_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Vocal Workshops

A MID-SUMMER OPERA JANUARY 2006

Click on photos to enlarge

Through the Alexander Performing Arts Board and Alexander Productions we are seeking to reinvent the opera audience with exciting new productions that will inspire opera lovers from all generations. By nurturing our young talent we are forming the crucial foundations for opera to continue evolving into the 21st century. The Mid-Summer Opera 2006 performance was the culmination of an intensive six days of musical and language coaching – an opportunity for participants between the ages of 9-21 years to experience the exciting process of staging an opera, from page to stage. Participants were fortunate enough to work both individually and as an ensemble with some of Australia’s finest musicians and creators including Simon Kenway, Jenny Laing Peach, Tony Assness, Sharolyn Kimmorley, John Martin, Nicole Dorigo, Kate Golla, Garth Walter Fleeton and Joanna Buggy. The result was a combination of exciting new talent and virtuoso musicianship.

A Mid-Summer Opera 2006 was divided into 2 Acts – Music for a While and Love’s Lessons Learned. The performance started with a montage of Baroque music, accompanied by various combinations of lute, gamba, harpsichord and a chamber orchestra. It then leapt into the 21st Century with the world premier of Love’s Lessons Learned, commissioned by the Alexander Performing Arts Trust. Music for a While and Love’s Lessons Learned were both wonderful opportunities for our artists and audiences to appreciate two inspiring periods of music. The choice of repertoire allowed us to offer a large number of appropriate solo opportunities to participants across our range of ages and vocal development. It was a wonderful experience for all being involved in the creation of such an impressive new opera and to work with the liable, adaptable and talented creators, Alexander Sussman and Dof Dickinson.