Wellington Opera is an opera company based in Wellington, New Zealand formed in 2020 by the Wellington Opera Trust, a charitable organisation, with funding and support from Creative New Zealand, Wellington City Council and the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation.[1]
The Wellington Opera Trust | |
 | |
| Formation | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Type | Opera company |
| Location |
|
Chair | |
Artistic Director |
|
| Website | Official website |
History edit
The company's first staging was a production of Mozart's Don Giovanni in Wellington's Opera House directed by Sara Brodie, in April 2021. The cast included New Zealand-born bass-baritone James Ioelu, Christian Thurston, and Amelia Berry, accompanied by Orchestra Wellington conducted by artistic director Matthew Ross. The performances were well attended and received positive reviews.[2][3]
The 2022 production of Verdi's La traviata reopened Wellington's largest theatre, the St James Theatre, after it was closed in 2018 for earthquake strengthening work after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake. The opening night performance was somewhat hampered by COVID-19 infections among the cast and crew, but was nonetheless received positively by the audience and reviewers.[4]
References edit
- ^ Chumko, Andre (6 October 2021). "Wellington Opera to help reopen St James Theatre with La Traviata". Stuff. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ Wilson, Roger (20 April 2021). "Review: Wellington Opera's quirky Don Giovanni offers promise to even more to come". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 11 November 2022 – via Stuff.
- ^ Mechen, Peter (20 April 2021). "Mozart's Don Giovanni from the new Wellington Opera Company – a promising beginning". Middle C. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ Rashbrooke, Max (10 July 2022). "Covid casts shadow over opening night of ingenious, carefully designed La Traviata". Stuff. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
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