Curated and Produced by Jenna Robertson

Presented by OperaBox, Perth, Australia

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9, 11 and 16 September 2016, 7.30pm
Joy Shepherd Performing Arts Centre at St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls, Mosman Park, WA

13 September 2016, 7.30pm
Concert Performance at Darlington Hall, Darlington WA

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Celebrating 100 years since this sparkling gem of the Richard Strauss operatic repertoire was premiered, OperaBox presented the WA Premiere of Ariadne auf Naxos with orchestra.  A clever combination of comedy and tragic opera, Ariadne auf Naxos tells a story of the competition between high art and popular art. Artists on each side fight for their work in a hilarious prologue and we ultimately enjoy the beauty of both as they are performed simultaneously in an ‘opera within the opera’.

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This exciting new production was created by award-winning theatre director Kathryn Osborne, "one of our best young theatre directors" (The West Australian) and leading the cast and orchestra in full orchestration is the magnetic Christopher Dragon, currently Associate Conductor at Colorado Symphony Orchestra (USA), and former Assistant Conductor at the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO).  2015 Herald Sun Aria Winner, Melbourne-based soprano Fiona Jopson will make her role debut and WA debut in the title role of Ariadne and Prima Donna. One of Australasia’s most outstanding and popular tenors Henry Choo, will return to the role of Bacchus after his critically acclaimed debut earlier this year in Melbourne. Also featuring some of Perth’s best operatic talent in their role debuts including Jenna Robertson as Zerbinetta, Eva-Marie Middleton as The Composer, Michael Heap as The Music Master, Kristin Bowtell, Simon Wood, Charles Bogle, Ry Charleson, Christina The, Alexandra Bak, Belinda Cox and Nick Maclaine in the speaking role of The Major-Domo.

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The opera was performed in German with English surtitles.

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Music by Richard Strauss

Libretto by Hugo von Hoffmansthal

Creative Producer -  Jenna Robertson

Conductor - Christopher Dragon
Director -Kathryn Osborne
Assistant Director - Nick Maclaine
Set Design - Laura Heffernan
Costume Design - Rhiannon Walker
Lighting Design - Beth Ewell

Surtitles - Kathryn Osborne and Nick Maclaine

Surtitles Translation - Anja Schultz

German Coach - Inka Vernon
Advisor - Jolanta Nagajek
Repetiteur - Ryan Davies
 

Prima Donna/Ariadne - Fiona Jopson

The Tenor/Bacchus - Henry Choo

Zerbinetta - Jenna Robertson

Der Komponist - Eva-Marie Middleton

Der Musiklehrer - Michael Heap

Ein Perückmacher/Harlekin - Kristin Bowtell

Scaramuccio - Simon Wood

Ein Offizier/Ein Tanzmeister/Brighella - Ry Charleson

Ein Lakai/Truffaldin - Charles Bogle

Najade - Christina The

Echo - Alexandra Bak

Dryade - Belinda Cox

Der Haushofmeister - Nick Maclaine

Echo (cover) - Esther Counsel

and the OperaBox Orchestra led by Ruth Klein Cook 

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“Perth opera company OperaBox…with Ariadne auf Naxos…have come up with a real tour de force.”
William Yeoman, The West Australian

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“An edgy, hilarious production of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos…established OperaBox as a company that was serious about presenting operatic rarities at a professional level.”
Rosalind Appleby, Australian Book Review

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