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Two shows down, and only two to go! See below for some lovely photos of this amazing production.

The final two performances of BK Opera’s production of Massenet’s Werther are close to sold out, so do be sure to book in advance via the following links:

7:30pm, Thursday 8 December 2022

7:30pm, Saturday 10 December 2022

Charlotte and Albert.
Johann and Schmidt.
Charlotte’s letter aria.
Charlotte, Werther and Sophie.
Werther and Charlotte.
Werther.
Photos courtesy of Martin van Koeverden.

I’m excited to be singing the role of Charlotte in BK Opera‘s upcoming production of Werther. Details are as follows:

When: 2, 4, 8 & 10 December, 2022

Where: LongPlay, 318 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North, 3068

Tickets: $30 (full) / $20 (concession) www.shorturl.at/fvHJU

Cast:

James Penn – Werther

Alexandra Mathew – Charlotte

Jane Magão – Sophie

Andrew Alesi – Albert

Joshua Erdelyi-Götz – Schmidt

Jonathan Rumsam – Johann

Jamie Moffatt – Le Bailli

Directed by Daniel Sinfield and conducted by Gloria Gamboz.

The Lyster Opera touring production of Rossini’s Cenerentola has been receiving some lovely reviews, quoted below.

Only two chances left to see the show—7:30pm this Friday 18 November at The Edge, Federation Square, and 2pm on Sunday 20 November at Queenscliff Town Hall.

Such a fun and colourful production!

Photos courtesy of Martin van Koeverden

Alexandra Mathew, in the title role, exhibited a natural innocence while observing the nonsense occurring around her. The aria “Una volta c’era un re” takes her thoughts away from the drudgery of her existence in fairy tale fashion. The chemistry with the hero Prince Ramiro (Hew Wegner) worked splendidly, with the vocal quality raising the standard from the Music Hall environment, perfectly delivered by Madame Carandini (Rachel Buckley), to genuine opera.

– Bronislaw Sozanski, Ballarat Courier

Alexandra Mathew was everything one would want in a Cinderella. A warm mezzo with an expressive face, she handled the difficult coloratura with ease. The finale, “Non piu Mesta” was a highlight.

– Graham Ford, Graham Ford Reviews

I’m currently performing the title role in Rossini’s La Cenerentola with touring company Lyster Opera. Follow the links below for tickets!

2pm, Saturday 29 October, Victoria Theatre, 71 Commerical Road, Tarnagulla

7:30pm, Thursday 3 November, Karralyka Centre, Mines Road, Ringwood East

2:30pm, Saturday 5 November, Christ Church Daylesford, 54 Central Springs Road, Daylesford

2pm, Saturday 12 November, Oxley Shire Hall, 1157 Snow Road, Oxley

7:30pm, Friday 18 November, The Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne

2pm, Sunday 20 November, Queenscliff Town Hall, 50 Learmonth Street, Queenscliff

Cast:

Angelina (La Cenerentola) – Alexandra Mathew

Clorinda – Helen Koehne

Tisbe – Angelique Tot

Don Ramiro – Hew Wagner

Don Magnifico – Jamie Moffat

Dandini – Michael Lampard

Alidoro – Luke Belle

Cavalier – James Macauley

Accompanied by Pamela Christie and Chris Nankervis

This coming Sunday, pianist Hugh Fullarton and I will present a recital featuring songs and music by Dowland, Stuart Greenbaum, Andrew Anderson, Hugh Crosthwaite, Schubert & more. Here’re the details!

3pm, Sunday 9 October

All Saints East Kilda

2 Chapel Street, St Kilda, VIC 3182

Tickets: $25 (full price)/$20 (concession) available at the door (cash only) or via https://www.trybooking.com/CDAPQ

For more information, visit: 

https://www.allsaints.org.au/concerts.html

Last Sunday 14 August I appeared in the 16th RMP Aria Final at Melbourne’s Deakin Edge, alongside soprano Karina Bailey, bass Jack Stephens, tenor Ben Glover, soprano Shania Eliassen, tenor Zachary McCulloch, and baritone James Emerson. Official accompanist Peter de Jager and I performed Bach’s ‘Du lieber Heiland du… Buss und Reu’ from St Matthew Passion, and Tippett’s ‘The Soul of Man’ from Child of Our Time. It was a fantastic evening, and—thrillingly—I was awarded second prize. Heather Leviston wrote this fabulous review of the evening, which also included a performance of Rutter’s Requiem, conducted by Andrew Wailes. See below for some photos of the action, taken by Paul Dodd.

I’m halfway through performances of Aida with Opera Australia, which has so far been an absolutely wonderful experience. The sets and costumes are beautiful, and the principal singers possess thrilling voices. There are three performances left—7:30pm Monday 17 May, Wednesday 19 May, and Friday 21 May—and I believe tickets are still available via the Opera Australia website.

On Saturday 22 May at 1:15pm, pianist Georgina Lewis and I will be performing on Sam Alfred’s program ‘Vocal Chords’ on 3MBS 103.5FM. We’ve put together a short program of favourites, including some Mozart, Schubert, and a song Andrew Anderson.

The following Wednesday 26 May at 1pm, pianist Hugh Fullarton and I are presenting a short, half-hour lunchtime recital at St Paul’s Cathedral, Flinders Street. Entry is via donation. Our program includes lullabies by Stephen Foster and Brahms, and the Melbourne premiere of Andrew Anderson’s captivating cycle ‘Songs of Sleep’.

In December 2020, after a year of lockdowns and few performance opportunities, pianist Hugh Fullarton and I entered Rolling Stock Studio in Collingwood to record Andrew Anderson’s beautiful song cycle ‘Songs of Sleep’, engineered by Myles Mumford. Our recording is now available for streaming and download via Bandcamp. It was a privilege to work with Andrew, Hugh and Miles on such a beautiful project! Recording below, with a few happy snaps from the session.

Composer Andrew Anderson and I recently got together (virtually, of course!) to make an isolation recording of his beautiful song ‘Only in Sleep’ — a setting of Sara Teasdale‘s poem of the same name. Turns out Andrew is an accomplished pianist as well as composer! For my part, I used a simple USB microphone that I bought in order to give online singing lessons. A worthy investment, that USB microphone! Although the pandemic has meant live performances are currently not an option, it has been a fun experience sharing and making music with my colleagues from our respective homes. Enjoy!