In honour of the centenary of the great Italian composer’s death, Melbourne Opera presents Puccini Festival from 15-25 September.
The festival will feature a new fully staged production of Puccini’s most popular and romantic opera, La Bohème, as well as a Puccini Gala. The gala includes a concert performance of Puccini’s moving one-act masterpiece Suor Angelica, followed by a highlights concert featuring selections from Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Manon Lescaut, and Turandot.
La Bohème
La Bohème, directed by award-winning Gary Abrahams, boasts an extraordinary cast, including two of the country’s leading sopranos on stage together for the first time.
Elena Xanthoudakis will debut as Mimi, while Helena Dix will play Musetta. Both sopranos began their careers in the Australian Girls Choir and have since achieved illustrious international careers in the United Kingdom. Other cast members include Boyd Owen, Christopher Tonkin, Stephen Smith, Darcy Carroll, John Bolton-Wood, and Asher Reichman.
La Bohème will be performed at the Athenaeum Theatre on 15, 18, 21, and 24 September 2024.
The Puccini Gala, including Suor Angelica
Helena Dix will also star in the title role of Suor Angelica, joined by mezzo-soprano Deborah Humble (The Ring Cycle) and supported by a suite of outstanding new female singers from the Richard Divall Program. Lee Abrahmsen (The Ring Cycle) will lead the Puccini highlights concert, which also features Michael Lapina, Chris Hillier, and the Melbourne Opera Chorus and Orchestra.
The Puccini Gala, including Suor Angelica, will be performed at the Athenaeum Theatre on 22 and 25 September 2024.
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