New Zealand Opera

Husband and wife tenor Pene Pati and soprano Amina Edris brought their real-life love to the stage for New Zealand Opera’s performance of Donizetti’s bel canto comedy The Elixir of Love. Peter Hoar… Audio

The world premiere of Corey Baker’s The Last Dance with the RNZB, NZO’s The Elixir of Love opens in Auckland, City Choir Dunedin members jet to London to perform a New Zealand oratorio and we round…

Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love opens next week in Auckland. The charming, funny opera is being performed by New Zealand Opera. Conductor and Musical Director Wyn Davies, and baritone Morgan Pearse… Audio

The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage gives her first speech about the importance of art in NZ, we get the lowdown on The Elixir of Love and RNZB’s new show Dancing with Mozart exploring the…

Pene Pati is one third of the smash-hit pop opera family group Sol3 Mio. Pene, his brother Amitai and cousin Moses Mackay have taken a break from Sol3 to further their operatic studies. Now he's home… Audio

NZ Opera and the Auckland Philharmonia presented a short season of Leonard Bernstein’s Volaire-inspired operetta Candide as part of the Auckland Arts Festival. Was it the best of all possible worlds… Audio

We mark the passing of El Sistema founder Jose Antonio Abreu and hear more reaction to the proposed restructure at Auckland University’s School of Music. Peter Hoar reviews NZ Opera’s Candide and we…

Mainlanders Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Simon O’Neill perform together in Christchurch for the first time in 20 years for NZ Opera’s Tosca. But did the leading men of opera in NZ shine? Tony Ryan was at… Audio

Drag Queens combine with New Zealand Opera to celebrate the colourful and fascinating life of a legendary Aucklander Peter Taylor. Audio

New Zealand Opera's General Director Stuart Maunder is leaving the company after four years at the helm. He tells Eva Radich about his time in NZ and where he's off to next. Audio

New Zealand Opera’s final production of 2017, Katya Kabanova, continues its season in Wellington this week. Highly experienced musical director Wyn Davies chooses his favourite, and most poignant… Audio

New Zealand Opera’s final production of 2017, Janacek’s Katya Kabanova, opened in Auckland this weekend. It follows house wife Katya, who is expected to stay at home and obey her husband and cruel… Audio

New Zealand Opera announced its 2018 season this week, with a big emphasis on giving lead roles to New Zealand singers. NZO’s Executive Director Stuart Maunder talks about bringing back top Kiwi names… Audio

The billboards say “if you haven’t seen Carmen, it’s a tragedy”. New Zealand Opera’s Carmen opened last night in Wellington. Christine Argyle reviews this production of Bizet’s opera directed by Lindy… Audio

New Zealand Opera’s Carmen opening this week is the result of a director/designer partnership going back 25 years. Lindy Hume and Dan Potra made their names in the opera world with their “… Audio

Lindy Hume directed her “breakthrough” production of Bizet’s opera Carmen twenty five years ago as an idealistic young feminist. It upset many in its exposure of the sexism inherent in the work… Audio

New Zealand Opera’s The Mikado has stirred up debate about cultural appropriation since it opened this week in Auckland. For reviewer Frances Moore,the production was a game of two halves - and not… Audio

2017 is a busy year for Australian Bass James Clayton. He’s playing the title role in New Zealand Opera’s The Mikado, and Escamillo in Carmen before jetting across the Tasman to work in Melbourne and… Audio