Melba Opera Trust in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Non-profit organisation

Melba Opera Trust

Locality: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 3 9944 2100

Address: 77 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank 3006 Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.melbaoperatrust.com.au

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24.01.2022 When ABC Classic asked Deborah Cheetham AO, Yorta Yorta woman, soprano, composer and educator, to compose a brand new Christmas carol, giving voice to what Christmas means for us all in 2020, her response was immediate. I did not have to think about it. I needed this opportunity to reconnect with a year that had slipped from my grasp and had been spinning out of control. This was my chance to make a certain Christmas. Deborah is a valued Melba Opera Trust collaborator and f...riend. She has been a leader in the Australian arts landscape for more than 25 years, including through the creation of Short Black Opera, a national not-for-profit opera company devoted to the development of Indigenous singers, where she is Artistic Director. ABC Classic is encouraging Australians to come together in song to sing this recently composed carol called ‘Christmas With You’. You can sign up to join the Classic Choir online to join rehearsals next week and then submit a film of yourself singing the carol so they can create a video of everyone’s contributions to share in December. About the song, Deborah shared I do not apologise for the nostalgic style of this carol. There is longing, yes, but there is also hope. For me, hope is ultimately the message and meaning of Christmas. Hope is born into this world every day. We have only to grasp it, commit to it, cherish it and renew it. Sounds like a lot to do? Well... that is what music is for. That is why we sing. Read more of Deborah’s insights into composing the carol here: https://www.abc.net.au//deborah-cheetham-christma/12821958 or find out more about joining the choir here: https://www.abc.net.au/classic/events/classic-choir/welcome/ / Images: Nyirram turt-barram by Wadawarrung artist Deanne Gilson, artwork commissioned to illustrate the themes explored in Deborah’s new Christmas carol. Toni Lalich, Short Black Opera Company Manager and Repetiteur, alumna Shauntai Batzke, Harold Blair Opera Scholarship recipient in 2014 and 2015 and Deborah at the 2015 Melba Artist Farewell Soiree at Cranlana, photo by Les O’Rourke. Deborah with alumnus Tiriki Onus, Harold Blair Opera Scholarship recipient in 2012 and 2013, performing together at Government House in 2012, photo by Les O’Rourke.

24.01.2022 In our spring edition of The Melba, live online from tomorrow, we discuss performance beyond physical venues with some of our local and overseas alumni. Among the exciting new opportunities alumni have explored are live Zoom performances, recorded recitals for various online series, performances that are simultaneously for live and online audiences, open-air performances outside of venues and curated online series using sophisticated editing technology. You can read the full ...story in our next edition of The Melba. Image: Alumni Xenia Puskarz Thomas (2019) and Samuel Piper (20172019) along with their fellow cast members in Quarantine Così, an online series created earlier this year with other Australian artists in isolation.

23.01.2022 Next month marks the 160th anniversary of the birth of an Australian icon, and our ultimate founder, Dame Nellie Melba. And here is a tiny glimpse at an historic art project we commissioned to celebrate... We hope you will join in the celebrations at Melba: Her Legacy in Concert on her birthday, May 19.... https://melbournedigitalconcerthall.com/melba-her-legacy-i/

22.01.2022 Last week, rare footage of Dame Nellie Melba emerged. Revealing a lesser known side of Melba - playful grandmother to Pamela, doting animal lover - the delightfully ordinary scene played out against the beautiful backdrop of her home at Coombe Yarra Valley.

21.01.2022 The Port Fairy Spring Music Festival will go ahead this year with an entirely digital program from 28 November until 4 December. This year’s 9 concert program will bring a strong sense of place to the festival, in the absence of a physical place for festival-goers to gather, through collaborations with a group of South West Victorian visual artists. Melba alumnus, pianist and composer Stefan Cassomenos (20142015) is co-artistic director of Port Fairy Spring Music Festiv...al with violinist Monica Curro, who is in her 21st year as Assistant Principal 2nd Violin of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. You can sign up on the Port Fairy Music Festival website for updates > http://portfairyspringfest.com.au/

21.01.2022 The autumn edition of The Melba is out now, in print and online. Featuring industry insights, alumni stories, and artist reflections, subscribe to receive a digital copy in your inbox. https://www.melbaoperatrust.com.au/subscribe/

21.01.2022 This is your ticket to watch alumna Emily Edmonds as she leads the cast as L’Enfant in VOPERA's premiere of L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, kicking off today, 8pm UK time (tomorrow morning 7am AEDT), on the London Philharmonic Orchestra YouTube channel. VOPERA, created by freelance opera stage director Rachael Hewer, is a virtual opera project that gives people a space in which they can be actively and creatively involved during a time where traditional opera productions aren’t ...possible or accessible for some artists. What does it take to create a virtual opera production? Global Zoom auditions and rehearsals, socially distanced orchestral studio recordings, individual audio recordings, hand-drawn set and costumes, and body-double acting using a homemade green-screen studio overlaid with the recorded casts singing faces were some of the processes involved with bringing Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges to life in this virtual opera production. Lee Reynolds conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a specially reduced arrangement of the original score alongside a cast of over 80 singers all recorded in isolation from home. For more information: https://www.lpo.org.uk//5671-vopera-lenfant-et-les-sortile Find out more about VOPERA here: https://www.vopera20.com/home Vopera - The Virtual Opera Project Artwork by Leanne Vandenbussche and Mark Wallinger

20.01.2022 Today is the 160th anniversary of the birth of Dame Nellie Melba. A pioneer of her times, early adopter of technology and fashion connoisseur, Melba is an Australian icon who was so much 'more than a voice'. And so, on her birthday, Melba Opera Trust is proud to release two digital portraits that we commissioned to commemorate her journey from Prima Donna to Grande Dame. Australian artist, Jessica Cruickshank, was tasked with reimagining Melba for 2021 and her research took h...er deep into the heart of Melba's many achievements and her love of art and culture. In 2021, digital is a blossoming art. Both an awe-inspiring skill and a tangible investment, it's something we're sure Melba herself would have been the first to embrace. Just as she was among the first to embrace the gramophone, the motor car, and Cartier jewels. Watch our Stories on Facebook and Instagram to see the making of these portraits in action.

20.01.2022 You can now read our spring 2020 edition of The Melba, online. Developed amidst Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown, there was certainly no shortage of news to share in our latest edition. On the pages of the magazine you'll discover conversations with Melba mentors, alumni, artists and friends, as well as industry leaders at the helm of opera companies and COVID-startups. ... While the issue shares important realities of a challenging year, it's also an edition that makes us incredibly proud of our Melba community. This pride extends to the wider opera and arts community and we are optimistic about where to from here. Read it now on our website > https://www.melbaoperatrust.com.au/d/TheMelbaSpring2020.pdf Cover image by James Thomas Photography of alumna Stacey Alleaume - Soprano (2010, 2012) at Opera in the Bowl, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, 29 November 2019.

19.01.2022 Moonlight Reflections by alumni Stacey Alleaume - Soprano and Amir Farid has just been named Limelight Magazine's recording of the month. This album project was self-produced by Stacey and made remotely during last year's long Melbourne lockdown. As we go into this (hopefully) much shorter one, why not enjoy the product of Stacey and Amir's unwavering dedication to their craft from our homes. We interviewed Stacey about this project, and her journey from Melba to Violetta for... the autumn issue of The Melba Magazine, out next week. Sign up to read it here: https://www.melbaoperatrust.com.au/subscribe/a See more

19.01.2022 We’re excited to hear that Melba alumna Stacey Alleaume - Soprano will return to the stage as Valencienne in Lehar’s The Merry Widow, as part of Opera Australia’s summer season. The Merry Widow is a shimmering all-singing, all dancing Broadway-style show (The Sydney Morning Herald), a frothy comedy packed with familiar waltzes and tuneful melodies. Opera Australia’s recently announced summer season will see venue capacities reduced by 50% and the implementation of many new safety protocols including the implementation of Safe Hygiene Marshals. For those in Sydney, tickets go on sale to the general public this Thursday, 19 November. Opera Australia - The Merry Widow 2019

19.01.2022 This time next week, Melba mentor Dr Erin Helyard and acclaimed baritone David Greco will perform in an online concert by Musica Viva Australia as part of their Reconnect series. The program, hand-picked by Helyard, will include music by Handel and Bach, as well as a collection of rarely hear Baroque gems. Helyard and Greco will be accompanied by Anton Baba on viola da gamba, Hannah Lane on harp, and Matt Greco and Rafael Font on violin. Musica Viva are offering two free tick...ets to the 7pm concert, next Monday 16 November, and you can enter via this the following link: https://musicaviva.com.au/win/reconnect-online/ Enter ‘Melba Opera Trust’ in the field titled ‘Where did you hear about this competition’, to be in the running to win. Or, purchase your tickets to watch the concert here: https://musicaviva.com.au/reconnect-online/ / Pinchgut Opera

18.01.2022 We join this year’s NAIDOC theme to recognise that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. NAIDOC 2020 invites all Australians to embrace the true history of this country and we are celebrating the remarkable effects of Aboriginal activism in opera that began many years ago and is strong as ever today. Tenor Harold Blair AM was Australia’s first recognised Aboriginal opera singer and a renowned Aboriginal activist. Storytelling ...Continue reading

17.01.2022 Last night, Victorian Opera released its 2021 season featuring a number of Melba alumni and mentors. Highlights of the season include the much-anticipated return of Richard Meale's Voss last staged in 1990 and four new operas including Parrwang Lifts the Sky, a creation story by Deborah Cheetham AO, to be performed in English and Wadawurrung language. Read the full story in the Melba blog.... Stephen Marsh - Baritone Nathan Lay Samuel Sakker - Tenor Deborah Cheetham Georgina Hall - Soprano Shauntai Sherree Batzke Michael Petruccelli - Tenor

11.01.2022 "For First Nations people, the arts have always been indivisible. The singer is the dancer, the dancer is the painter, the painter is the storyteller. Opera is all the arts combined." Congratulations to our colleague, Deborah Cheetham AO, whose incredible work led to the establishment of the Harold Blair Opera Scholarship at Melba Opera Trust; a tangible pathway for Indigenous artists to pursue a career in opera. We interviewed Deborah for the upcoming issue of The Melba Mag...azine and her words are a powerful reminder of the collaborative impact of the Arts in all of our lives. This Helpmann Industry Achievement Award is a well-deserved honour. https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au//four-2020-helpmann-/

11.01.2022 The April module ended on a high note with a tailored recital at the Australian Club in Sydney by the 2021 Melba Artists. In preparation for this, and a series of live performances, highlights for the module included stagecraft sessions with Stuart Maunder AM and public speaking masterclasses with Judith Field and Graham Abbott. And of course, spending some time with the generous donors who make this program possible. Onwards towards the May module, it will be here before we ...know it! Photo courtesy @emiliasoprano

10.01.2022 Exactly 100 years ago today, The London Times ran a newspaper story lauding Melba’s triumphal ‘au revoir’ at Albert Hall, as she commenced a world tour that, we know now, would not really be her last. The crowd at Albert Hall could not be contained, spilling out onto the road and requiring the presence of special police to ensure the audience’s safety. Members of the Australian Cricket Team formed an impromptu guard of honour and called out a characteristic ‘cooee’ to mark he...r arrival. From The Times, May 8, 1921: We had been told that this was to be a concert of songs which everybody likes, but the insistence on the point can hardly have been necessary, for the songs which everybody likes are the songs which Melba chooses to sing. Don’t miss Melba: Her Legacy in Concert on Wednesday 19 May to celebrate 160 years of this unforgettable Australian icon. In partnership with Melbourne Digital Concert Hall and proudly sponsored by Dame Nellie Melba Retirement Village and De Bortoli Wines. One night only. Book digital and live studio tickets here: https://melbournedigitalconcerthall.com/melba-her-legacy-i/

09.01.2022 Opera Queensland announced its 2021 season and alumnus Jeremy Kleeman - Bass Baritone (2014, 2015) will play the role of Figaro in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. Currently in London undertaking post-graduate studies at the Royal College of Music, Jeremy will return to Australia to play the role which he shares with Timothy Newton (2016). Joining them is Samuel Piper (2017, 2018, 2019) performing the role of Antonio.

08.01.2022 Throughout lockdown this year, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama has remained active and agile; their courses have continued, the creation of performances has prevailed and the results have been shared online for a global audience. We recently caught up with Head of Opera Studies at Guildhall, Dominic Wheeler, to hear more about their virtual opera productions for the latest issue of The Melba. He illustrated the various ways the staff and artists adapted to produce a... number of incredible productions during a year with relatively empty performance calendars. Dominic shared that while Guildhall cannot predict which specific skills artists will need when the world reinvents itself, the school can help artists be imaginative, have integrity in what they do and love working hard. Guildhall’s recent three-part production of darkly comic Italian operas, Opera Triple Bill, where alumnus Brenton Spiteri (20122014) plays Peppe in Donizetti's Rita, is now watch available to watch on demand until Friday 27 November, with an introduction by Dominic Wheeler: https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/autumn_2020/opera_triple_bill/ (Be sure to click on ‘Griffiths Cast’, and Rita is the final opera in the performance.) You can read our interview with Dominic on page 11 of The Melba, online now: https://www.melbaoperatrust.com.au/d/TheMelbaSpring2020.pdf Photos from Rita by Mihaela Bodlovic \\ Photography & Design

08.01.2022 Melba mentor and internationally renowned Heldentenor Stuart Skelton’s new recording of Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes with conductor Edward Gardner and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra was recently awarded Gramophone magazine’s Disc of the Month for October. In 2012, 2018 and 2019, Melba Artists have enjoyed master classes with the Sydney-born artist, pictured. Stuart is an incredibly encouraging and supportive mentor; his approach helps to create an environment... where artists feel free to experiment and explore without fearing mistakes. We’re grateful, not only for the positive impact he’s had on our young Melba Artists over the years but, also, for Stuart’s direct contributions to expanding on Melba’s mentor network around the world. The last time Stuart performed in Australia in 2019 was in a concert version of Peter Grimes for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and the cast included fellow Melba mentor Deborah Humble and Melba alumnae Cleo Lee-McGowan (20172019) and Jacqueline Porter - Soprano (2010). While, as Gramophone shared, you could round up more than a baker’s dozen recorded versions officially released of Grimes in all formats, visual and audio Skelton’s recently released version belongs at the very top of the list: an exciting, committed, necessary and brilliantly recorded version for our times. You can read Gramophone’s review in full here: https://www.gramophone.co.uk/r/britten-peter-grimes-gardner or listen to the recording yourself on Apple Music: https://apple.co/3fifT1f We look forward to the prospect of working with Stuart again in future.

08.01.2022 Wonderful to hear that Daniel Carison will sing in the finale of the Internationaler Haydn Wettbewerb in Austria tonight. If you happen to be awake in the early hours and would like to hear Daniel sing some beautiful Haydn, the finale will be live-streamed at 2am! Sending our very best Daniel! https://www.haydnregion-noe.at//3-internationaler-haydn-we

07.01.2022 One of my greatest pleasures through lockdown has been the access to virtual operas, concerts and ballet... above all, from our own Melbas, says donor Annie McFarling. Keeping opera alive and supporting young, early-career artists has been especially vital in a year that has seen the cancellation of so many live performances. While the Melba community has been unable to attend live performances and events, the pandemic has inspired unparalleled creativity in the digital and... virtual space. Read more about community experiences curated from lockdown in the latest edition of The Melba: https://www.melbaoperatrust.com.au/d/TheMelbaSpring2020.pdf Image: Fleuranne Brockway (2018) with Annie McFarling at the 2018 Meet the Artists event.

05.01.2022 Thank you to everyone who joined us last night in Melbourne, or tuned in to the live-stream all around the world, for Melba: Her Legacy in Concert. It was a wonderful night of songs and stories. Our heartfelt thanks to co-presenters Melbourne Digital Concert Hall and sponsors De Bortoli Wines and Nellie Melba Retirement Village Ryman Healthcare Australia who made this landmark celebration possible.

03.01.2022 We're so grateful to Nellie Melba Retirement Village / Ryman Healthcare Australia who will celebrate this special day with us at tonight's Melba: Her Legacy in Concert, co-presented by Melbourne Digital Concert Hall. Last tickets available here! https://melbournedigitalconcerthall.com/melba-her-legacy-i/

02.01.2022 April's Meet the Artists performance series may have been the first time the 2021 Melba Artists performed together in more than 12 months, but you never would have known it. According to the audience, they were 'exemplary', 'a triumph' and 'what Melba is all about'. Don't miss your chance to see these 'impressive' artists in Melba: Her Legacy in Concert; a rare and very special public performance on May 19. https://melbournedigitalconcerthall.com/melba-her-legacy-i/

01.01.2022 Introducing: Melba Amphora. Released today to celebrate 160 years of Nellie Melba, this wine is a new addition to De Bortoli Wines premium range that pays homage to her legacy. De Bortoli Wines Yarra Valley are proud sponsors of our commemorative concert tonight - Melba: Her Legacy in Concert. Live in Melbourne and live-streamed all over the world.... https://melbournedigitalconcerthall.com/melba-her-legacy-i/ See more

01.01.2022 Tomorrow at 7pm (AEDT) alumnus Amir Farid and his long-time duo partner Zoe Knighton (Cello) join forces with Lloyd Van’t Hoff (Clarinet) in a long-awaited collaboration. The concert on Melbourne Digital Concert Hall will feature works by Connesson, Bernstein, Bragato and Brahms. For more information and to purchase tickets visit the website > https://melbournedigitalconcerthall.com/lloyd-amir-zoe/

01.01.2022 Just hours after appearing on stage as Marguerite in Vienna State's Opera's premiere of Faust, Nicole Car will be joining the 2021 Melba Artists on Zoom for an Industry Insights session. Nicole's generosity is widely known. Last year, she founded Freelance Artists Relief Australia to assist classical musicians affected by the closures of COVID-19. Her career journey is an inspiring one for a new generation of artists to hear and learn from.