LEOŠ JANÁCEK

22 June - 1 July 2017Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse

2

Welcome

Welcome to our production of Cunning Little Vixen.

This work is from Janácek’s final years. He wrote it in 1924, preceding The Makropulos Affair (1926) and his final work From the House of the Dead (1927). Janácek’s late style is unique, an unlikely synthesis of Moravian folk elements, rhythmic complexity and fluidity, hypnotic repetition and an individual take on the harmonic heritage of the 19th and early 20th century: it’s spiky, sometimes unfriendly to performers, but its gestures stay in the memory – they are like nothing else in the operatic canon.

To guide this work, we extend the warmest welcome to both Stuart Maunder AM and Roger Kirk AM, both long standing members of VO’s extended family. It is a particular pleasure to introduce the young and very talented Jack Symonds, Artistic Director of Sydney Chamber Opera, with whom we are collaborating on a number of projects.

Each year, Victorian Opera continues to build its reputation for breaking boundaries and exciting collaborations. The second half of our 2017 season continues in this spirit, with productions including our co-production with Malthouse Theatre of Tom Waits’ Black Rider, Copland’s Youth Opera The Second Hurricane as well as the world premiere of Gordon Kerry’s opera The Snow Queen for Wodonga.

From the entire Victorian Opera family, thank you for joining us at the theatre for Cunning Little Vixen; a profound meditation on youth, growing old and the inexorable march of time – delivered without a trace of sentimentality but with humour, pathos and great life-affirming strength of mind.

RICHARD MILLS AM Artistic Director, Victorian Opera

3

4

Conductor's MessageJack Symonds

In Cunning Little Vixen, Janácek, in his 60s, took his still rapidly developing compositional style to new extremes of expression. Vestiges of the conventions (both musical and dramatic) of pre- 20th century operas are expunged and replaced with a language as flexible, direct and passionate as it is original. Most fascinating is Janácek's unique approach to rhythm: Vixen presents a veritable labyrinth of patterns and speeds which when taken literally (as has certainly not been the case in this work's performance history), create a multilayered sense of time quite in advance of anything written before it. Often, the musical relationships between miniaturised sections are completely irrational and constructed sheerly out of instinct.

Jonathan Dove’s 1998 chamber orchestration reveals to us both the economy and the virtuosity of Janácek’s conception. By reducing a large opera orchestra to mostly single players, Dove exposes the sinuous meshing of lines that drive the cycles of life without omitting a single note.

To force unchecked Romanticism on this piece renders it almost incoherent musically (more damaging still in its even more astringent and idiosyncratic successors, Vec Makropulos and From the House of the Dead), yet the lyrical generosity of Vixen is unceasing and deeply touching. The extraordinary sound-images, such as the poignant loneliness of the humans in the final inn scene, and the eternally reawakening forest at the conclusion are made possible by a compositional language that boldly rethinks the syntax of every musical parameter, yet still remains profoundly engaging and moving for a large audience.

JACK SYMONDS Conductor

5

6

Director's MessageStuart Maunder AM

On the surface, Cunning Little Vixen is simple enough: a musical biography of a fox based on a comic strip filled with furry familiars. It could be seen as little more than an opera for children – it’s based on a comic strip and everything – but it’s impossible to dismiss. It contains some of the most moving music ever written, vivifying life’s most profound and eternal truths.

Modestly described by the composer as a “merry thing with a sad end”, Vixen is a thing of wonder. The story unfolds as a series of seemingly illogical scenes that have little to no care for constraints of time, location or the appropriate order of seasons. Despite its episodic nature, one theme pervades: the cycle of life.

We witness two such cycles. That of an audacious vixen, and that of a Forester, a man on the wrong side of middle age, who over the course of the piece becomes accepting, wise and benevolent. All logic tells us the Forester cannot understand the little frog at the end of the piece, chirruping about the fact that his grandfather told him about the Forester, but the extraordinary music prompted by this tiny moment illuminates the instinctive bond that exists between man and nature - a bond that in these days of climate change debate we ignore at our peril.

Of course, from a production perspective, profoundly human as the themes are, we still need to figure out how to present ‘Nature’ on the stage. Ours is man-made. Human fashions and accessories are repurposed to create the host of vibrantly coloured animal characters. Similarly, manufactured materials are reinvented to create the natural world; Wood is bleached of its colour, processed if you like, steel tortured into trees, cotton woven into flat surfaces, those surfaces brought to brilliant seasonal colour by light. The animal world is as brightly coloured as a David Attenborough documentary - seemingly unnatural yet totally real. The human world on the other hand is monochromatic, thereby holding a magnifying glass to its vivid parallel world that is full of surprises and life for life’s sake.

7

‘Nature’ is a big place and we are here for a short visit only. Its profound, gauche, simple splendour will always be here.

Cunning Little Vixen was Janácek’s personal valentine to the human condition in all its inexplicable, maddening, fierce and beautiful inconsistency. The unexpected majesty, grandeur and emotion of the final sixty seconds of Vixen says it all. The essence of life is a mystery: we can’t fathom it, we can’t harness it, we can’t quantify what it is…but we all instinctively feel the unifying power of the indefinable force, much like music. Musicologists across the centuries have been able to explain the elements of music and how they might be organised, but they are unable to find an explanation for the soul-deep effect of this natural, mysterious, mighty and magical force. All the analysis in the world can’t tell us why, but with a fist pounding the heart we can all say: 'It gets you right here'.

The end of Cunning Little Vixen has ‘got me right there’ from the first time I saw the piece as an 18-year-old student. Now, as an almost 60-year-old, that ‘there’ is still being ‘got’.

STUART MAUNDER AM Director

8

Chorus

Pásek Paul Biencourt

Mrs. Pásková/Lapák Lynlee Williams

Tyrenka/Hen Danielle Calder Cockerel

Alexandra Ioan

Chocholka Cristina Russo

Hen/Jay Diana Simpson

Hen Michelle McCarthy

Hen/Woodpecker Belinda Paterson

Hen Kerrie Bolton

Chorus Paul Hughes

Chorus Michael Lapiña

Chorus Kiran Rajasingam

Children's Chorus

Cricket/Pepík/Fox Cub Sophia Wasley

Frog/Frantík/Fox Cub Lisha Ooi

Bee/Fox Cub Maia Hanrahan

Bee/Fox Cub Harmony Lee

Caterpillar/Fox Cub Maggie Orr

Dragonfly/Fox Cub Eliza O’Connor

Grasshopper/Fox Cub Hayley Edwards

Snail/Fox Cub Emilie Washington

Young Vixen Ruby Ditton

ProductionCunning Little Vixen

22 June - 1 July 2017 Arts Centre Melbourne Playhouse

Composer & Librettist Leoš Janácek

Running time is approximately 90 minutes

plus one 20 minute interval

Creative Team

Conductor Jack Symonds

Director Stuart Maunder AM

Set Designer Richard Roberts

Costume Designer Roger Kirk AM

Lighting Designer Trudy Dalgleish

Production Manager Eduard Inglés

Stage Manager Marina Milankovic

Deputy Stage Manager Elise Stewart

Assistant Stage Manager Katharine Timms

Principal Repetiteur Phillipa Safey

Repetiteur Jacob Abela

Chorus Preparation Phoebe Briggs

Cast

Vixen Celeste Lazarenko

Fox Antoinette Halloran

Forester Barry Ryan OAM

Forester's Wife/Owl Dimity Shepherd

Schoolmaster/Mosquito Brenton Spiteri

Harašta Samuel Dundas

Badger/Parson Jeremy Kleeman

Acknowledgements Jim Atkins, Soundsolo, Show Works, Resolution X, Baaclight.

Surtitles prepared by Jack Symonds.

9

Orchestra Victoria

1st ViolinKristian Winther*

2nd Violin Susannah Ng*

ViolaSusanna Low*

CelloJosephine Vains*

Bass Dennis Vaughan

FluteRebecca Johnson *

Oboe Stephanie Dixon *

ClarinetLawrence Dobell*

BassoonMatthew Angus*

HornsAnton Schroeder*

Raphael Salgado*

TrumpetTristram Williams*

TromboneBob Collins*

PercussionEvan Pritchard*

HarpJulie Raines*

Keyboard/Celeste/Accordion(synth)

Phillipa Safey**

* = Guest Musician ** = VO Music Staff

10

© Roger Kirk AM

11

ACT I

The forest. How Vixen was caught.

The Badger dozes in the afternoon sun. The Dragonfly dances. The Forester pauses for a nap on his way home. While he sleeps, the Cricket and the Caterpillar give a concert. A young Vixen is exploring the forest for the first time. The Forester wakes, and seizes the innocent cub.

The yard of the Forester’s cottage. The Vixen grows up in the Forester’s home.

The Vixen endures the Dog’s sexual advances, and defends herself vigorously against the taunts of the Forester’s children. She is tied up.

The Vixen dreams of her sexual awakening and liberation. Outraged by the economic and sexual slavery of the Hens, she becomes a feminist. But the Hens’ conservatism is too much for her, and she systematically kills them all before escaping.

ACT II

The forest. Vixen finds a home.

The Vixen returns to the forest, and cruelly evicts the Badger from his comfortable home.

The Forester, full of drink, taunts the Schoolmaster about his hopeless passion for Terynka, a gypsy girl. But the Forester too is plagued by the memory of the Vixen he could not tame.

The Vixen follows the Schoolmaster and the Parson as they stumble home. The Schoolmaster mistakes her for Terynka, and is inspired to the make the single most passionate outburst of his life. The Forester persistently hunts the Vixen through the forest.

The Vixen finds a mate, and is soon obliged to marry.

ACT III

The forest. The death of Vixen.

The poacher Harašta is going to visit Terynka, whom he is to marry. He finds a dead hare - one of the Vixen’s victims. The Forester warns him against poaching, and sets a trap for the Vixen.

The Vixen and the Fox play with their cubs. They find the trap, and ridicule the Forester’s incompetence. Harašta returns to pocket the Hare. The Vixen at first outwits him, but is eventually shot.

The Schoolmaster bitterly regrets his lost opportunity – Terynka is to marry today. The Forester embraces his growing age, and happily sets out for a quiet nap in the forest.

The forest.

Inspired by the beauty of nature, the Forester recalls his youth, his imagination ablaze. He sleeps and dreams of the Vixen. A Frog reminds him of the inevitable cycle of nature and existence.

SynopsisCunning Little Vixen

12

BiographiesCunning Little Vixen

JACK SYMONDSConductor

Jack Symonds is a composer, conductor and pianist, and Artistic Director of Sydney Chamber Opera. He has conducted the Australian premieres of major stage works by Dusapin, Kurtág, Benjamin, Romitelli, Kancheli and Britten and world premieres of operas by Gyger, Smetanin and Finsterer. His music has been played by Australian Chamber Orchestra, JACK Quartet, Composers Ensemble, Australia Piano Quartet, Streeton Trio and Timo-Veikko Valve among others, and he has written three stage works for Sydney Chamber Opera, including Notes from Underground. He studied composition at the Royal College of Music, London under Kenneth Hesketh, and gained the university medal from the Sydney Conservatorium.

STUART MAUNDER AMDirector

Stuart made his Victorian Opera debut with Sunday in the Park with George in 2013, returning for Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd. Stuart is currently General Director of New Zealand Opera where his productions include Tosca, The Mikado and Sweeney Todd. For the last thirty years he has been directing musical theatre and opera. He was Artistic Administrator of Opera Australia from 1999 - 2003 and Executive Producer 2004 -2008 where he directed A Little Night Music, My Fair Lady, Tales of Hoffmann, Manon, Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, Trial by Jury, Gypsy Princess, Don Pasquale, Iolanthe and Romèo et Juliette.

RICHARD ROBERTSSet Designer

Richard’s designs include: Rigoletto, Don Pasquale, The Magic Flute, die Fledermaus (Opera Australia); Nixon in China, The Magic Flute, Baroque Triple Bill, The Marriage of Figaro; The Coronation of Poppea, Don Giovanni (Victorian Opera); Rigoletto (NZO); Ruddigore (OperaQ). Dance: Requiem, Molto Vivace, Raymonda (The Australian Ballet); La Sylphide (WA Ballet); La Fille Mal Gardee (WA Ballet/Queensland Ballet). Theatre: The Season (SF/MF); Fiddler on the Roof (TML); Noises Off, Much Ado About Nothing, Tartuffe (QT); Last Man Standing, Solomon and Marion, Next to Normal, The Gift, Frost/Nixon, Macbeth, Dreams in an Empty City, (MTC); True West, Australia Day, Riflemind (STC).

13

ROGER KIRK AMCostume Designer

Roger Kirk AM is a Tony Award-winning set and costume designer for theatre, film and television. He has designed costumes for productions such as The Boy From Oz with Hugh Jackman, The King and I and King Kong. Roger was the costume designer for the film Jesus Christ Superstar, and has worked extensively on set and costume design for Opera Australia. Other credits include Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down The Wind, Silver Rose and Le Corsaire for Munich Opera House. His Broadway credits include The King & I (Tony Award), Jesus Christ Superstar, and 42nd Street (Tony Nomination). Roger most recently staged his production of 42nd Street on the West End.

TRUDY DALGLEISHLighting Designer

Trudy Dalgleish is one of Australia’s most sought after lighting designers. She has won 5 prestigious awards: 2 Helpmann, 2 Green Room, and an Entech, for best lighting designs and outstanding contribution to musical theatre. In 2016 Trudy’s lighting designs included Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks for Ensemble Theatre, Georgy Girl for Georgy Girl Productions, Funny Girl for The Production Company and also associate lighting designer for The Sound of Music for Gordon Frost. This year includes associate lighting designer The Bodyguard for Gordon Frost, and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical for Michael Cassel and lighting designer Melba for Hayes Theatre.

CELESTE LAZARENKOVixen

Celeste Lazarenko is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She has worked extensively with English National Opera, English Touring Opera, Opera North, Angers Nantes, Opéra de Bauge, Opéra de Dijon and Opéra de Rennes. A frequent soloist in Australia, Celeste has performed with Opera Australia’s Tour in the roles of Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Pamina / Second Lady (The Magic Flute) and Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), Pinchgut Opera and the Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras. Later this year, she will perform Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia with Sydney Chamber Opera.

14

ANTOINETTE HALLORANFox

In 2015/2016 Antoinette Halloran sang Fata Morgana in The Love for Three Oranges for Opera Australia, Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd for Victorian Opera and New Zealand Opera (Helpmann Award nomination) and appeared as soloist with the Sydney and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras. 2017 engagements include Tosca for West Australian Opera, associate artist for José Carreras’ National Tour and concerts with the Melbourne, West Australian and Christchurch Symphony Orchestras. Leading appearances for Opera Australia include the title role in Madama Butterfly, Mimi (La bohème), Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire (Green Room Award), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) and Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus).

BARRY RYAN OAMForester

Barry Ryan OAM graduated with honours from the Sydney Conservatorium. Awards include: Shell Aria, New York Metropolitan Auditions, Marten Bequest, Vienna State Opera Award and Green Room Award. In 2013, he received an Order of Australia for his services to classical music. Barry has performed with Royal Opera Covent Garden, La Scala, Opera Comique, Opera Bastille, Deutsche Oper, Komische Oper and as a principal artist with Cologne Opera from 1988-1992. Repertoire includes: Nixon in China, Of Mice and Men, Madama Butterfly, Götterdämmerung, La Bohème, Il Trovatore, Billy Budd and I Pagliacci. World premieres include: Cloudstreet, The Riders and Bliss.

DIMITY SHEPHERDForester's Wife/Owl

Victorian Opera credits include her Green Room Award-winning performance as Cherubino in Marriage Of Figaro, Orphee et Eurydice, Through The Looking Glass, Xerxes, Julius Caesar, La traviata, her Helpmann Award-nominated Lucy in Threepenny Opera, Midnight Son, Banquet of Secrets, The Princess and the Pea, Sweeney Todd, The Riders, Nixon In China and Sunday In The Park With George. She has sung Cherubino for Opera Australia, Rosina in Barber Of Seville and Carmen for Oz Opera, major roles for Opera Queensland, Chamber Made Opera and the title role in The Ghost Wife at the Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney festivals and London’s BITE02 festivals.

BiographiesCunning Little Vixen

15

BRENTON SPITERISchoolmaster/Mosquito

A graduate of the University of Melbourne, Brenton was the 2012 Herald Sun Aria winner. Performance highlights nationally include Tamino, The Magic Flute (State Opera South Australia); Clotarco, Armida (Pinchgut Opera); Almaviva, The Barber of Seville (Melbourne Opera); Britten’s Les Illluminations (Sydney Symphony Orchestra); as well as creating the role of Ashley Crowther in Fly Away Peter and singing the lead in Notes from Underground, both for Sydney Chamber Opera. For two seasons, Brenton was a young artist at Opéra Lyon, singing roles in L’incoronazione di Poppea and Le Roi Carotte, at venues including the Royal Opera House of Versailles.

SAMUEL DUNDASHarašta

Samuel Dundas is a graduate of the Melba Conservatorium of Music and his performance experience encompasses opera, musical theatre and concerts. After making his operatic debut with Opera Queensland in 2005, Samuel went on to become a member of Victorian Opera’s Artist Development program and Opera Australia's Moffatt Oxenbould Young Artist program and subsequently became a principal artist with Opera Australia. He has sung in concert, including with the Adelaide, Melbourne, Tasmanian and West Australian Symphony Orchestras, Australian Youth Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonia. Samuel won the 2013 Lady Fairfax New York Scholarship and in 2014 was the recipient of the inaugural Dame Heather Begg Award.

JEREMY KLEEMANParson/Badger

Jeremy Kleeman is a graduate of Victorian Opera and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music’s Master of Music (Opera Performance), and was on the Joseph Sambrook Scholarship from 2014-2015 with Melba Opera Trust. Important career highlights include Magus in Voyage to the Moon national tour (Musica Viva/Victorian Opera) — Helpmann and Green Room nominations, Toby Raven in Cloudstreet (State Opera of South Australia), Figaro in Marriage of Figaro (Opera Australia Tour), the St. Matthew and John Passions (Melbourne Bach Choir), Teobaldo in Faramondo (Brisbane Baroque), and with Victorian Opera, Stuart Maunder’s Sondheim Trilogy and the title role in The Magic Pudding.

16

Meet the ChorusCunning Little Vixen

If you could be any animal, which would you choose?

ADULT CHORUS

PAUL BIENCOURT PásekA wolf, because I’d like to be free to run through the forest and howl at the moon. For VO, I performed Flinck/Torquinius and the other supporting tenor roles in Through the Looking Glass.

LYNLEE WILLIAMS Mrs. Pásková/LapákA black panther because they’re strong, fast, majestic, mysterious and gorgeous. For VO, I most recently performed in La Sonnambula.

DANIELLE CALDER Tyrenka/HenAn orca would be brilliant! I was a Developing Artist for VO way back when, singing roles such as Giannetta in Elixir and Governess in Turn of the Screw.

ALEXANDRA IOAN CockerelA bird. Maybe not a cockerel though, but a bird that can fly freely. I last appeared in VO’s regional tour as Rosemary Sprig in The Pied Piper and the Dressmaker in Cinderella.

CRISTINA RUSSO ChocholkaWhat do you mean by ‘choose’? I am a chicken. Recent roles for VO include the Ugly Stepsister Noémie in Cinderella, and Beatrice Brittle and the Cat in The Pied Piper.

DIANA SIMPSON Hen/JayA dolphin, swimming in the ocean and frolicking in the surf. I love how they are so social and fun-loving. For VO, I most recently sang in the chorus for La Sonnambula.

MICHELLE MCCARTHY HenA dolphin, because they are smart but don't take themselves too seriously. My debut with VO was as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.

BELINDA PATERSON Hen/WoodpeckerA lorikeet – they're intelligent, beautiful and spend time hanging around in trees shouting at each other. I sang in VO’s inaugural gala concert and Così fan Tutte in 2006. (I'm wearing my Così shoes for my hen costume in Vixen!)

KERRIE BOLTON HenA cat. They can get away with almost anything! Independent and fluffy, but have claws when needed. My debut with VO was the inaugural gala concert in 2006.

PAUL HUGHES ChorusA jaguar. As a kid, my job was to clean my mother’s 1965 Mark II Jaguar every week. I was fascinated with the way the car actually resembled a cat on its haunches. I appeared as Seneca in Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea.

17

MICHAEL LAPINA ChorusA dolphin, as they’re always smiling, and so free-spirited. I sang the role of Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor.

KIRAN RAJASINGAM ChorusA Labrador. They’re loyal, joyful and man’s best friend. For VO, I was The King in Massenet’s Cinderella.

CHILDREN'S CHORUS

SOPHIA WASLEY Cricket/Pepík/Fox CubA dolphin, because they bring so much joy to people! I played a saint in VO’s youth opera, Four Saints in Three Acts.

LISHA OOI Frog/Frantík/Fox CubAn eagle, so I could fly anywhere and always avoid traffic! Last year, I appeared in VO’s Four Saints in Three Acts.

MAIA HANRAHAN Bee/Fox CubA fennec fox, because they’re sly and smart. I’m making my VO debut in Cunning Little Vixen!

HARMONY LEE Bee/Fox CubAn orangutan. I would like to emulate the carefree way they swing through life. I sang in VO's Four Saints in Three Acts.

MAGGIE ORR Caterpillar/Fox CubA lion. They’re majestic and fluffy. I was in VO’s youth opera, Four Saints in Three Acts.

ELIZA O'CONNOR Dragonfly/Fox CubA butterfly, because having wings would be very cool. In 2016, I appeared in VO’s Four Saints in Three Acts.

HAYLEY EDWARDS Grasshopper/Fox CubAnything that can fly! I could watch the world from above. I was in VO’s youth opera, Four Saints in Three Acts.

EMILIE WASHINGTON Snail/Fox CubA seal. They are so beautiful, fast and fierce. I’m making my VO debut in Cunning Little Vixen!

RUBY DITTON Young VixenA snow leopard, because they’re fluffy! This is my first performance with VO.

© Roger Kirk AM

18

19

20

Victorian OperaAbout Us

Victorian Opera is a leader in the Australian opera scene. The company has established itself with innovative programming, diverse repertoire and exciting new work. We’ve commissioned 17 new Australian operas in our 11 year

history and have staged at least one new work every season. Employing hundreds across the arts each year, we recruit the finest local and international singers and collaborate with a wide range of musicians, creative teams and companies from around the country and overseas.

The next generation of talent is developed from the Youth Chorus Ensemble through to the company’s Developing Artist

© Zan Wimberley

21

Kanen Breen returns in Black Rider15 September - 8 OctoberMerlyn Theatre, The Coopers Malthouse

Program. Victorian Opera has inspired over 600 young singers through our youth opera program and developed over 30 emerging artists. Victorian Opera is committed to the accessibility of opera through tactile tours, and audio described and relaxed performances. The company annually tours its Education and Community Engagement Programs state-wide with an ongoing commitment to staging opera in Tasmania.

Join the Chorus Go behind the scenes to learn more about our work.

victorianopera.com.au

@VictorianOpera #victorianopera

22

1500+ VENUES AUSTRALIA WIDETO BOOK A CAMPAIGN OR TO FIND A DISPLAY VISIT US ONLINE

25YEARS IN 2017

23

1500+ VENUES AUSTRALIA WIDETO BOOK A CAMPAIGN ORTO FIND A DISPLAY VISIT US ONLINE

25YEARS IN 2017

24

Butler Freight Services is one of Australia’s premier wharf transport companies.

Their personalised service ensures the safe and efficient delivery of your goods wherever, whenever, from the Melbourne waterfront.

Auscoastal Logistics is a proud supply partner of Victorian Opera, providing freight and on-site storage facilities for the company’s sets and costumes.

Auscoastal Logistics is an intermodal specialist servicing all major cities in Australia.

Give your freight the best seat in the house.

25

26

PatronsVictorian Opera

If you would like to get more involved in the work of Victorian Opera by becoming a Patron, please contact Pooja Dutt, Individual Giving Manager on 03 9001 6408 or poojad@victorianopera.com.au

Founding Patrons The Late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE Lady Potter AC

Leadership Circle ($20,000+) Hans & Petra Henkell* Maureen & Tony Wheeler Dr John & Elizabeth Wright-Smith*

Artistic Directors Circle ($10,000+) Deanne Bevan & Guy Russo Rob & Caroline Clemente John & Diana Frew Jane Hemstritch Suzanne Kirkham* Peter & Anne Laver Geraldine Lazarus & Greig Gailey* Dr Richard Mills AM

Platinum Patrons ($5,000+) Beth Brown & Tom Bruce AM* Siobhan Lenihan* Peter Lovell Kaye Marion Don & Angela Mercer Marian & Ken Scarlett OAM* Greg Shalit & Miriam Faine

Gold Patrons ($2,500+) Joanna Baevski Ian Baker & Cheryl Saunders Dr Terry Cutler Craig D’Alton & Peter Sherlock Bob Garlick Dr Jennifer George & Rev Matthew Williams Mary-Jane Gething & Joseph Sambrook Daniel Goodfellow & Matthew Burgess M Gordon & L Norton Peter & Jenny Hordern Stewart & Denise Jackel Ian Kennedy AM & Dr Sandra Hacker AO Joan & George Lefroy Ian Merrylees Michael Rigg & Gerard Condon John & Elisabeth Schiller Tim & Lynne Sherwood Lady Southey Felicity Teague Liz & Peter Turner Earl & Countess of Wilton Anonymous (1)

Silver Patrons ($1,000+) Laurie Bebbington & Elizabeth O’Keeffe Kirsty Bennett Box Family The Hon David Byrne Terry & Christine Campbell Deidre Cowan Ernest Dawes OBE & Nola Dawes Bill Fleming John & Gaye Gaylard Brian Goddard Nance Grant AM MBE & Ian Harris Richard & Isabella Green Lesley Griffin Hartmut & Ruth Hofmann Simon L Jackson & Brian Warburton Sean Kelly Rod & Daniele Kemp Alun & Patricia Kenwood Angela & Richard Kirsner

27

John & Lynne Landy Dr Paul & Glenys Lejins Dr Anne Lierse Douglas & Rosemary Meagher Jane Morris Greg Noonan Ruth & Tom O’Dea Jillian Pappas Jane Patrick & Robert Evans Lynette Payne Prof Margaret Plant Prof Dimity Reed AM Prof John Rickard Tomasz & Elzbeita Romanowski Graeme Samuel AC & Jill Davies Michael Sassella Andrew Snell Penny Stragalinos Andrea Tappe Prof Hugh Taylor AC & Dr Liz Dax AM Caroline Travers OAM Dr Michael Troy Chris & Helen Trueman Caroline Vaillant David Valentine Catherine Walter AM Russell Waters & Marissa Barter-Waters Ian A Watts Youth Music Foundation of Australia Anonymous (3)

Bronze Patrons ($500+) Jenny Anderson Ines & Dr Don Behrend John & Nancy Bomford Pam Caldwell Keith Chivers & Ronald Peel Dr Jennifer Coghlan-Bell & A/Prof Simon Bell Laurie David Beatrice & Richard Donkin Dr M Elizabeth Douglas Jean Dunn Dennis Freeman Jill & Robert Grogan

Dr Irene Irvine Dr Garry Joslin Angela Kayser I Kearsey & M J Ridley Michael Kirwan Robert & Pamela Knight Jane Kunstler Richard Laslett Peter & Susan Martin Jocelyn & Andrew McLeish Gillian Montgomery Carmel Morfuni Ian Morrey & Dr Geoffrey Minter Prof Greg J Reinhardt Ruth & Ralph Renard Aubrey Schrader Dr John & Thea Scott Prof Michael Smith Prof Elsdon Storey Tam Vu & Cherilyn Tillman Anonymous (8)

Bequests G Bawden and L DeKievet Lesley Bawden Frank and Danielle Chamberlin Colin Gunther and Richard Laslett Jane Kunstler Tony Wildman and Robert Gibbs Anonymous (3)

*Victorian Opera would like to thank thefollowing patrons for their support of ourEducation and New Work Syndicates:

Education SyndicateHans & Petra HenkellGeraldine Lazarus & Greig GaileyDr John & Elizabeth Wright-Smith

New Work SyndicateBeth Brown & Tom Bruce AMSuzanne KirkhamSiobhan LenihanMarian & Ken Scarlett OAM

28

Orchestra Victoria

Government Relations & Strategic Communications Manager Dana Moran

Corporate Partnerships Account Manager Fiona Gosschalk

Trust & Foundations Manager Jo McEniery

Patrons Manager Olivia Passmore (03) 9669 2776oliviap@australianballet.com.au

Orchestra Victoria is assisted by the Commonwealth Government

through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

Orchestra Victoria is supported by the Victorian Government through

Creative Victoria

Principal Regional Partner

Orchestra Victoria is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Australian Ballet.

T: (03) 9694 3600

www.australianballet.com.au

Management Artistic Director Nicolette Fraillon AM

Acting General Manager Sara Pheasant

Operations Manager Fiona Boundy

Project Manager Elise Lerpiniere

Deputy Orchestra Manager Harriette Blanden

Operations Coordinator Mark Lowrey

Operations Assistant Rachel Owen

Orchestra Librarian Glynn Davies

Orchestra Administration Coordinator Megan Steller

Orchestra Management Assistant Lucy Barker

HR Consultant Ange Park

Marketing Specialist Melissa Ray

29

Philanthropy at Orchestra Victoria

Endowment FundsEducationLesley & Bob Qualtrough BequestThe Judith & Alasdair McCallum Fund

Hamilton and Western District FundGeoff and Helen Handbury Foundation

EstatesMrs Neilma Baillieu Gantner

Trusts & FoundationsGandel PhilanthropyThe William Buckland Foundation

Planned GivingG C Bawden & L de Kievit

Annual GivingThe Conductor's PodiumMr Robert Albert AO RFD RD & Mrs Elizabeth AlbertGeoff and Helen Handbury Foundation

The Concertmaster's EnsembleJoan and Peter Clemenger TrustMr Richard Guy OAM & Ms Claire GuyMs Linda HerdDr Peter A KingsburyAvner Klein & Maria PannozoPrescott Family Foundation

Principal PatronsThe Late Betty Amsden AOGaye & John GaylardHenkell Family FundDr Alastair JacksonJudith & Alasdair McCallumDon & Angela MercerMrs Margaret S Ross AMVictor & Karen Wayne

PatronsDavid & Cindy AbbeyG C Bawden & L de KievitMarc Besen AC & Eva Besen AOTom Bruce & Beth BrownPeter & Ivanka CanetMr Jim Cousins AO & Mrs Libby CousinsG CroftMs Jane Edmanson OAMLouis J. Hamon OAMRussell and Jenni JenkinsPeter & Carmel JohnsonDr Nicholas Lis and Mrs Gabrielle MichauMaple-Brown AbbottH.McKenziePeter McLennan & John LandersMs Marilyn MeyerMichelle and Ian MooreProf David PeningtonLady Potter AC CMRIKerryn PratchettMr John RedmanAdrienne ShawPeter & Christine SmedleyLibby SmithBruce & Leona SterlingH & EA Van HerkHenry WintersHelen & Wayne WorladgeIgor Zambelli & Jenny LeeAnonymous (5)

Orchestra Victoria Instrument acquisition is supported by Creative

Partnerships Australia through Plus1

Current as at 20 January 2017

30

Whilst enchanting voices and beautiful singing are at the core of every opera, each production relies on a team of highly skilled craftsmen and women who help bring the show to life.

A mainstage performance takes months of preparation, and a large group of talented people drawing, building, painting and tailoring to deliver your unforgettable night at the opera.

Your generous support makes it possible for us to bring world class opera to audiences across Victoria. We love sharing our craft with you.

As a Patron, you will see, hear and feel the creative process for yourself, from artist talks and design previews to workshops and rehearsal viewings.

Make a tax deductible donation before 30 June 2017, and join our valued community of Patrons at Victorian Opera.

Donate online or contact Pooja Dutt, Individual Giving Manager on (03) 9001 6408 or poojad@victorianopera.com.au

The Sleeping Beauty (2017)

Help Us Make Opera For You

31

StaffVictorian Opera

Conductor Emeritus Richard Gill AO

Victorian Opera Board Chairman Jane Hemstritch Roger Box, Vivienne Corcoran, Jane Harvey, Siobhan Lenihan, Selina Lightfoot, Stephen McIntyre, Grant Powell, Penny Stragalinos, Francis Ebury, Earl of Wilton (Board Observer), Megan Waller (Board Observer)

ExecutiveArtistic Director Dr Richard Mills AM

Managing Director Andrew Snell

Executive Producer & Artistic Associate Libby Hill

Artistic, Engagement & ProductionHead of Music Phoebe Briggs

Repetiteur Phillipa Safey

Company Manager Kate Stephens

Assistant Company ManagerCandice MacAllister

Education Officer Deborah Vanderwerp

Production Manager Eduard Inglés

Technical & Operations Coordinator Peter Darby

Production Coordinator Luke Hales

Costume Supervisor Joanne Paterson

VOYCE Angus Grant

Finance & AdministrationFinance & HR Manager John Orr

Finance Assistant Claire Voumard

Marketing

Marketing, Media & Sales Manager Henri MarronMarketing & Communications Coordinator Alexia JordanMedia & Communications Executive Scott WhinfieldCRM & Ticketing Executive Nichole O'Duffy Development Development Manager Louise O'Loughlin Individual Giving Manager Pooja Dutt Development Executive Meredith Dellar Events Coordinator/Office Administration Sharni Morter, Alexandra Reade

2017 Season StaffHead Mechanist Mark BradfordHead of Wigs Trent WhitmoreSurtitle Operator Tim MallisWardrobe Staff David Anderson, Emily Circles, Justine Coultham, Isobel Hutton, Lyn Molloy, Mandy Nichols, Madeleine Somers, John Van Gastel, Narelle Wilson, Nina Wilson Costume Props Adrienne ChisholmWigs/Make-up Isaac Hanlon, Christine Miller, Brett Morley, Cheryl Williams

Developing ArtistsDesign Candice MacAllister Direction Alastair Clark Opera Performance Shakira Dugan, Michelle McCarthy, Cleo Lee-McGowan, Stephen Marsh

Photography Charlie KinrossProgramme Design Sharni Morter

32

33

Official Partner Media Partner

Foundation Partner University Partner Awards

Government Partners

Supply Partners

Performance Partners

Trusts & Foundations

Our PartnersVictorian Opera

William Angliss Charitable Fund

Gras Foundation

We acknowledge and thank our partners who make our work possible.

Gailey LazarusFoundation

Henkell Family Fund

I N N O V A T I O N A W A R D

N O M I N E E 2 0 1 7

34

G E T C LO S E R TO T H E M U S I C

A U S T R A L I A’ S C L A S S I C A L M U S I C & A R T S M A G A Z I N E

CONSUMER MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR 2013

CLASSICAL MUSIC, OPERA, DANCE, THEATRE, VISUAL ART

SUBSCRIPTIONS FROM JUST $16 FOR 3 ISSUESwww.limelightmagazine.com.au

35

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURA MANARITI

BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS

Elegance. Style. Individuality.

131 TOORAK ROAD I SOUTH YARRA

MELBOURNE I AUSTRALIA

+61 3 9821 4613

VICTORIAWHITELAW.COM.AU

BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS

170613_MagAdA5_FA.indd 1 13/6/17 12:17 pm