State Opera of South Australia

Last updated

State Opera South Australia (SOSA) is a professional opera company in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1976.

Contents

History

State Opera South Australia was established in 1976 as a statutory corporation under the State Opera of South Australia Act 1976, [1] [2] an initiative of Don Dunstan. [3] The board created by this act reported to Arts SA (later Arts South Australia) from 1993 to 2018, when it started reporting directly to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. [4]

Its aim is to "present, produce, manage and conduct operatic performances that attract a diverse local, national and, potentially, international audience." [5]

Its artistic director and CEO from 2011 until 2017 [6] was Timothy Sexton before his "shock resignation" [7] following charges of abuse of teenage girls [8] for which he was sentenced to a maximum of 14 years in prison. [9] Artistic director Stuart Maunder and executive director Yarmila Alfonzetti commenced in early 2018, and their first annual program was announced in September 2018. [10] [11]

In September 2022, Mark Taylor was appointed as Executive Director joining the company from Opera Queensland, a company he served for 12 years, leaving his role as the Director of Learning, Regional and Community. [12]

In 2022, the company created the Australian Opera Digital Library where a selection of operas, curated by Stuart Maunder, by Australian composers are available for free to registered users. [13]

Notable productions

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987.

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2007 Wagner: Das Rheingold (with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra & Asher Fisch) Best Classical Album Nominated [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opera Australia</span> Principal opera company in Australia

Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, New South Wales, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent at the Arts Centre Melbourne, where it is accompanied by Orchestra Victoria. In 2004, the company gave 226 performances in its subscription seasons in Sydney and Melbourne, Victoria, attended by more than 294,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glyndebourne Festival Opera</span> English opera festival

Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide Film Festival</span> Film festival in Adelaide, South Australia

The Adelaide Film Festival is a film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented biennially in March from 2003, since 2013 AFF has been held in October. Subject to funding, the festival has staged full or briefer events in alternating years; some form of event has taken place every year since 2015. From 2022 it takes place annually. It has a strong focus on local South Australian and Australian produced content, with the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF) established to fund investment in Australian films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide Symphony Orchestra</span>

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a South Australian performing arts organisation comprising 75 full-time musicians, established in 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance Hub SA</span>

Dance Hub SA, formerly Leigh Warren & Dancers or Leigh Warren + Dancers (LWD) and then LWDance Hub, is a contemporary dance company based in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Formed in 1993 by Leigh Warren, the company toured internationally and won several awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide Festival Centre</span> Theatre and entertainment precinct

Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first capital city multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the 1970s, designed by Hassell Architects. Located on Kaurna Yarta, the Festival Theatre opened in June 1973 with the rest of the centre following soon after. The complex includes Festival Theatre, Dunstan Playhouse, Space Theatre and several gallery and function spaces. Located approximately 50 metres (160 ft) north of the corner of North Terrace and King William Road, lying near the banks of the River Torrens and adjacent to Elder Park, it is distinguished by its two white geometric dome roofs, and lies on a 45-degree angle to the city's grid.

The Zephyr Quartet is a string quartet based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1999, they have been recognised with awards and have collaborated with international musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Barker</span> Australian operatic soprano

Cheryl Ruth Barker is an Australian operatic soprano who has had an active international career since the late 1980s. She has sung on several complete opera recordings with Chandos Records, including the title roles in Dvořák's Rusalka, Janáček's Káťa Kabanová and Puccini's Madama Butterfly, and Emilia Marty in Janáček's The Makropulos Case. She has also made two solo recordings of opera arias, one with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor David Parry and the other with Orchestra Victoria and conductor Richard Bonynge. On the stage she has had partnerships with the English National Opera (ENO) and Opera Australia.

Arvo Volmer is an Estonian conductor.

Robyn Archer, AO, CdOAL is an Australian singer, writer, stage director, artistic director, and public advocate of the arts, in Australia and internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacqueline Dark</span> Australian operatic mezzo-soprano (1967/1968–2023)

Jacqueline Lisa Dark was an Australian operatic mezzo-soprano who appeared mainly with Australian companies, for a while as a member of Opera Australia. She was known for her voice in leading roles, including world premieres, but also for her stage presence and "a unique sense of comic timing".

The State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA), branded State Theatre Company South Australia, formerly the South Australian Theatre Company (SATC), is South Australia's leading professional theatre company, and a statutory corporation. It was established as the official state theatre company by the State Theatre Company of South Australia Act 1972, on the initiative of Premier Don Dunstan.

Myer Fredman was a British-Australian conductor.

(Andrew) Alexander Briger AO is an Australian classical conductor. He is the nephew of the conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, and both are descended from the composer Isaac Nathan.

Mitchell Patrick Butel is an Australian actor, singer, director and writer. He is best known for his work in theatre, including musical and opera productions. He has been the artistic director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia since March 2019.

The inaugural government-funded Adelaide International Film Festival (AIFF) took place in Adelaide, Australia, from 28 February to 7 March 2003, with screenings, special events and forums presented in various cinemas and locations. Established by South Australian Premier Hon. Mike Rann to stimulate the local film industry and celebrate the 30th anniversary of the South Australian Film Corporation, the festival showcases and explores contemporary screen culture with a program of screenings, special events and forum sessions.

Hamlet is an opera in two acts by Australian composer Brett Dean, with an English libretto by Matthew Jocelyn, which is based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. The libretto uses "as little as 20 per cent" of the play's text and also takes inspiration from the "first quarto" as it "offers a different view on certain moments".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide</span> Historic theatre and arts venue

Her Majesty's Theatre is a theatre in Adelaide, South Australia, located on Grote Street, originally built in 1913 as the New Tivoli Theatre. Other names through its history have been the Princess Theatre, the Prince of Wales Theatre, Tivoli Theatre and the Opera Theatre.

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen is an American countertenor known for bringing his “ravishing…otherworldly” instrument to a broad range of repertoire spanning the Baroque to the contemporary. Acclaimed as both a "complete artist" and "young star" in The New York Times, and as "extravagantly gifted... poised to redefine what’s possible for singers of this distinctive voice type” in the San Francisco Chronicle, Mr. Nussbaum Cohen’s passion for creating performances of great vocal beauty and dramatic intensity have earned him a reputation as “a redefining force in the countertenor field” (Limelight).

Stuart Lionel Maunder is an Australian theatre director, currently appointed as the artistic director of State Opera of South Australia. He has also directed for Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, West Australian Opera, New Zealand Opera and Scottish Opera.

References

  1. "State Opera of South Australia Act 1976, Version: 12.5.2011" (PDF). 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  2. "State Opera of South Australia Act 1976". legislation.sa. Government of South Australia. Attorney-General's Dept. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  3. "Donald Allan Dunstan". Flinders Ranges Research. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  4. "About arts and culture". South Australia. Dept of the Premier and Cabinet. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  5. "About". State Opera of South Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  6. "State Opera of South Australia to conduct review after CEO and artistic director Tim Sexton resigns" by Patrick McDonald, The Advertiser (Adelaide), 8 May 2017
  7. Strahle, Graham (15 November 2017). "State Opera of SA at a crossroads". The Adelaide Review . Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  8. "Former State Opera SA chief Timothy Sexton found guilty of sexually abusing teenage music students". ABC News . Australia. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  9. Mahalia Carter (2 July 2021). "Former SA State Opera chief Timothy Sexton sentenced in Adelaide for abusing teenage girls". ABC News . Australia. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  10. Nguyen, Justine (27 September 2018). "State Opera South Australia showcases Australian works in 2019". Limelight . Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  11. Strahle, Graham (7 November 2018). "Taking opera to the people". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  12. Danesin, Laura (24 August 2022). "State Opera South Australia announces new Executive Director". State Opera South Australia. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  13. Michael Kaufmann. "State Opera South Australia launches digital library". On Air & Online. Limelight . No. June 2022. p. 56.
  14. "Wagner's Ring Cycle in Adelaide" (PDF). National Library of Australia . Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  15. Smith, Steve (2 May 2010). "A Role for the Roiling Sea as Ahab Hunts His Whale". The New York Times . Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  16. "Le grand macabre: Adelaide Festival (Australia), 26 February 2010". Opera Britannia. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  17. ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards – Winners by Award". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 November 2018.