Broome swept up by magic of opera

“As above, so below,” a famous mystic once said. This couldn’t be more true in the case of Opera Under the Stars 2021. Because it features a stellar lineup of opera singers performing a constellation of operatic and operetta highlights under the stars in the tropical gardens of Broome’s Mangrove Hotel, which overlooks the twinkling waters of Roebuck Bay.

The program’s still being finalised, but we can tell you it will include:

• “Da tempeste il legno infranto” from Handel’s Giulio Cesare
• “Hai già vinto la causa” from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro
• “E lucevan le stelle” from Puccini’s Tosca
• Selections from Verdi’s La traviata and Il Trovatore, Gounod’s Faust and Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers

There’ll also be some lighter songs later in the evening to bring a hearty sense of fun to the second half of the show!

Now to introduce the artists...

Soprano Emma Matthews hardly needs an introduction. Currently Head of Classical Voice and Opera Studies at WAAPA, Emma has sung in numerous operas for Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Opera Australia and WA Opera, including The Cunning Little Vixen, Lakme, La Traviata and The Barber of Seville. She is also a highly regarded recording artist whose titles include Emma Matthews in Monte Carlo (Deutsche Grammophon/ABC Classics) and Mozart Arias (ABC Classics).

“Her voice is as beautiful as ever.” Will Yeoman, Limelight

For some time I’ve been an admirer of tenor Paul O’Neill’s exceptional technique and interpretative daring. Paul has enjoyed a terrific international career, highlights of which include Don José in Carmen for West Australian Opera, Rodolfo (La bohème) and Narraboth (Salome) for Opera Australia, the title role in Faust for Theater Münster, The Duke (Rigoletto) with Opera Holland Park, Opera Australia, West Australian Opera, Staatstheater Karlsruhe and Staatstheater Mainz, and The Italian Tenor (Der Rosenkavalier) for Berlin Staatsoper.

“Paul O’Neill was the consummate showman.” David Cusworth, The West Australian

WA baritone Lachlan Lawton is the new kid on the block who’s set to make waves. A 2020 Wesfarmers Arts Young Artist with West Australian Opera, Lachlann completed a Master of Music at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and studied with acclaimed baritone Quentin Hayes. There he performed in operas such as Gianni Schicchi, Hansel and Gretel and Carmen. Lachlann completed a Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance and a Graduate Diploma of Music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where he performed in Little Women, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Albert Herring and other operas.

Graeme Gilling is a pianist, orchestral and chamber musician, teacher, and adjudicator. He is currently the Chair of Performance and Keyboard Studies at UWA, Principal Keyboard with the WA Symphony Orchestra, and pianist in the Darlington Trio.

fact file

• Opera Under the Stars 2021 is on Saturday August 28 at 8pm (doors open 5.30pm) in the Mangrove Hotel gardens, Broome.
• Patrons can choose from Premium Seating (reserved area): $200 includes complimentary welcome drink; or General Seating (unreserved area): $100. In both cases, a seat is provided with each ticket purchased.
• For bookings, pre-concert dining options and more information, see operaunderthestars.com.au
• Broome Explorer Bus is providing an extra bus service after the performance, following the usual bus route through Old Broome and Chinatown ($3 per person) and on to Cable Beach ($5 per person). For updates see bebus.com.au/events