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New Zealand Opera
New Zealand Opera is New Zealand's only full-time professional opera company, formed in 2000 from the merger of companies in Auckland and Wellington (and later Christchurch). New Zealand Opera is headquartered in Parnell, Auckland, stages several productions a year, runs educational programmes, and supports early-career opera singers with the Dame Malvina Major Foundation.
The company was formed in 2000 when Opera New Zealand (the name adopted by Auckland Opera in 1995) and The National Opera of Wellington (formerly Wellington City Opera) decided to merge into one organisation for financial reasons. It launched on 15 October 1999 as The National Business Review New Zealand Opera (the National Business Review had paid $1,000,000 for naming rights for the next three years); the NBR sponsorship ceased in 2014 and its name became NZ Opera.
A further merger with Southern Opera in Christchurch in 2012 allowed the company to maintain a nation-wide presence and stage work in all three cities. The company maintains a head office in Parnell, Auckland, and has a second office in Wellington. The Technical Centre in Auckland housed costumes, set-building, and a rehearsal space, and later combined with the NZ Opera offices to form The Opera Centre.
NZ Opera coordinates and administers the Dame Malvina Major Foundation's Artist Development Programme, a training programme for emerging opera singers. Notable alumni include Phillip Rhodes, Anna Leese, Manase Latu, Samson Setu and Thomas Atkins.
In the late 1990s Jonathan Alver became General Director of Opera New Zealand, and oversaw the merger with The National Opera of Wellington to create the present company. In 2002 he was succeeded by Alex Reedijk, who left in 2005 to run Scottish Opera. Reedijk was followed by Aidan Lang, and in turn was followed as general director in 2014 by Stuart Maunder. Maunder took a position as Artistic Director with State Opera South Australia in 2018 and was replaced by Thomas de Mallet Burgess. In October 2022 Burgess was selected as the new Artistic Director of Finnish National Opera, starting in August 2023. Brad Cohen, an opera conductor and administrator and former artistic director of West Australian Opera became the General Director in late 2023.
When the Wellington and Auckland companies merged, NBR's million dollar sponsorship was possibly the largest in the history of the NZ performing arts. The company was also supported by the law firm Chapman Tripp, who gave their name to the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus, the company's resident chorus. By 2011, NZ Opera's Creative New Zealand funding had increased to $2.2 million a year, double the amount of a few years previously. In 2019 Creative New Zealand gave $2.7 million to NZ Opera, with an additional $1.2 million coming from Auckland ($1.1m), Wellington, ($67,744) and Christchurch ($70,000) city councils.
The first production of the newly-merged NZ Opera in 2000 was a sold-out season of Verdi's Aida. Since then the company has put on two or more productions a year, performed in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. It also runs educational programmes for young people and touring productions to other venues.
The Marriage of Figaro was staged in 2002. Italian soprano Nuccia Focile played the Countess and Wendy Dawn Thompson was Cherubino, with Aidan Lang directing his first production for the company. New Zealand bass Wade Kernot and Australian soprano Emma Pearson (married in real life) sang the lead roles of Figaro and Susanna. NZ Opera staged Figaro again in 2010, and once more in 2021 with Emma Pearson returning in the role of the Countess.
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New Zealand Opera
New Zealand Opera is New Zealand's only full-time professional opera company, formed in 2000 from the merger of companies in Auckland and Wellington (and later Christchurch). New Zealand Opera is headquartered in Parnell, Auckland, stages several productions a year, runs educational programmes, and supports early-career opera singers with the Dame Malvina Major Foundation.
The company was formed in 2000 when Opera New Zealand (the name adopted by Auckland Opera in 1995) and The National Opera of Wellington (formerly Wellington City Opera) decided to merge into one organisation for financial reasons. It launched on 15 October 1999 as The National Business Review New Zealand Opera (the National Business Review had paid $1,000,000 for naming rights for the next three years); the NBR sponsorship ceased in 2014 and its name became NZ Opera.
A further merger with Southern Opera in Christchurch in 2012 allowed the company to maintain a nation-wide presence and stage work in all three cities. The company maintains a head office in Parnell, Auckland, and has a second office in Wellington. The Technical Centre in Auckland housed costumes, set-building, and a rehearsal space, and later combined with the NZ Opera offices to form The Opera Centre.
NZ Opera coordinates and administers the Dame Malvina Major Foundation's Artist Development Programme, a training programme for emerging opera singers. Notable alumni include Phillip Rhodes, Anna Leese, Manase Latu, Samson Setu and Thomas Atkins.
In the late 1990s Jonathan Alver became General Director of Opera New Zealand, and oversaw the merger with The National Opera of Wellington to create the present company. In 2002 he was succeeded by Alex Reedijk, who left in 2005 to run Scottish Opera. Reedijk was followed by Aidan Lang, and in turn was followed as general director in 2014 by Stuart Maunder. Maunder took a position as Artistic Director with State Opera South Australia in 2018 and was replaced by Thomas de Mallet Burgess. In October 2022 Burgess was selected as the new Artistic Director of Finnish National Opera, starting in August 2023. Brad Cohen, an opera conductor and administrator and former artistic director of West Australian Opera became the General Director in late 2023.
When the Wellington and Auckland companies merged, NBR's million dollar sponsorship was possibly the largest in the history of the NZ performing arts. The company was also supported by the law firm Chapman Tripp, who gave their name to the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus, the company's resident chorus. By 2011, NZ Opera's Creative New Zealand funding had increased to $2.2 million a year, double the amount of a few years previously. In 2019 Creative New Zealand gave $2.7 million to NZ Opera, with an additional $1.2 million coming from Auckland ($1.1m), Wellington, ($67,744) and Christchurch ($70,000) city councils.
The first production of the newly-merged NZ Opera in 2000 was a sold-out season of Verdi's Aida. Since then the company has put on two or more productions a year, performed in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. It also runs educational programmes for young people and touring productions to other venues.
The Marriage of Figaro was staged in 2002. Italian soprano Nuccia Focile played the Countess and Wendy Dawn Thompson was Cherubino, with Aidan Lang directing his first production for the company. New Zealand bass Wade Kernot and Australian soprano Emma Pearson (married in real life) sang the lead roles of Figaro and Susanna. NZ Opera staged Figaro again in 2010, and once more in 2021 with Emma Pearson returning in the role of the Countess.
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