New Zealand Opera will bring a new production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro to Christchurch in July as part of its 2020 programme. Director Lindy Hume and her creative team will explore the potent class and gender politics of this landmark opera and what it means in a modern context.

You won’t need to wait that long though for your fix, Christchurch opera lovers – the company combines in February with Atlas Voices for a beautiful afternoon of opera on the Botanic Gardens’ Archery Lawn. Under the musical direction of Ravil Atlas, the concert features local soprano Amanda Atlas, Freemasons New Zealand Opera Artist Andrew Grenon (tenor) and members of the Freemasons New Zealand Opera Chorus and Atlas Voices accompanied by New Zealand Opera’s Head of Music Lindy Tennent-Brown. The programme includes favourites by Mozart, Donizetti and Verdi. Bring along a picnic and enjoy the music in the stunning surrounds of the gardens.

Then in March, new central-city library Tūranga will play host to Eight Songs for a Mad King, by Peter Maxwell Davies, the first of three site-specific works on the opera’s calendar. Partnering with the ground-breaking contemporary music ensemble Stroma, this modern take on opera promises to be a bold and immersive experience.

In September, Auckland's Holy Trinity Cathedral will play host to Handel's opera/oratorio hybrid Semele. An orchestra formed especially for the production will feature period-instrument players conducted by Peter Walls, a globally acknowledged expert in the performance of Baroque music. The Freemasons New Zealand Opera Chorus will perform alongside the Holy Trinity Cathedral Choir.

The final production for 2020 (also site-specific) is in October and November, with Poulenc and Cocteau’s opera The Human Voice being performed in hotel rooms around the country, including Christchurch, bringing the audience within inches of the story as it unfolds.

The 2020 season is the first programmed by General Director Thomas de Mallet Burgess, who joined the company in mid-2018 and recently made his directorial debut in New Zealand with a sellout and critically acclaimed production of The Turn of the Screw.

The new year also brings a new focus for New Zealand Opera – connecting with New Zealand people and stories, and introducing the artform to new audiences. Its ambition is to reimagine opera, embrace the cultural and social identities of our diverse communities, and ensure a vibrant and sustainable presence for opera in New Zealand.

nzopera.com