Auditions

Information Pack and

Application Form

www.operanewengland.com

operanewengland@gmail.com

Giacomo Puccini - Sung in English - ENO Amanda Holden translation

January 2014

La Bohème

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Opera New England - ONE Welcome Thank you for taking the time to audition for our January 2014 production of Puccini’s La Bohème. These pages contain all of the information you will need to consider and complete your application, but before we get to that let me tell you a few things about who we are. Opera New England (ONE) is a not-for-profit incorporated association whose principal objective is to promote and produce opera to audiences in the NSW New England Region. A unique and exciting feature of ONE is the involvement of current singers or recent graduates from conservatoria or universities. This offers a unique opportunity to develop and showcase your talent whilst also providing exposure of quality productions to the local regional community. Productions are under the creative direction of George Torbay and conducted by Bruce Menzies. We look forward to receiving your application and seeing you at the auditions. Greg Balcombe - Producer

Audition Details

Armidale 28 September – 9 am to 5 pm

The Hoskins Centre The Armidale School

87 Douglas Street Armidale, NSW

Sydney 5 October – 9 am to 5 pm

Peter Seymour Room

Philharmonia Choir building, Pier 4, Hickson Road,

Millers Point

If you are not able to attend on one of the dates listed and would still like to be considered, please send a DVD to the audition panel using the address on the audition form.

Information related to audition requirements can be found on the application form.

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The Audition Committee

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George Torbay - Hailed by The Sydney Morning Herald as “one of Australia's leading musical lights,” George Torbay is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, the University of Sydney and the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. He is currently the Lecturer in Singing at the Arts Academy, University of Ballarat. As a conductor, George is in great demand. In 2000 he conducted and recorded the National Anthem for the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. George was the Director of Music and Judge on Channel 7’s Battle of the Choirs.

George’s musical theatre direction credits include Les Miserables for Alexander Productions at NIDA, The Secret Garden, West Side Story, Me and My Girl, Pirates of

Penzance, Godspell, How to Succeed in Business and Chess – In Concert. As a director his credits include the musical Chess, Jesus Christ Superstar, Titanic – The Musical, Urinetown, the plays Table Manners and The Woman in Black, Blood Brothers and Up For Grabs and the new Australian musical The Hatpin. George directed Opera New England’s inaugural production of The Marriage of Figaro. He is a published arranger with Warner Brothers, Morton Music and Hal Leonard Australia. He is also choral advisor for Hal Leonard Australia for whom he has published eight books entitled CHORALTIME.

Bruce Menzies - Has conducted regularly from the symphonic and choral repertoire for many years. Most recently he directed the Australian premiere of Richard Harvey’s Concerto Incantanto. Bruce directed the Australian premiere of Harvey’s oratorio Plague and the Moonflower and was invited to perform the work at the Woodford Folk Festival in 2007 where it was described by the festivals Director as ‘The performance was my highlight of the 520 events this year at Woodford and will take its place in my top memories of my 18 years as Director of the festival’. In 2008 he conducted the world premiere performances of Elena Kats-Chernin and Ralph Steadman’s Oratorio God’s Drawing Board. Music Theatre conducting credits include The Hatpin, Urinetown, Titanic, Into the Woods, HMS

Pinafore, Sweeney Todd, Orpheus in the Underworld, Les Miserables, Guys & Dolls, Iolanthe, and Me & My Girl. Bruce conducted The Marriage of Figaro for Opera New England’s inaugural production in 2013. A full time medical practitioner Bruce was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the Arts in the Armidale Region, particularly music.

Soprano Rowena Cowley has appeared as soloist for Australia's foremost music organisations including the ABC, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, the Song Company, the Australia Ensemble, Synergy & Musica Viva, and performed at the Adelaide, New Zealand and Sydney Festivals, as well as giving recitals in New York and New Jersey.

Recent performances include a national broadcast with acclaimed pianist Gerard Willems, concerts including Ravel’s Chansons Madécasses, Bernard Rands’s Canti lunatici and a recital of Australian Art Songs of the 21st Century (with a world premiere of Katy Abbott’s Domestic Sublime) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Performances in 2013 include a recital of Italian Art Songs, soprano soloist in Britten’s War Requiem, Sydney Chamber Opera’s Owen Wingrave (Mrs Julien) and a world premiere of The Stubborn Heart, a song cycle by George Palmer. Rowena is a senior lecturer in Voice and Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Her students include many professionals in Australia and internationally, and finalists and winners in a number of major competitions.

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Accommodation

Meals

Venue

Accommodation is included in your living away from home package. You will be accommodated in Abbott House at The Armidale School.

All breakfasts, lunches and dinners will be provided as part of your living away from home package. Fresh fruit and filtered water will also be available. Cast members will be asked if they have any dietary requirements or food allergies. Cast members will be welcomed at a BBQ on the evening of arrival (Thursday 16th January).

The Hoskins Centre is a professional performance space and you will be working with an experienced artistic and production team and a professional orchestra.

We will audition for all principals and a small ensemble. Covers will be selected from the ensemble. Note: Rudolfo and Mimì will be double cast. Cast members will be sent their music following casting of the production. ONE is using the ENO Amanda Holden translation.

Our commitment to you

Music and translation

Your commitment to us

La Bohème will be performed in Armidale NSW at The Hoskins Centre. Cast members will be expected to make their own way to and from Armidale and arrive by 4pm on Thursday 16 January having learnt their role. Rehearsals will be on January 17, 18, 19, 20 with dress rehearsals on January 21 & 22. There will be 4 performances in January 2014

• 23rd – Opening Night • 24th – Gala Performance • 25th – Saturday evening • 26th – Matinee and final performance