''Operatunity Oz'' was a 2006 talent search, and accompanying four-part television documentary by
Simon Target
Simon Target (; born 22 January 1962) is a British-Australian filmmaker. He is best known for a series of television documentaries he made for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation which include ''King's School'' (on The King's School, Sydney) ...
, in which
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of ...
conducted a nationwide quest to find someone without professional
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
experience, who could be coached to sing in a staged opera –
Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's ''
Rigoletto
''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...
'' in the event – at the
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
in the company of professional performers, as part of Opera Australia's regular season. It was modelled on the earlier British ''
Operatunity {{nofootnotes, date=April 2010
''Operatunity'' was a talent search— and Michael Waldman's film that documented it— in which the English National Opera conducted a nationwide search to find someone in the United Kingdom without profession ...
'' (2003).
Production
The panel of judges was led by conductor Richard Gill, and included opera director
Elke Neidhardt
Elke Cordelia Neidhardt Member of the Order of Australia, AM (5 July 194125 November 2013) was a German Australian actress and opera and theatre director. She appeared in theatre, television and feature films in Germany, Austria, France and Aust ...
, world-renowned
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
Yvonne Kenny
Yvonne Kenny AM (born 25 November 1950) is an Australian soprano, particularly associated with Handel, Mozart and bel canto roles.
Biography
Born in Sydney, she first studied at the University of Sydney in science, hoping to become a biochemi ...
, and soprano
Antoinette Halloran
Antoinette Halloran is an Australian operatic soprano.
Education
Antoinette Halloran grew up in the Melbourne suburbs of Rosanna and Deer Park. An album of performances by contestants, ''Operatunity Oz'', was recorded in May and June at the Eugene Goossens Hall of the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
's Ultimo Centre in Sydney.
The documentary aired on ABC TV weekly during October 2006.
Winners
The winner, bass vocalist, David Parkin, took the role of Sparafucile in a performance of ''Rigoletto'' on 24 October 2006. Two other finalists, soprano Emily Burke and
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
Roy Best, impressed the judges sufficiently to be offered places in the same opera, performing the roles of Gilda and the Duke of Mantua respectively in the final act.
Follow up
A follow-up program, ''Operatunity Oz Revisited'', aired on 2 December 2007; in it, the judges reflected on the experience and updates were provided on the winners and some of the more memorable finalists. The ABC issued a DVD version of the documentary.
Parkin continued as a senior consultant for his firm, he also took up "vocal and language coaching with Sharolyn Kimmorley, Glenn Winslade, David Harper and Anna Connolly." He performed with
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008.
The MSO relies on f ...
at a Verdi Gala and later took "the roles of The Commendatore and Masetto in ''
Don Giovanni
''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...
'' for Opera Australia."
Burke became an
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Ja ...
ambassador in 2008, she studied "voice under Yvonne Kenny and Rosamund Illing. Later
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
year, she ravelledto Italy to attend a masterclass conducted by internationally renowned soprano,
Mirella Freni
Mirella Freni, OMRI (, born Mirella Fregni, 27 February 1935 – 9 February 2020) was an Italian operatic soprano who had a career of 50 years and appeared at major international opera houses. She received international attention at the Gl ...
." Best performed at the National Multicultural Festival Finale – ''Opera by the Lake'' in February 2007.{{cbignore, bot=medic
Mary-Jean O'Doherty
Mary-Jean Anaïs O'Doherty is an Australian-American coloratura soprano. She was the first prize winner in the 2013 Paris Opera Awards.
Life and career
O'Doherty was born in Houston, Texas, to an Australian father and an Armenians, Armenian mo ...