Zimmer to David Bowie, Philip Glass’s distinctive minimalist compositions elevate this almost-meditative experience, rendering a monumental masterpiece, worthy of its origins.
Arts Centre Melbourne
17 & 20 May
A knight-turned-songwriter stands torn between sensual desire and innocent love.
Like the Eurovision of German mythology – Tannhäuser charts the pleasures and perils of scandalous, unearthly delight.
Out of boredom, the singing-knight Tannhäuser opts to leave his paradise rendezvous with the Goddess of love, Venus. Though back on the ground, life’s far more puritan.
Among his friends and chaste ex-lover, Tannhäuser unashamedly enters a song contest and sings of his heavenly pleasures with Venus – only to have the rough crowd force him to atone for his sins via papal decree. What’s to become of this shameless serenader?
Wagner’s epic score deems this supernatural saga positively song-worthy. Presented in concert at Arts Centre Melbourne.
PRODUCTION PARTNER
Arts Centre Melbourne
13 May
A meditation on the man and the myth that became a movement.
Philip Glass’s Satyagraha is a hypnotic and captivating spectacle – an ethereal tribute to one of the world’s most significant civil rights figures, Mahatma Gandhi. Now, experience it in concert exclusive to Melbourne.
From his suit-wearing lawyer origins to his far-reaching spiritual notoriety, the work loosely charts the critical moments of Gandhi’s life – as he sought and fought for social reform and non-violent resistance.
Having influenced artists from Hans Zimmer to David Bowie, Philip Glass’s distinctive minimalist compositions elevate this almost-meditative experience, rendering a monumental masterpiece, worthy of its origins.
Arts Centre Melbourne
17 & 20 May
A knight-turned-songwriter stands torn between sensual desire and innocent love.
Like the Eurovision of German mythology – Tannhäuser charts the pleasures and perils of scandalous, unearthly delight.
Out of boredom, the singing-knight Tannhäuser opts to leave his paradise rendezvous with the Goddess of love, Venus. Though back on the ground, life’s far more puritan.
Among his friends and chaste ex-lover, Tannhäuser unashamedly enters a song contest and sings of his heavenly pleasures with Venus – only to have the rough crowd force him to atone for his sins via papal decree. What’s to become of this shameless serenader?
Wagner’s epic score deems this supernatural saga positively song-worthy. Presented in concert at Arts Centre Melbourne.
PRODUCTION PARTNER
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