A Chorus of approval!

Opera Australia has produced some of the most renowned singers in the genre globally, including the permanent members of the highly acclaimed Opera Australia Chorus. To showcase the talents of these singers, individually and as a group, OA is presents Chorus! , a night of opera’s most spectacular choral melodies. 

During a typical season, the OA Chorus will sing in every opera in the program, performing alternating ones each night, sometimes singing in two the same day. They can perform up to eleven different operas in a year. The 48 full-time members of the Chorus perform all over Australia in five different languages and across a three-century range of musical styles. 

Chorus!  is a distillation of choral highlights from some of the best loved operas including Madama Butterfly, Il Trovatore and Rigoletto, as well as from obscure operas and contemporary works: everything from Purcell to Leonard Bernstein. 

With minimal set and costumes and two pianists providing the music, the focus will be entirely on the voices. 

“This program was very thoughtfully chosen by our chorus master, Paul [Fitzsimon],” says chorister, Sandy Leung. “Paul has been working with us in the past few years or more and he really knows how to bring the best quality of our voice as one – and it’s electrifying. Every time I listen in rehearsal, I get goosebumps.”

Sandy Leung joined the OA Chorus in 2017 as a casual, performing in Carmen on Sydney Harbour. Prior to that, Leung had been an opera soloist and teacher in Hong Kong for 20 years. Though opera is popular in Hong Kong, there is no full-time chorus and the solo roles often have to be shared across performances, so she was thrilled to land a spot in the OA Chorus. 

Leung actually lives in Brisbane with her partner and her puppy. Being a full-time chorister means she’s away from home for much of the year. But it’s worth it. 

“It is very hard but I’m living in my dream job and my partner has been really supportive. He knows how much I love my job and I’ll give anything for it,” she says. Leung recalls her first double shift (Turandot and La Boheme on the same day) very fondly. 

“I was so overwhelmed, I was in tears between the shows because I just can’t believe how lucky I was to be able to sing a double show in a day with my favourite opera [Turandot]. I’m so thankful that I’m here. ”

The members of OA Chorus range in age from around 29 to mid-60s. The longest serving member has been with Opera Australia for over 40 years. 

Chorus! will put the spotlight on a group of commensurate singers who are often in the shadows. The program will allow the OA Chorus to shine as a team and also allow individuals to show their chops as soloists. 

“To me, we’re not just a chorus, we’re all soloists, we’ve all got a beautiful voice and I can’t wait to let the audience hear our voice individually,” says Leung. 

February 4 – March 10

Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point

opera.org.au