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. Aida’s 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 Hoffmann, before 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.
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour: Madama Butterfly
20 – 23 Apr 2023
Join Opera Australia for Sydney’s best night out, with fireworks every night, take your seats under the stars.
Rigoletto
20 – 26 Jun 2023
Opera Australia’s much-loved production returns, complete with its glamorous La Dolce Vita-inspired sets and costumes, and a scene-stealing Fiat 500.
Aida
21 Jun – 21 Jul 2023
A royal love triangle and an epic historic war. This production features floor-to-ceiling LED panels as an impressive, immersive set.
The Tales of Hoffmann
13 – 22 Jul 2023
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’.
Mad Scenes with Jessica Pratt
3 Aug 2023
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.
La Gioconda in Concert
9 & 12 Aug 2023
Witness the world’s leading tenor Jonas Kaufmann, as he takes full flight in these glorious and gutsy concerts.
