Season Preview 2020

West Australian Opera has revealed its program for 2020, which kicks off with Jimmy Chi’s beloved coming-of-age musical Bran Nue Dae. Presented in association with Perth Festival, the nationally touring Opera Conference production celebrates the work’s 30th anniversary. About a boy who hitchhikes his way from mission school back to Broome in the 1960s, the musical combines rock and roll, gospel, country and blues.

Bran Nue Dae. Photos supplied

Up next is Humperdinck’s beloved Hansel and Gretel, which will form the company’s annual ‘Opera in the Park’ presentation in the Supreme Court Gardens. Featuring the work of media artist Sohan Ariel Hayes, it stars mezzo-soprano Ashlyn Tymms as Hansel and Pia Harris as Gretel, with Christopher van Tuinen conducting.

In February, the company teams up with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Perth Festival to present Beethoven’s Fidelio, in celebration of the composer’s 250th anniversary year. Led by WASO Principal Conductor Asher Fisch, German soprano Christiane Libor stars as Leonore, with Croatian tenor Tomislav Mužek as Florestan. Directed by Clare Watson, the production features dramatic text by Alison Croggon and...