Line-up announced for Opera in the Arboretum
The Rotary Club of Woy Woy has announced the singers who will perform for the next Opera in the Arboretum in Pearl Beach to be held next March.
The line-up includes tenor David Hobson, mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell, local soprano Michaele Archer and baritone Andrew Jones.
Ms Archer, artistic director of the event, described the booking of tenor David Hobson as "a major coup".
Ms Archer said David Hobson started his career in rock and jazz bands but his potential as a classical singer was discovered by the Victoria State Opera in the 1980s.
"He subsequently made his name with Opera Australia in his award winning performance of Rodolfo in La boheme directed by Baz Luhrmann (filmed in the early 1990s to world wide acclaim).
"Since then he has gone on to become a well-regarded classical performer, major recording artist, most recently a music theatre leading man and a frequent television performer on shows like Carols By Candlelight, Carols in The Domain, Spicks and Specks, Dancing With the Stars (finalist in 2007), It Takes Two (winning with model-singer Erika Heynatz in 2006 and with comedian and TV host Julia Morris in 2008) and a presenter on Foxtel's Studio.
"He has performed for the Queen in the Great Hall in Canberra and sung at the AFL Grand Final."
Also appearing at Opera in the Arboretum 2017 will be Sally-Anne Russell, who Ms Archer described as " one of Australia's finest mezzo sopranos".
"Ms Russell has over 50 operatic roles in her repertoire and has sung in 15 countries including the United States, Austria, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, New Zealand, Japan and Canada.
"As a principal guest artist she has sung with Opera Australia, all of the State Opera companies and all of the major Australian symphony orchestras.
"Sally-Anne's many CDs and DVDs include her solo operatic disc Enchanting, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater (winner of the 2005 ARIA Listeners Choice), Bach Arias and Duets (ARIA Nominated), Mozart's Requiem, Don John of Austria, Top 100 ABC Concert Gala, Opera Australia's Golden Jubilee/50th Anniversary DVD (ABC Classics), Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges (Chandos) and The No 1 Classical Album 2007 and 2009 (Decca)."
Ms Archer said that the event will welcome Andrew Jones, "one of Australia's most outstanding baritones", for his first appearance.
"Andrew Jones' concert repertoire includes the baritone solos in Orff's Carmina Burana and Faure's Requiem.
"He appeared in Victoria Opera's Gala Opening Concert, Opera Australia's 2010 New Year's Eve Gala and has been a frequent soloist for Orchestra Victoria.
"In 2015, he performed the title role in Le nozze di Figaro and Marcello in La boheme for Opera Australia.
"He also appears as soloist for Royal Melbourne Philharmonic, Darwin Symphony and for Opera in the Domain."
Ms Archer said she had been the event's artistic director since its inception in 2006.
This time she will also perform some all-time favourites.
Ms Archer said she had performed extensively nationally and internationally and had studied in New York with world renowned voice teacher, David Jones who works with singers at the Metropolitan Opera.
She had performed with Opera Australia in Turandot, Otello, and Werther and as a guest soloist in concert, she said.
"Other roles include Emmie in Albert Herring (Opera Australia), Mrs Peachum in The Beggars Opera, Nedda in Pagliacci and Tosca."
Ms Archer said she had appeared with the Central Coast Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonia and has performed as the soprano soloist in Orf's Camina Burana, Mendelssohn's Symphony Nr.2 and The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins."
Opera in the Arboretum will feature instrumentalists Francis Greep on piano and Sally Maer on cello.
They will be supported by the Central Coast Chamber orchestra.
Ms Archer said: "Francis Greep will be on the piano for the second time and has gained an international reputation for his work as a vocal coach, recitalist, chorus master, continuo player and conductor.
"Now based in Australia, he has worked for Opera Australia as part of the music staff and as
assistant chorus master and for West Australian Opera and Houston Grand Opera, both as head of music.
Ms Archer said he would be accompanied by cellist Sally Maer.
"For someone who has played with some of the world's greatest orchestras, Sally Maer's face seems to light up the most when reminiscing about her time as a busker in London's Covent Garden," he said.
"As a born and bred Londoner and whilst studying at the Royal Academy of Music, busking was giving Maer the chance to explore performing in a way that she could not do from only playing in the more serious setting of the concert hall."
Ms Archer said Ms Maer had carved out her own style as a "cello diva" and had later become a headline act on luxury cruise ships like the QMII and toured as the support act for the Opera group, Amici.
The event would not be complete without the Central Coast Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Patrick Brennan, according to Ms Archer.
"The Central Coast Chamber Orchestra is a part of the Central Coast Conservatorium which is a community-based, non-tertiary institution, funded by the local community in the form of tuition fees and assisted by the State Government.
"For many years, The Rotary Club of Woy Woy through its Opera in the Arboretum event has provided the opportunity for talented young musicians of the Central Coast Conservatorium's Chamber Orchestra to accompany some of Australia's finest opera singers."
For this performance, the orchestra will consist of more than 20 "very talented youngsters" on a wide variety of instruments from violins and violas to flute, bassoon, French horn and clarinet.
Tickets go on sale in November and the event usually sells out early.
Email, 20 Sep 2016
Michaele Archer, Woy Woy Rotary Club