Giacomo Puccini

18 OCTOBER–1 NOVEMBER
LYRIC THEATRE, SOUTH BANK

Cynthia Makris is regarded as one of America’s leading sopranos, recognised internationally for her interpretations of the great operatic heroines of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. She made her professional debut in her home state of Colorado, singing the title role in Tosca for Denver Lyric Opera. She went on to win the Metropolitan Opera District Auditions and the San Francisco Regional Auditions, as well as a prize for her portrayal of the three heroines in The Tales of Hoffmann.

Cynthia’s repertoire encompasses the dramatic coloratura roles of Bellini, Donizetti, Mozart and Verdi, as well as the lyric-dramatic roles of Puccini and Strauss. Her portrayal of Lady Macbeth in Macbeth at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland (which was recorded on video) brought her international acclaim. It was in this role that she made her debuts at La Scala in Milan and at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. She made her Covent Garden debut in the role of Abigaille in Nabucco.

Cynthia’s other performances include the title role in Turandot (at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, in Mexico City and at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland), Leonora in La forza del destino (at Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich), Venus and Elisabeth in Tannhäuser (at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland), Leonore in Fidelio, Leonora in Il trovatore and the title roles in Anna Bolena and Tosca (for Finnish National Opera), Senta in Der fliegende Holländer (for Tampere Opera in Finland), the title role in Norma (in Philadelphia), the title role in Tosca (for Deutsche Oper Berlin), the title role in Madama Butterfly (for Utah Opera), the title role in Francesca da Rimini and Marietta in Die tote Stadt (at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires), Marie in Wozzeck (at Teatro Municipal Santiago in Chile) and Minnie in La fanciulla del West (at Teatro Regio di Torino in Italy and for Finnish National Opera).
Cynthia’s name is also closely associated with Salome, a role which she has sung all over the world, including productions in Berlin, Tokyo, Strasbourg, Lisbon, Munich, Australia, Scotland, Hannover, Stuttgart, Helsinki, Philadelphia and Rio de Janeiro.

Cynthia will make her Opera Queensland debut in October 2007 as Abigaille in Nabucco.

Marian Talaba - Calaf
Marian Talaba as born in the Ukrainian village of Cupka. He studied at the National Music Academy of Ukraine, graduating in 2001, at which time he joined the National Opera of Ukraine. The following year he won first prize at the Mykola Lysenko Music Competition. Marian made his international debut in 2004 as Calaf in Turnadot (at the Malmö Opera House in Sweden). In the same year, he was a prize winner at the Stanislaw Moniuszko Vocal Competition (in Poland), which subsequently led to an invitation to join the Vienna State Opera, where he is currently a principal artist. His performances for that company include the roles of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Ismaele in Nabucco, Grigory in Boris Godunov, Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette and Herman in The Queen of Spades. In 2007, he made his role debut as Don José in Carmen (at the Dalhalla Opera Festival in Sweden). He reprised the role the following year for a performance at the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (in Ljubljana). Marian’s upcoming engagements include the roles of Laca Klemen in Jenufa, Cavaradossi in Tosca and Gabriele in Simon Boccanegra (for the Vienna State Opera).

Hye Seoung Kwon - Liù
Hye Seoung Kwon graduated from Hanyang University in Seoul with a Bachelor of Vocal Music (1995), after which she travelled to Italy to further her studies at the Milan Conservatory. While in Italy, she appeared in concerts with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, performing Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle and Stabat Mater, Poulenc’s Gloria and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (with Maestros Riccardo Chailly and Romano Gandolfi).
Hye Seoung then moved to Australia. In 2002, she was the recipient of The Australian Singing Competition Opera Award (which enabled her to travel to London where she studied with Tony Legge) and the MBS National Young Performers Award. She was a member of Opera Queensland’s 2002 and 2003 Young Artist Programs, during which time she covered the roles of Leïla in Les pêcheurs de perles, Nedda in Pagliacci and Clorinda in La Cenerentola. She made her principal role debut with the company in 2003 as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and covered the role of Donna Anna in the same production. She then relocated to Sydney for concert engagements and to continue her vocal studies. In December of the same year, she performed in The Opera and Arts Support Group annual Christmas concert. Other engagements include appearing as the soprano soloist in Opera in the Vineyard (at Stanthorpe) and performing Mozart’s Requiem (for Macquarie University).
In 2005, Hye Seoung joined Opera Australia’s Young Artist Program. Her performances for that company include the roles of Pamina in Die Zaubeflöte, Nannetta in Falstaff, Frasquita in Carmen, A Siren in Rinaldo, Liù in Turandot, Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica and the title role and Oberto in Alcina. She also performed the role of Mimì in OzOpera’s touring production of La bohème.
She has participated in masterclasses and workshops with Elizabeth Connell, Jeffrey Black, Joshua Hecht, Graham Pushee, Peter Robinson, Andrew Sinclair, Anna Sweeny, Elisabeth Pillgrab and Elric Hooper.
Hye Seoung’s other engagements in 2008 include the roles of Mimì in La bohème, Micaela in Carmen, Dorinda in Orlando, Leïla in The Pearl Fishers and Heavenly Being 1 in The Pilgrim’s Progress (all for Opera Australia).

Gennadi Dubinsky - Timur
Gennadi Dubinsky was born and educated in Russia. In the 1980s he was a soloist with the State Theatre of Operetta and the Moscow Concert Organization appearing in productions of The Circus Princess, Die Fledermaus and Women’s Revolt. During this time, he also performed in numerous concerts and on radio and frequently made appearances on television.
In 1992, Gennadi moved to Australia. He has appeared as a soloist with The SBS Radio & Television Youth Orchestra and the Sydney Concert Orchestra and for many years was a featured artist in nightly operatic performances in Opera Afloat for Captain Cook Cruises (on Sydney Harbour). He also appeared in the cabaret production Show Stoppers (starring Maggie Scott), which won the 1998 Mo Award (for Best Show of the Year) and performed his own one-man show featuring operatic arias and Russian songs (which he also toured to Russia and Turkey).
Gennadi’s engagements this year include covering roles in
Il trovatore and Don Giovanni (both for Opera Australia).

Lucas De Jong - Ping
Lucas De Jong was born in Melbourne. He made his professional debut at the age of 12 as the Shepherd Boy in The Australian Opera’s (now Opera Australia) production of Tosca. He is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts.
In 1990, Lucas joined the Victorian State Opera’s Young Artist Program. His performances for that company include the roles of Dr Malatesta in Don Pasquale, The Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and Zurga in The Pearl Fishers.
In 1992, he travelled to the UK basing himself in London. In the same year he performed the roles of Coppelius and Dapertutto in The Tales of Hoffmann (for Chelmsford Opera), Dr Falke in Die Fledermaus (for Surrey Opera) and Schaunard and Marcello in La bohème (for Regency Opera and Welwyn Opera, respectively). Other engagements include the roles of Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and Figaro in The Barber of Seville (for Court Opera), Escamillo in Carmen (for Opera South), Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro (for Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Welsh National Opera), the title role in Eugene Onegin (for Opera Holland Park), Papageno in The Magic Flute (for Mid Wales Opera), Silvio in Pagliacci (for New Sussex Opera) and Germont in La traviata (for London City Opera). Other performances included Brahms’ Requiem with the London Oriana Choir and for the University of Leicester, and opera concerts for Opera Northern Ireland.
Engagements outside of the UK include Moralès in Carmen (for Royal Opera Canada’s tour in Israel), the title role in Don Giovanni (for Opera Atelier in Toronto and at the Athens Megaron) and Marcello in La bohème, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Escamillo in Carmen and Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor (for European Chamber Opera).
In 2000, Lucas returned to Australia. His engagements in Australia include the roles of Zurga in The Pearl Fishers, Fléville and Roucher in Andrea Chénier, Silvio in Pagliacci, Escamillo in Carmen, Sharpless and Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly and Raoul de St Briochein The Merry Widow (for Opera Australia) and Zurga in The Pearl Fishers and Valentin in Faust (for West Australian Opera).
On the concert platform, Lucas’ engagements include Handel’s Messiah (with the Collegium Symphonic Chorus), Brahms’ Requiem (with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Society), Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins and Classical Spectacular (with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra), Carmina Burana (with the Melbourne Chorale), Opera in the Alps, Opera in the Vineyard and Opera in the Market (all for Australian Musical Events).

Bernard Hull began his professional stage career in 1986, taking up a cadetship with State Opera of South Australia. In 1987, he joined the West Australian Opera as resident tenor, during which time he also performed with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra. In the same year, he was a finalist in the vocal section of the ABC Young Performers Award (receiving a grant which enabled him to study in the UK).

Bernard returned to Australia in 1988. Since then, he has alternated his performances between the operatic stage and in Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals. He was a member of the original Australian cast of The Phantom of the Opera which has seen him tour throughout Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Over the years, he has performed 10 different roles in the production. In Cats, he performed the roles of Asparagus (Gus) the Theatre Cat, Growltiger and Bustopher Jones.

Bernard’s opera credits include the roles of Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor,Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Dr Caius in Falstaff and Incredibile in Andrea Chénier (for Opera Queensland), Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Orpheus in Orpheus and Eurydice, The First Knight in Parsifal, the Prince of Lucca in Paganini and Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor (for State Opera of South Australia), Don Basilio and Don Curzio in
The Marriage of Figaro and Ferrando in Così fan tutte (for
Co-Opera’s Australian tours) and the title roles in Count Ory and The Tales of Hoffmann (for Canterbury Opera in New Zealand).

His oratorio performances include Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Mass in B minor, Christmas Oratorio, St John Passion and St Matthew Passion, Rossini’s Stabat Mater; Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Beethoven’s Mass in C minor and Ninth Symphony and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem.

Bernard’s recordings include three solo albums, a double CD set of his own rock opera Jesus - Messiah the Musical and an album of Christmas songs which will be released in November 2007.

In October 2007, Bernard will perform the role of Ismaele in Opera Queensland’s production of Nabucco.

Virgilio Marino - Pong
Virgilio Marino studied piano at the Australian Institute of Music and voice at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He was the recipient of the tenor award in the Sydney Performing Arts Challenge and a finalist in the McDonald’s Operatic Aria Competition. He has worked with voice coaches Renata Scotto, Regina Resnik, Ruth Falcon, Tony Manoli and Joe Colaneri and completed masterclasses with Richard Miller, Jon Vickers, Fedora Barbieri and Jay Lessinger.
In 2000, Virgilio attended Mannes College of Music in New York (on a scholarship) and was a quarter-finalist in The Metropolitan Opera Award. His performances for the college included the roles of Fenton in Falstaff, Prunier in La rondine and understudying Alfredo in La traviata.
He made his professional debut at the Theater Regensburg in Germany in the roles of The Duke in Rigoletto and the title role in Oberon, and understudied the role of Oronte in Alcina. In 2003, he travelled to Italy to further his studies, during which time he performed with students from Teatro alla Scala’s Academy of Performing Arts in a production of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle and was a semi-finalist in Concorso Riccardo Zandonai.
On the concert platform, Virgilio’s performances include the Victor Chang Charity Concert (at the Sydney Town Hall for its then patron, Princess Diana), the Italian Republic Day Concert (at Darling Harbour) and the Miss Italy Quest (at the Sydney Opera House).
As a member of Opera Queensland’s 2006 Young Artist Program, Virgilio made his role and company debut as Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet and performed in the ensemble of Die Fledermaus (which also toured throughout regional Queensland).
Recent engagements include the roles of Howard Boucher in Dead Man Walking (at the State Theatre, Sydney), Alfredo in La traviata (at the reopening of the Majestic Theatre in Pomona) and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (for Simply Opera), performing in the concert production of The Food of Love (for Opera Queensland’s regional centre tour), Opera in the Vineyard (at Stanthorpe) and making his debut with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (at the Myer Music Bowl).

Peter Axford - Mandarin
Peter Axford began his singing career in North Queensland. He continued his vocal studies in Brisbane with James Christiansen before travelling overseas for study in New York (with Daniel Ferro of The Juilliard School) and Germany (on a grant from the Australia Council Music Development Fund).
In 1995, Peter joined the Opera Queensland Chorus going on to perform as an ensemble member in numerous productions over the years including Carmen, Otello, Turandot, La bohème, Faust, La traviata and Il trovatore. In 1999, he joined the company’s Young Artist Program. His principal roles for the company include Curio in Julius Caesar and Count Ribbing in A Masked Ball. In 2004, he joined the Opera Australia Chorus. His performances for that company include the roles of De Brétigny in Manon and Bob Becket in HMS Pinafore. Engagements with other companies include Fléville in Andrea Chénier and Uberto in La serva padrona (for State Opera of South Australia) and Masetto in Don Giovanni (for West Australian Opera).
On the concert platform, Peter has appeared with the Queensland, Adelaide, Darwin, Melbourne and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras and has performed with many of the nation’s choral groups. His repertoire includes Bach’s St John Passion and St Matthew Passion, Monteverdi’s Vespers, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Walpurgisnacht and Elijah and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. His concert performances include Carmina Burana for the Townsville Civic Theatre Silver Jubilee concerts, Hansel’s Messiah at the re-opening of The Empire Theatre in Toowoomba (with The Queensland Orchestra), Fauré’s Requiem (with the Brisbane Chorale), Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona at the Mackay Festival and Verdi’s Requiem at the Sydney Opera House (with the Sydney Philharmonic Choir).
During 2002 and 2003, Peter was involved in the development of regional music programs in North Queensland and New South Wales as a musical director, teacher and performer.
In October 2007, Peter will perform the role of The High Priest of Ball in Opera Queensland’s production of Nabucco.

Kenneth Collins AM - Emperor
Kenneth Collins was born in the UK where he commenced his career in the performing arts. He initially joined the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company making his operatic debut in Adriana Lecouvreur at the 1971 Camden Festival. In the same year he appeared at the Aldeburgh Festival and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He went on to make numerous appearances at the Royal Opera House, performing in Lucia di Lammermoor (with Joan Sutherland), Die Zauberflöte and Das Lied von der Erde (with The Royal Ballet).
Kenneth’s other performances in the UK include the roles of Manrico in Il trovatore, Radames in Aida, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Henri Arrigo in The Sicilian Vespers (for English National Opera), Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, Nadir in The Pearl Fishers, Calaf in Turandot, Cavaradossi in Tosca and the title roles in Andrea Chénier, Ernani and Don Carlos (for Welsh National Opera) and Manrico in Il trovatore (for Scottish Opera).
Concert and opera performances have taken Kenneth to Jerusalem, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, Cologne, Strasbourg, Granada, Valencia, Madrid, Florence, Los Angeles and New York.
Kenneth made his debut with The Australian Opera (now Opera Australia) in 1983 as Manrico in Il trovatore. He left the UK in 1984 to base himself in Australia, going on to perform for all the state opera companies over the subsequent years. For Opera Australia he has performed the roles of Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del west, Radames in Aida, Gustavus III in Un ballo in maschera, Carlo in I masnadieri, Gabriele Adorno in Simon Boccanegra, Don José in Carmen, Don Alvaro in La forza del destino, Florestan in Fidelio, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Canio in Pagliacci, Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana, Macduff in Macbeth, Calaf in Turandot and Ismaele in Nabucco. Other performances include Manrico in Il trovatore (for State Opera of South Australia and in a concert production for West Australia Opera), Samson in Samson et Dalila, Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto and the title role in Don Carlos (for Victoria State Opera), Calaf in Turandot (for Opera Queensland) and Cavaradossi in Tosca (for Victoria State Opera, State Opera of South Australia, West Australian Opera and Wellington City Opera).
On the concert platform, Kenneth has appeared with the Sydney Philharmonia, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Philharmonic, Queensland Symphony, Australian Pops Orchestra, Queensland Pops Orchestra and West Australian Symphony Orchestra. His voice can also be heard on the soundtrack of the feature film Harlem Aria.
In 1993, Kenneth received the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to opera in Australia.