Operantics

🎉LAST CHANCE🎉

Don't miss your last opportunity to see this rarely performed Mozart and Salieri pairing at The Eternity Playhouse tonight at 7:00pm.

Our opening night performance was a triumph! Come decide for yourself which composer did it better 🎶

📆 7:00pm TONIGHT!
📍The Eternity Playhouse, Darlinghurst
🎟 Book your tickets at www.operantics.com.au/ticket or at the door
📸 Anna Richter

✨MEET OUR ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTOR – MELIKA CHAMANARA✨

In partnership with The Australian Institute of Music, Melika Chamanara joined Operantics as Assistant Conductor and Repetiteur for this production. As her major project, she gained hands-on experience under conductor Philip Eames while receiving course credit.

Melika Chamanara is a graduate of the Tehran Conservatory of Music in Iran, where she had the opportunity to study with several distinguished teachers, including Austrian pianist Mitra Kotte and Raphael Minaskanian.

She has performed both as a solo pianist and as a collaborative pianist in a variety of settings. Melika’s experience includes live performances at festivals, an appearance on Channel 7 television, and concerts at venues such as Phoenix Central Park. She has also received a certificate of appreciation from the Yamaha Music Festival.

Last show tonight! Tickets: www.operantics.com.au

✨MEET OUR CONDUCTOR & ARRANGER – PHILIP EAMES✨

Dr Philip Eames is one of Sydney’s most in-demand choral conductors, as well as an active composer, pianist, and researcher. Hailing from Brisbane, he studied piano with Dr Max Olding and Dr Stephen Savage at the Queensland Conservatorium, where he was a category finalist in the ABC Young Performers Awards.

After further study at the Royal NorthernYour paragraph text College of Music in Manchester, he completed his doctorate in 2017 at the Sydney Conservatorium.
Currently, Philip is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Spencer-Bennett NeuroMusic Collaborative, and he serves as the Classical Convenor at the Australian Institute of Music.

Philip maintains a diverse professional career as a conductor, pianist, academic and composer. He was appointed principal conductor of the Macquarie Singers in 2023, and in 2025 he took up the same role with Coro Innominata, while also a long-term guest conductor with the River City Voices. He most recently conducted operatic seasons of Menotti’s The Medium and Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins and Mahagonny Songspiel for Operantics.

As a composer, Philip’s music has frequently been commissioned and performed throughout Australia by artists including the Australian Voices, Queensland Ballet, the Black Square and Flinders Quartets, and the Australian National Piano Award.

Come see Philip in action and hear his wonderful arrangements for string quartet tonight and tomorrow only! Tickets: www.operantics.com.au/tickets

✨MEET OUR DIRECTOR – THERÈSA BORG✨

Therèsa Borg is a director, writer and performer. She is a graduate of University of Melbourne (B.Ed. Sec (Music)) and twice of The Victorian College of the Arts (Opera Studio, Masters: Writing for Performance).

Her directing credits include Titanic starring Anthony Warlow (Melbourne Town Hall), Sweeney Todd, starring Anthony Warlow and Gina Riley at Her Majesty’s Melbourne, The Light in the Piazza at Arts Centre Melbourne, Disney Under the Stars (SOH/ Myer Music Bowl), Paw Patrol Live! (Wembley Arena) and twice voice-directing the Muppeteers in New York City.

Her operatic directing credits include productions of The Consul and La
Cenerentola to outstanding reviews. Therèsa was Resident Director on GWB’s recent tour of An American in Paris (2021-2) and The Lord of The Rings (2024-2025) as well as Neil Armfield’s Associate on Death of a Salesman (2023-4) starring Anthony La Paglia. She directed Little Women at the Victorian College of the Arts for the Music Theatre Company of 2023 and has a particular interest in the development of upcoming generations of performers.

Therèsa was the 2022 National Library of Australia Creative Fellow for Australian Writing. In 2021, Therèsa and composer Jane Hammond wrote Songs of the Helmeted Honeyeater, a celebration of citizen science written in collaboration with the mountain communities of Yellingbo and Corranderk and which premiered at fortyfivedownstairs and Melbourne Recital Centre. Therèsa and Jane look forward to the debut of their new opera The Spare Room, an adaptation of Helen Garner’s celebrated novel in the near future.

Therèsa founded Melbourne production house TEG Entertainment Store/Life Like Touring with her partner Anton Berezin in 1999, and over the course of 20 years with their company she wrote and directed over 20 family musicals in collaboration with international studios.

Therèsa’s roles in music theatre and opera include Christine, Cosette, Zerbinetta, Angelique, the Queen of the Night, Jellylorum, Musetta, Philomel, Hope Harcourt, Eliza Doolittle and Fosca for producers including Cameron Mackintosh, The Really Useful Company, The Production Company, Victorian Opera and Opera Australia.

We open tonight for two shows only! Get your tickets at www.operantics.com.au/tickets

✨ IT'S OPENING NIGHT!✨

Our divas are warming up, and the stage is set. All that's left is for you to join us at The Eternity Playhouse at 7pm!

With only two shows, tonight and tomorrow, don't miss this special change to see Mozart and Salieri side by side, in comedies brought to life by our truly exceptional artists.

You can book your tickets to Mozart's "The Impresario" and Salieri's "Prima La Musica" at www.operantics.com.au/tickets or you can purchase tickets at the door.

Dress rehearsal complete! Our opera double bill opens in less than two days, and we're having too much fun not to share.

Come along to The Eternity Playhouse this Friday and Saturday evening to experience the delights of our Mozart/Salieri double bill.

Get your tickets here: ww.operantics.com.au/tickets

📸 Anna Richter

✨MEET THE CAST✨

Meet Camilla Wright, appearing in our double bill as Donna Eleonora in "Prima La Musica" and Mrs Heartfelt in "The Impresario". As Donna Eleonora, she’s a soprano with star power and very clear ideas about how things should be done, while as Mrs Heartfelt she brings wit and a hint of rivalry to the theatrical mayhem.

Camilla Wright is an accomplished Australian soprano celebrated for her radiant stage presence, technical finesse, and expressive vocal artistry. A graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, she completed a Bachelor of Music and Masters of Opera. Her training laid the foundation for a career defined by musical intelligence, emotional depth, and stylistic adaptability.

Camilla’s operatic repertoire spans beloved lyric and coloratura roles, including Alice Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Adina in The Elixir of Love, Adele in Die Fledermaus, and Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann. She has appeared with companies and ensembles across Australia and internationally, performing with the Chinese Three Tenors at the Sydney Opera House, touring with Australian Global Entertainment, and collaborating with Vavachi Entertainment in Papua New Guinea. Her acclaimed recitals in the Utzon Room have further established her as a compelling interpreter of both operatic and art song repertoire.

Recent highlights include Handel’s Messiah with the Penrith Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Paul Terracini, opening the 2025 Music Arts Awards, and her international debut as Rita in Donizetti’s Rita at Bogotá’s Téatro Colón. Her 2026 season features Woglinde in Wagner’s Das Rheingold, Donna Eleanora in Salieri’s Prima la Musica, Mrs Heartfelt in Mozart’s The Impressario, and her recently celebrated performance as Aunt Leonora in the world premiere of Steven Stanke’s The Monk with Rockdale Opera. Camilla will also be performing as a Stars of Tomorrow concert with Handa Opera Milthorpe this coming April.

Don't miss Camilla in our upcoming double bill this weekend!

📆 27-28 March, 7:00pm
📍 The Eternity Playhouse, Darlinghurst
🎟 www.operantics.com.au/tickets
📸 Rosa Doric

✨MEET THE CAST✨

Meet Lana Kains, who brings sparkle and bite to our double bill as Tonina in "Prima La Musica" and Miss Silvertone in "The Impresario". As Tonina, she’s a sharp-witted performer with strong opinions about her place in the spotlight, while as Miss Silvertone she’s one half of a fiercely competitive diva duo, determined to claim the starring role at any cost.

Described as “a standout” by Peter Donnelly in Limelight Magazine and an “exquisite ethereal soprano” by Michael Halliwell in the Australian Book Review, Latvian-Australian soprano Lana Kains is rapidly establishing herself as a compelling and versatile presence on the Australian stage.

Lana began her career as a soloist in Darwin, when in her early teens she sang in the premiere of WindRose by Cathy Applegate with the Darwin Symphony Orchestra. She has gone on to perform with many of Australia’s leading ensembles and companies, including Opera Australia, Pinchgut Opera, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra.

Her growing reputation as a refined interpreter of Baroque and Classical repertoire is reflected in ongoing collaborations with Pinchgut Opera, with whom she made her solo debut as Second Woman in Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas. She also appeared in their productions Theodora, Athalia and the concert program Eternal Light.

A frequent collaborator with the University of Sydney Graduate Choir and Orchestra, she has appeared as soprano soloist in Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bach’s St John Passion, and Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio.

Book now to catch Lana in action, and see which diva comes out on top!

📆 27-28 March, 7:00pm
📍The Eternity Playhouse, Darlinghurst
🎟 www.operantics.com.au/tickets (link in bio)

✨MEET THE CAST✨

Meet Matt Gaskin, appearing in our double bill as the Poet in "Prima La Musica" and Mr Buskin in "The Impresario". As the Poet, he’s caught up in the eternal tug-of-war between words and music, while as Mr Buskin he finds himself caught squarely between two rival sopranos, each convinced they deserve the spotlight.

Matt has recently come home to Sydney after twelve years living in Canada. Whilst he was there, he obtained a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto, majoring in composition, and a Masters of Music in Opera Performance from the University of British Columbia, where he studied with J. Patrick Raftery. Roles performed there include Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Nika Magadoff in Menotti’s The Consul, and Herzog von Urbino in Johann Strauss’ Eine Nacht in Venedig. During his studies he took part in the masterclass and Singer Behind the Song series with Ben Heppner, performed the tenor solo for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the UBC Symphony Orchestra, as well as concert tours as soloist with the UBC Opera Ensemble to Czech Republic, China, and Christmas concerts with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Matt has also performed the role of Tito in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito at the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, and Tamino in The Czech Republic for the European Music Academy in Teplice, as well as Summer Opera Lyric Theatre in Toronto, Canada. Professional chorus and choral work include the Vancouver Opera Company, Vancouver Chamber Choir and the Elmer Iseler Singers of Toronto.

Since returning to Sydney, Matt has appeared as Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (The CoOperative), Aeneas in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (Concordia Ensemble), 1st Commissaire in Poulenc’s Les Dialogues des Carmelites (Gente! Gente! Productions), the Gamekeeper in Rusalka (The Opera and Song Collective), and Brother/Billy in Seven Deadly Sins and Mahagonny Songspiel (Operantics).

Don’t miss your chance to see it all unfold live! Secure your tickets now and join us for an evening of wit, rivalry, and glorious music.

📆 27-28 March, 7:00pm
📍The Eternity Playhouse, Darlinghurst
🎟 www.operantics.com.au/tickets

✨MEET THE CAST✨

Meet Baritone Aidan Hodder, stepping into the role of the Maestro in "Prima La Musica" as a part of our upcoming double bill. The ever-harried composer at the centre of the chaos, he’s determined to create a masterpiece in four days … if only his singers, librettist, and their competing egos would let him!

Brisbane-born baritone Aidan Hodder has had a hunger for performance ever since participating in Opera Queensland’s high school residency programme. He holds a Master of Music Studies at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. He was the recipient of the John Wegner AO Opera Scholarship and the Max & Jill Schutz Opera Society Scholarship in 2024 and 2025 with Melba Opera Trust.

Aidan made his professional debut in 2023 in State Opera South Australia’s ‘G& S FEST’, singing John Wellington Wells (The Sorcerer) and singing in the chorus for The Pirates of Penzance and H.M.S. Pinafore. He has since appeared as Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas, Scomodo Voce Singers), Samuel (The Pirates of Penzance, Prospero Arts Productions), and Manoah (Samson, Pacific Opera), and directed the Australian premiere of For a Look or a Touch with Voxalis Opera.

Aidan is also an avid advocate for children’s education and involvement in the performing arts. He currently works as a presenter and script writer for the educational entertainment company Dino Encounters, delivering educational experiences to schools, childcare centres and children’s festivals with animatronic dinosaur puppets.

Don't miss Aidan's performance in "Prima La Musica" at The Eternity Playhouse, March 27-28!

📆 March 27-28, 7:00pm
📍 The Eternity Playhouse, Darlinghurst
🎟 www.operantics.com/tickets
📸 Ronan King-Rose, Voxalis Opera. Edit by Rosa Doric

What actually happens behind the scenes of an opera?

It’s not all glamour and high notes. There are creative conflicts, big personalities, last-minute changes, and a lot of very talented people pulling everything together before opening night.

Our upcoming double bill of Mozart's "The Impresario" & Salieri's "Prima La Musica" dives right into that world, where singers argue, composers compete, and everyone has a very clear idea of how things should be done.

If you've ever been curious about opera, this is a great place to start. And if you already love it, you’ll recognise more than you expect. Come and see what really goes on behind the curtain!

📍 Eternity Playhouse, Darlinghurst
📅 27-28 March | 7pm
🎟

Buy Tickets — Operantics We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we work and perform, and pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.