The crème de la crème of Australia’s opera talent is vying for the roles in the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School’s first complete opera Ariadne auf Naxos which will be performed at the Queensland Conservatorium Theatre in December this year. Internationally renowned opera singer Lisa Gasteen, who is regarded alongside the late Dame Joan Sutherland and Dame Nellie Melba says she is incredibly excited to be able to present this beautiful opera, rarely performed in Australia. “One of the reasons this particular work was chosen is that it provides numerous important performance opportunities for younger singers with several smaller roles and a few showcase roles for the more advanced and emerging singers,” she says. “As usual we have a line up of elite music, language and role coaches on staff. Thanks to an Arts Queensland grant we have been able to engage one of the world’s leading conductors Simone Young AM to conduct the Ensemble Q Orchestra.”
John Fisher from The Metropolitan Opera New York, Nambour-born Berlin resident of 35 years Philip Mayers and Jennifer Martin Smith ex-Opera Australia are also part of the Ariadne auf Naxos staff. The coaching period includes more than 20 individual coaching sessions, workshops, language instructions and public performances. Ariadne auf Naxos will be the culmination of five weeks coaching and provides a rare performance opportunity for Australia’s emerging professional singers. “We owe Arts Queensland and our supporters a debt of gratitude for enabling us to present this opera, the most ambitious project in our eight-year history,” Ms Gasteen says. “We have a pool of fine talent from which to draw our singers and I am hopeful that the auditions to be held in April attract the best of them,” says Ms Gasteen, whose life and opera school feature in a new film being made by Australian producer, Trish Lake and director Liselle Mei.
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