Fantastic “Opera”tunity for NECOM Choristers

Thank you so much for making such an opportunity possible for the young singers of Armidale!

Our son is so thrilled and talks of little else.

The New England Conservatorium’s presentation of Opera Australia’s touring production of Madame Butterfly at Lazenby Hall on 9 August promises to be one of the highlights in everyone’s music diary for 2018.

Opera Australia visits Armidale only every second year for an exclusive one-night-only performance and this year Puccini’s masterpiece will be an unforgettable night out, suitable for the whole family.

For 22 talented young singers from NECOM’s choral program, it will be the night of their lives. As the Children’s Chorus they will be sharing the spotlight with some of Australia’s finest opera singers when they join the cast to perform onstage in Madame Butterfly. Congratulations to the choristers in the 2018 Children’s Chorus:

Saho Brown, Maxwell Buckland, Delphi Collins, Gabrielle Cotterell, Piyumi Ekanayake, Alma Kanety, Rachael Kenrick, Tiko Lay, Esther Lindeman, Elijah Love, William Mackson, Jasper O’Neil, Keira Peet, Matilda Poole-Eisenhauer, Ainsley Price, Maggie Ryan, Sophia Smart, India Smith, Kaylee Swick, Abigail Thompson, and reserves, Mem Lay and Rosie Oxley.

The children were selected after a lengthy audition process from New England Conservatorium’s Cantilena Choir and New England Singers. The Children’s Chorus is an extension program for NECOM’s gifted and talented choristers to enhance their audition and performance skills. This was the first time for many of the choristers to experience an audition and all of them were outstanding. The children were auditioned in three areas – choral part singing, solo singing,  and stagecraft.

The Children’s Chorus initiative, brainchild of Opera Australia’s Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini, gives children the chance to learn about opera in the best possible way – by performing it alongside professionals. This is an incredible introduction to opera for NECOM’s choristers from Cantilena and New England Singers.

This is not the first time NECOM choristers have performed with Opera Australia. The Magic Flute in 2014 and The Marriage of Figaro in 2016 were both performed to sold-out audiences in Armidale. After performing in the Children’s Chorus for The Magic Flute in Armidale in 2014, talented chorus member Christopher Tall, went on to successfully audition for the Opera Australia’s Children’s Chorus and has since performed in many OA productions at the Sydney Opera House.

Madame Butterfly is a love story that reaches across cultures, across oceans, across time. Puccini’s popular opera inspired the musical Miss Saigon. It is filled with powerful and emotional music, from the lovers’ first rapturous embrace to the intense finale; this work represents the pinnacle of grand Italian opera. It features the famous aria ‘One Fine Day’ and the Humming Chorus, along with Japanese and American musical themes. One of Australia’s greatest theatrical minds, John Bell, directs this English-language production, complete with beautiful costumes and sets.

Madame Butterfly will be presented by NECOM for one night only on Thursday 9 August at Lazenby Hall, University of New England at 7:30pm. Tickets are on sale now at http://www.trybooking.com/UTQA  Information Tel: 6788 2137