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An opera Adriana Lecouvreur laying in purple pool of water with flowers around her.

Opera Australia

Season 2023

Fly on the wings of madness, melancholy, and music in 2023. Opera is never tame. From your seat, you can feel the passion of first love, blossoming in tender duet. Watch devotion descend into desperation with a soprano in full flight. Delight in drama worlds away.

In 2023, you can see operas few people have ever heard live, hear incredible voices from performers at the top of their game, and enjoy beloved productions of operas you know and love.

Hear some of the world’s greatest voices in the rarely performed Adriana Lecouvreur.

You can see the celebrated classics of Opera Australia’s repertoire, La Bohème and Rigoletto. The moody Don Giovanni returns to thrill with new voices. Aidas immersive digital set will have you in awe, with floor-to-ceiling dynamic screens bringing the riches of conquering Egypt into sharp focus.

Australia’s greatest opera export, Jessica Pratt, follows in the footsteps of Dame Joan Sutherland by expertly singing the four female lead roles in The Tales of Hoffmannbefore taking on opera’s greatest mad scenes in her solo concert Mad Scenes with Jessica Pratt.

The “world’s greatest tenor” (AFR) Jonas Kaufmann takes to the stage for a role debut in the very special concert performances of La Gioconda as part of Sydney Opera Houses 50th anniversary celebrations. Roberto Devereux in Concert is a fitting end to Opera Australia’s Tudor Queen trilogy.

Opera Australia’s chorus takes to the stage in Chorus!a celebration of the human voice bringing the greatest chorus numbers of the opera canon together for one grand performance.

Madama Butterfly is renowned for its tragic beauty and stunning music. In 2023, see it on the harbour stage, with Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge glittering on the skyline.

A woman in red dress with fireworks in the background.
20 - 23 Apr 2023 Opera

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour: Madama Butterfly

Join Opera Australia for Sydney’s best night out, with fireworks every night, take your seats under the stars.

A clown in a suit and a woman in a black dress.
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20 - 26 Jun 2023 Opera

Rigoletto

Opera Australia’s much-loved production returns, complete with its glamorous La Dolce Vita-inspired sets and costumes, and a scene-stealing Fiat 500.

A women as Aida, an Ethiopian princess.
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21 Jun - 21 Jul 2023 Opera

Aida

A royal love triangle and an epic historic war. This production features floor-to-ceiling LED panels as an impressive, immersive set.

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13 - 22 Jul 2023 Opera

The Tales of Hoffmann

An intoxicating, magical mix of emotion and dazzling music as a poet shares the story of his four great loves, featuring the famously difficult ‘Doll Song’.

A woman holding a dagger and drenched with blood.
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3 Aug 2023 Opera

Mad Scenes with Jessica Pratt

Journey to the edge of danger and delirium, as leading Australian soprano Jessica Pratt delivers a mind-blowing evening of opera’s cliffhangers in Mad Scenes.

A man with grey hairs in green sweater sitting on the chair.
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9 - 12 Aug 2023 Opera

La Gioconda in Concert

Witness the world’s leading tenor Jonas Kaufmann, as he takes full flight in these glorious and gutsy concerts.