Melbourne. Soaring symphonies and thrilling excessive notes rang out in Melbourne’s Federation Square on Saturday, 3 February 2024, when hundreds flocked to the extremely profitable, second Australian version of BMW’s annual Opera for All live performance collection.
Under sensible blue skies, and the skilled baton of Maestro Brian Castles-Onion, 4 of Opera Australia’s best singers, all Melbourne-based, soprano Olivia Cranwell, mezzo-soprano Dimity Shepherd, tenor Shanul Sharma and baritone Simon Meadows, accompanied by Orchestra Victoria, carried out a number of opera’s greatest hits, all totally free.
Opera Australia’s CEO Fiona Allan was in attendance and absorbing the environment. “It was a thrill to welcome so many people to Fed Square to enjoy another spectacular presentation of Opera for All. Victorians were out in force including newcomers to opera and longstanding opera-lovers. The creative excellence for which Opera Australia is known is thanks to our exceptional teams of artists, artisans and arts workers. It’s also due to the close collaboration we enjoy with our partners, sponsors, donors and the many communities with whom we work around Australia. We thank BMW for their continued commitment to bringing more opera to more people through this global initiative. We are now looking forward to our exciting 2024 Victorian season, the first by our new artistic director, Jo Davies, that will kick off at the end of May with two very different productions – a new staging of Tosca at Margaret Court Arena and the musical Sunset Boulevard at the Princess Theatre.”
Wolfgang Buechel, CEO of BMW Australia, expressed his enthusiasm, stating: “For greater than fifty years, BMW has spearheaded a whole bunch of cultural initiatives globally that help artwork, jazz, classical music, and opera. As accountable company residents, we’re dedicated to investing in individuals and society in nations the place we function. Here in Australia, we help training, sport, and artwork and tradition initiatives, which helps Australia to carry out at its finest. This shared dedication introduced Melburnians collectively for our second BMW Opera for All occasion, celebrating native proficient singers and musicians. We thank Opera Australia and Orchestra Victoria for his or her excellent performances.”
The BMW Group’s Cultural Engagement with unique updates and deeper insights into its international initiatives might be adopted on Instagram at @BMWGroupCulture.