I have been fortunate in finding myself in many exotic places over the years in the pursuit of my work in opera. Two of the more unlikely places have been Marrakesh in Morocco, where I attended a staff retreat of a French opera company which I was advising; and Nevis - yes and the Four Seasons Hotel to top it off - where early discussions took place about the formation of the European Union Opera which was the project I was running immediately before coming to Chicago in 1999. The most life changing was I guess my three visits to China between 1980 and 1986. I long to go back there though Beijing and Shanghai will be unrecognizable to me now. What changes there have been in 25 years!
So our operatic world spreads far and wide and I was delighted to receive this evening an email from the remarkable Ken Neilsen who with his wife Liz is running the most unlikely opera company in Sydney, Australia - the Pinchgut Opera. Ken has decided to start a blog - in its infancy, just two days old as far as I can see. But it will be worth watching over the coming weeks as he chronicles the rehearsals for their new production of Idomeneo. It was at Pinchgut that Justin Way, the gifted Australian director of our Entfuehrung in May this year, cut his teeth. His Dardanus for Pinchgut was the big
success of their 2005 season.
Justin, who lives in London and is a Staff Director at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, has graduated to do a new Alcina for the big boys in Sydney, Opera Australia, next season. So Pinchgut is just a great launching pad with its own very special values. Its Joint Artistic Director is Antony Walker, the recently appointed Music Director of the Pittsburgh Opera - a fine company which has grown enormously in reputation under the artistic leadership of Christopher Hahn. Antony Walker is a terrific last piece to add to the picture. Meanwhile Justin will of course be returning to COT - 2008 - and we have a three season project for him after that. Very exciting times ahead. Above is a reminder of the beautiful Entfuehrung here which was designed by the same team of Andrew Hays and Kimm Kovac that will design OA's Alcina.
I am greatly looking forward to being back in Sydney next summer. This is some engine room of creativity and always refreshing. And it will be great to see Ken and Liz Nielsen again.
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