Although founded in 2015 by Melbourne opera critic, Paul Selar, The Annual OperaChaser Awards list might not be as widely known as it should be – hence Classic Melbourne’s wish to share this year’s awards with you.
Any awards such as these are fraught with difficulties. Favourite author, favourite child, favourite anything or anybody excludes all the rest. What if there is someone whose work you missed and has therefore been unjustly neglected? Awards (and competitions for that matter) are often hotly debated and involve a certain degree of personal taste; however, when judgments are made by people like Paul Selar, a passion for opera, along with vast experience in critically evaluating a huge number of opera performances both in Australia and internationally, ensures well-informed selections.
You might not agree with every OperaChaser Award, but the recipients of each one certainly deserve special recognition. So, here is the official media release:
The Annual OperaChaser Awards 2024
Presented online via Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) on Friday evening, the winners of the annual OperaChaser Awards have been announced.
Established in 2015, the OperaChaser Awards recognise outstanding achievements in live opera performance and the contributions of the multitude of artists, creatives and technicians who work tirelessly on stage, backstage and in the pit.
“The OperaChaser Awards provide an opportunity to reflect on the year, aiming to bring a little pleasure to those who bring excellence to the art of opera and to all who continue to dig deep into their artistic, dramatic and creative energies,” remarks Melbourne opera critic and founder, Paul Selar.
“There’s so much to be proud of. The exceptional work and high standards seen from companies large and small, together with innovative approaches from those striving to connect with a wider audience, are keeping opera alive. Because it’s relevant!”
Centred on opera performance in Melbourne and its surrounds, 16 awards “celebrating when outstanding stands out” were announced.
Composer Jonathan Mills and librettist Meredith Oakes’ Eucalyptus: The Opera — directed by Michael Gow and conducted by Tahu Matheson in an Opera Australia and Victorian Opera co-production — took the gong for Outstanding Production.
Described as, “Poetically poignant, seductive and brilliantly atmospheric,” the production also won awards for Outstanding New Australian Work and Outstanding Lighting Design (Trudy Dalgleish).
Kate Millett, in “applying a fresh inquiry into operatic works and proving to be a vital, alternative voice for the art form locally,” won the award for Outstanding Director for BK Opera’s shoestring production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, highlighting “the importance of sexual consent and the respectfulness of boundaries during intimacy.”
Tenor Diego Torre, “a long-standing asset in the Opera Australia catalogue,” took out the award for Outstanding Male in a Lead Role for his portrayal of Cavaradossi in Opera North’s production of Puccini’s Tosca presented by Opera Australia at Rod Laver Arena with his “honest, eloquent and invigoratingly charged, Italianate tenor.”
Soprano Jennifer Black won Outstanding Female in a Lead Role, for her “pitiable, soul-bearing Bess leading the way in a tour de force performance,” in Opera Australia’s Breaking the Waves.
Supporting role awards went to bass-baritone Adrian Tamburini for his “dangerously authoritative” Judge Turpin in Victorian Opera’s Sweeney Todd and previous leading role award winner, soprano Helena Dix, as a “searing, libidinous” Musetta in Melbourne Opera’s La Bohème.
Melbourne Opera also picked up two awards for their new production of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, directed by Suzanne Chaundy. Melbourne Opera Chorus was named Outstanding Chorus, while Raymond Lawrence’s “markedly thrilling but carefully tempered account,” won him the award for Outstanding Conductor. The company also received the award for Outstanding Opera in Concert with their “enormously satisfying ”Puccini Gala and Suor Angelica.
Young developing artists weren’t overlooked, either. Herald Sun Aria finalist, baritone Bailey Montgomerie, who “stole the night with his remarkable, mature and charismatic rendition of the ebullient Manfred,” in Nightingale Performing Arts Australia’s Two Remain, took the honours along with New Zealand Opera School alumna and mezzo-soprano, Michaela Cadwgan, who gave “vocal richness to Lady Lewson and a haunting Sarah Whitehead,” in Victorian Opera’s English Eccentrics by Australian composer Malcolm Williamson.
A new production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, Victorian Opera’s “firecracker start” to the company’s 2024 season and soon to be presented by Opera Australia in Sydney, won awards for Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Costume Design (Dann Barber).
The full list of awards:
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION 2024
Eucalyptus: The Opera – Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, Perth Festival and Brisbane Festival co-production
OUTSTANDING OPERA IN CONCERT 2024
Puccini Gala and Suor Angelica – Melbourne Opera
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR 2024
Kate Millett – Don Giovanni, BK Opera
OUTSTANDING CONDUCTOR 2024
Raymond Lawrence – Lucia di Lammermoor, Melbourne Opera
OUTSTANDING MALE IN A LEAD ROLE 2024
Diego Torre – Cavaradossi, Tosca, Opera North production presented by Opera Australia
OUTSTANDING FEMALE IN A LEAD ROLE 2024
Jennifer Black – Bess McNeil, Breaking the Waves, Opera Australia
OUTSTANDING MALE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE 2024
Adrian Tamburini – Judge Turpin, Sweeney Todd, Victorian Opera
OUTSTANDING FEMALE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE 2024
Helena Dix – Musetta, La Bohème, Melbourne Opera
OUTSTANDING YOUNG DEVELOPING ARTIST 2024
Bailey Montgomerie (co-recipient) – Manfred Lewin, Two Remain, Nightingale Performing Arts Australia
Michaela Cadwgan (co-recipient) – Lady Lewson / Sarah Whitehead, English Eccentrics, Victorian Opera
OUTSTANDING CHORUS 2024
Melbourne Opera Chorus – Lucia di Lammermoor, Melbourne Opera
OUTSTANDING NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK 2024
Eucalyptus: The Opera, Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, Perth Festival and Brisbane Festival co-production
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE 2024
Candide, Victorian Opera
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN 2024
Roger Kirk – Sweeney Todd, Victorian Opera
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN 2024
Dann Barber – Candide, Victorian Opera
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN 2024
Trudy Dalgleish – Eucalyptus: The Opera, Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, Perth Festival and Brisbane Festival co-production
Photo credit: Charlie Kinross
