On 26 August, Lyric Opera of Melbourne will return to the stage after two and a half years away from live performance. As part of a new partnership with Melbourne-based company Theatre Works, Lyric Opera will present Elena Kats-Chernin’s first opera Iphis, a bold re-imagining of Ovid’s Metamorphosis with a libretto by Richard Toop. The production forms part of Lyric Opera’s efforts to address the ongoing gender disparity in today’s opera industry. Artistic Director of Lyric Opera Melbourne Patrick Burns discusses the upcoming production.

Iphis. Image Supplied.

With Iphis being Lyric Opera’s first production coming out of the pandemic, how are you and the rest of the company feeling in the lead up to the opening?

We are definitely very excited to be back performing to our audience again. The performing calendar is once again starting to become very busy in Melbourne, so several of our artists are balancing multiple projects across several companies. Likewise, it is a brave new world, having to rehearse with COVID mitigation plans in place and the use of masks to minimise...