Dania Cornelius graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU) in 1997 with a Diploma of Music. She went on to complete a Postgraduate Diploma of Education at The University of Queensland (1998), a Postgraduate Diploma in Vocal Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Music Studies (at the QCGU in 2003 and 2004 respectively). She was a runner-up in the Dame Joan Sutherland Vocal Competition (2002), a recipient of the Linda Edith Allen Scholarship (2003), the Ian Potter Cultural Grant (2005) and the QCGU’s Award for Excellence in Performance. She was also highly commended in the Elizabeth Muir Scholarship and the Dr Francesco Castellano Operatic Italian Award.

Since 1998, Dania has been a member of Opera Queensland’s Chorus, appearing in productions of Faust, Madama Butterfly, La traviata, Il trovatore, The Pearl Fishers, Tosca, Pagliacci, Cavalleria rusticana, Carmen, Un ballo in maschera, La bohème, Lucia di Lammermoor, Nabucco and Turandot. Her concert performances for the company include the Verdi, Fauré and Mozart Requiems, Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Strike up the Chorus! She was also a member of the Moving Opera! teams in 2008 and 2009 and performed the roles of Mother and Witch in the company’s 2009 chamber opera production of Hansel & Gretel.

Other engagements include performing the role of Consuela in West Side Story (for the 2003 Brisbane Riverfestival), performing in the 2003 International Women’s Day Concert (for the Premier’s Department) and the 2002 Queenslander of the Year function (at Parliament House), and performing Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder, new works by Victor Field and opera excerpts from La traviata, Die Fledermaus and Le nozze di Figaro (for QCGU). She has also appeared with the group Ancestral Planes (at the Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art at the Queensland Art Gallery), performed with the Eastern European Ensemble Doch and appeared in Women in Voice.

Most recently, Dania appeared in the variety show Christmas Crackers which was staged at the Suncorp Piazza and also at numerous corporate events.

Louise Dorsman – mezzo-soprano

Louise Dorsman graduated from The University of Melbourne in 2001 with a Bachelor of Music (Performance), after which time she attended the Victorian College of the Arts as a member of the opera program. She has been the recipient of the H.A. Owen Award and was a finalist in the National Liederfest (2008).

Between 2004 and 2006, Louise was a member of Opera Queensland’s Chorus, appearing in productions of Don Pasquale, Carmen, Un ballo in maschera and La bohème. Her concert performances for the company include The Creation and Strike up the Chorus! She also performed the role of Hansel in the company’s 2008 and 2009 chamber opera productions of Hansel & Gretel.

Louise’s concert repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah and Jephtha and Beethoven’s Mass in C major.

Bernard Wheaton – tenor

Bernard Wheaton graduated from the University of Southern Queensland with a Bachelor of Creative Arts and a Diploma in Music. He made his professional debut in 1994 singing the roles of Alchemist, Sultan Achmet and Crook in Candide (for the Brisbane Biennial Festival of Music).

Since 1995, Bernard has been a member of Opera Queensland’s Chorus, appearing in productions of Madama Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, The Magic Flute, Otello, Turandot, Samson et Dalila, Die Tote Stadt, Don Pasquale, Die Fledermaus, Falstaff, The Elixir of Love, Il trovatore, The Damnation of Faust, Cinderella, Andrea Chénier, Tosca, Carmen, La traviata and The Mikado. In 2001, he joined the company’s Developing Artist Program, making his principal role debut the following year as Beppe in Pagliacci. Subsequent engagements include the roles of Giuseppe in La traviata, First Prisoner in Fidelio, First Speaker’s Man in The Magic Flute and Dr Blind in Die Fledermaus as well as understudying the roles of Pang in Turandot, Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Goro in Madama Butterfly, Abdallo in Nabucco, First Soldier/King Pandion in The Love of the Nightingale, Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet and Spoletta in Tosca. He was also a member of the Moving Opera! teams in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008, and performed in the concert production Coro Magnifico II. Most recently, he understudied the role of Borsa in the company’s 2009 production of Rigoletto and subsequently went on to perform the role on opening night.

In 2005, Bernard joined the Opera Australia Chorus appearing in productions of The Love for Three Oranges, Tosca, Die Fledermaus, Nabucco, The Magic Flute, La bohème, Don Giovanni, Romeo and Juliet, HMS Pinafore/Trial By Jury and Opera in the Domain. Other engagements include the roles of Paris in La Belle Hélène and Piquillo in La Périchole (with the Noosa Chorale) and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (for the 4MBS Festival of Classics).

His concert repertoire includes Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert’s Mass in G and The Ancient Mariner, Haydn’s The Seasons, Handel’s Messiah and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. He has performed at the French Consulate for Bastille Day and for the Japanese Consul-General for the Emperor’s birthday celebrations.

Darian Johns – bass

Darian Johns studied voice at Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music before moving to Brisbane to undertake further studies with James Christiansen OAM.

In 1999, Darian joined State Opera of South Australia’s Young Artist Program, performing the role of Simon in Treemonisha. Other performances include the roles of Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing (at Carrick Hill for the 1998 Adelaide Fringe Festival), Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Schaunard and Colline in La bohème, Sarastro, The Speaker and The Armed Man in The Magic Flute, Escamillo in Carmen, The Maestro in Prima la Musica, and Doctor Grenvil and Baron Douphol in La traviata (for Co-Opera) and Bernardo in West Side Story (for the 2003 Brisbane Riverfestival).

Darian was a member of Opera Queensland’s Moving Opera! team in 2009, and also performed the roles of Father and Sandman in the company’s chamber opera production of Hansel & Gretel.

Amanda Hodder – music director/pianist

Amanda Hodder completed her Master of Music Degree at The University of Melbourne. She has been a two-time winner of the major ensemble award at the National Liederfest (2003 and 2009) and winner of the accompanists’ award at the Mietta Song Recital (2004), which subsequently led to her working at L'Académie Internationale d'Été de Nice and studying in Paris and Germany in 2005. She has been the recipient of the Lady Hamer Award (2007), Geoffrey Parsons Award (2008) and Margaret Schofield Memorial Scholarship (2009), and was also a MacDonald Trust Scholar at the Victorian College of the Arts (2008).

Amanda has worked as an accompanist at Monash University, The University of Melbourne, Victoria University and Victorian College of the Arts. As a repetiteur, she has worked for Opera Australia, Melbourne Opera, Symphony Australia, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Sydney Children’s Choir.

She has worked on productions of Oliver! (Cameron Mackintosh) and The Phantom of the Opera (The Really Useful Company), and performed with the Gondwana Voices and Sydney Chamber Singers. Other engagements include working with the Choir of Hard Knocks, appearing with Ronan Keating (on Rove Live for the Ten Network) and performing at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and in New York (with Penny Arcade). She has also collaborated with Australian playwright Anthony Crowley producing The Wild Blue (which was listed as a studied work for Victorian Certificate of Education drama students in 2008) and was the vocal coach for the Melbourne finalists on the ABC TV series Operatunity Oz. In 2009, she was the Musical Director for the Gold Coast Arts Centre’s Summer School Program creating a new work titled Cabaret Berserkus.

Amanda has participated in masterclasses with Stephen McIntyre, Caroline Almonte, Ian Munro, Geoffrey Lancaster, Malcolm Martineau (in the UK) and Phillip Mayers (in Germany).

Sean Dennehy – director

Sean Dennehy has studied both the Method and Meisner Acting techniques. He honed his craft with extensive training in Los Angeles, London, Sydney and Brisbane. Presently, he teaches Method Acting at Metro Arts and also teaches freelance for Backbone Youth Arts, the Academy of Screen Performance and The Actors Conservatory (all in Brisbane), and The Actors Centre (in London).

Sean’s acting theatre credits include Micro Trip and Micro Trip II (for Metro Arts Independents), An Unexpectedly Mind Boggling Adventure, which he also co-wrote (for Backbone Youth Arts and the State Library of Queensland), For The Birds (for The Old Fitzroy Hotel Theatre), Seems Like Yesterday (for Kooemba Jdarra Indigenous Performing Arts), Hamlet (for Darlinghurst Theatre Co), Zoo-Illogical (for Schnapper Head Productions), Valley People (for MAP Theatre Company) and Hollow Crossing (for Markwell Presents).

He directed productions of Micro Trip, Micro Trip II and Valley People (for The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts) and Mania (for the Brisbane Festival Theatre Fringe), and wrote and directed Tradition Impossible, 2009 – A Space Oddity and Christmas Crackers (for South Bank Corporation). He’s also festival director for the Short + Sweet Festival at The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts).

Sean’s feature film credits include the recently released Girl Clock! as well as Alien Cargo, Streetfighter, Mr Reliable, The Passage and GAEA Universe. He’s currently filming James Cameron’s Sanctum. He also wrote, produced and acted in the award-winning short films It’s Hot and Sean, and wrote the feature film Dreams of Peter Sutcliffe, which is currently in pre-production. His television credits include appearances on the series K9 (for TV Tonight), All Saints and Home and Away (for the Seven Network), White Collar Blue (for the Ten Network) and FOX Kids (for Foxtel) as well as numerous commercials.

Sean has been the director for Opera Queensland’s Moving Opera! programs in 2008 and 2009, and also appeared in the company’s 2009 production of Rigoletto.