Who decides what operas will be performed?
The choice of operas and who will perform them is the responsibility of the Chief Executive and the Music Director but this is balanced within the disciplines of budget demands, artistic schedules and marketing needs, and in this context, the final responsibility lies with the Chief Executive. There are many factors which must be taken into account. Funds are available for four new productions per year and with clever management these funds can be stretched to five or even six. We can achieve this by embarking on a co-production with a state company, or by selecting an opera which has comparatively minimal set and costume requirements, with vastly lower production costs than a standard repertory work. We try to maintain a diverse repertoire which spans pre-Baroque operas to 20th Century compositions (with an emphasis on new Australian works). Normally in each year, we would present a new production of one of the popular operas such as La bohème, Carmen, La traviata, Il trovatore or Aid
