SWOPERA: VOICES FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY
Promising to be different and entertaining, Paul Smith (pictured), a local composer and performer, is bringing the Sydney community together to hold a charity operatic recital, “with a twist”.
In the aptly named Swopera concert, male and female singers will be performing pieces originally intended for the opposite gender; something of a rarity as far as operatic recitals go.
“There’s a tradition in opera that means everything is incredibly strict and things must be performed always in the right key and in the right way… We’re not really interested in any of that because that has limits to what opera can do,” says Smith.
“Opera in the past has been a really, really vibrant medium and it’s supposed to involve as many parts of the community as possible.”
The concert will raise funds for Australian Marriage Equality, a group responsible for lobbying the government and raising awareness about the issue of marriage equality.
ABC Classic Breakfast presenter, Emma Ayers, will be hosting the night and Smith says audiences can expect a few words from former Justice of the High Court, Michael Kirby and Alex Greenwich, Member for Sydney speaking on behalf of Australian Marriage Equality.
Feb 16, 8pm, Paddington Uniting Church, 395 Oxford St Paddington, $30-40, facebook.com/SwoperaVoices
