Timeless opera in full voice on Ulumbarra stage

RENOWNED Australian playwright, director and screenwriter Michael Gow’s production of Mozart masterpiece Don Giovanni will be played out at Ulumbarra Theatre as part of Opera Australia’s latest national tour.

The Don Giovanni tour marks three decades of Opera Australia’s national touring program, which has taken more than 720 performances to over 330,000 people in 139 locations since 1996.

Opera Australia CEO Alex Budd said touring to metropolitan, regional and remote locations is fundamental to Opera Australia’s mission.

“As we celebrate 30 years of our national tour in its current format, we’re proud to continue delivering world-class opera to communities across the country,” he said.

“I’ve seen first-hand the delight and enjoyment this program brings to audiences nationwide, and that connection remains at the heart of why this tour matters.”

Having last toured in 2013, the revival of Gow’s Don Giovanni combines the creative mind of the person regarded as one of Australia’s leading contemporary theatre figures, set and costume designer Robert Kemp, with two-time Helpmann Award-winning lighting designer Matthew Scott.

After his much admired work on previous Opera Australia tours, conductor Simon Bruckard will lead a cast of esteemed singers and musicians in Bendigo on 1 August including tenors Christian Haotian Qi and Andrew Williams, who are sharing the role of Don Giovanni, alongside sopranos Celeste Lazarenko and Jessica Blunt as Donna Anna.

Tenors Kiran Rajasingam and Stephen Marsh play Leporello, Tomas Dalton and Shanul Sharma appear as Don Ottavio and sopranos Cathy-Di Zhang and Jane Magão as Zerlina.

The Don Giovanni – Opera Australia national tour lands in Bendigo on Saturday 1 August.

Tickets can be purchased at Gotix.