State Opera of South Australia

State Opera South Australia (SOSA) is a professional opera company in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1976.

History

State Opera South Australia was established in 1976 as a statutory corporation under the State Opera of South Australia Act 1976,^[1]^[2] an initiative of Don Dunstan.^[3] The board created by this act reported to Arts SA (later Arts South Australia) from 1993 to 2018, when it started reporting directly to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.^[4]

Its aim is to "present, produce, manage and conduct operatic performances that attract a diverse local, national and, potentially, international audience."^[5]

Its artistic director and CEO from 2011 until 2017^[6] was Timothy Sexton before his "shock resignation"^[7] following charges of abuse of teenage girls^[8] for which he was sentenced to a maximum of 14 years in prison.^[9] Artistic director Stuart Maunder and executive director Yarmila Alfonzetti commenced in early 2018, and their first annual program was announced in September 2018.^[10]^[11]

In September 2022, Mark Taylor was appointed as Executive Director joining the company from Opera Queensland, a company he served for 12 years, leaving his role as the Director of Learning, Regional and Community.^[12]

In 2022, the company created the Australian Opera Digital Library where a selection of operas, curated by Stuart Maunder, by Australian composers are available for free to registered users.^[13]

Notable productions

Two complete cycles of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen: the Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris) production in 1998, and in 2004 Elke Neidhardt's all-Australian production^[14]
2010 world premiere co-production of Moby-Dick by Jake Heggie between Dallas Opera, State Opera of South Australia, San Diego Opera, San Francisco Opera and Calgary Opera^[15]
Australian premieres of John Adams' Nixon in China and El Niño; Jonathan Dove's Flight, and Sergei Prokofiev's The Fiery Angel
Australian premiere of György Ligeti's opera Le Grand Macabre at the 2010 Adelaide Festival of Arts^[16]
World premiere of George Palmer's opera based on Tim Winton's novel Cloudstreet in 2016
Australian premiere of Barrie Kosky's production of Saul at the 2017 Adelaide Festival in association with Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Adelaide Festival of Arts
Australian premiere of Brett Dean's Hamlet at the 2018 Adelaide Festival in association with Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Adelaide Festival of Arts
A festival celebrating Gilbert & Sullivan in May 2023, the first to be held in the Southern Hemisphere

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987.


Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2007	Wagner: Das Rheingold (with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra & Asher Fisch)	Best Classical Album	Nominated	^[17]

References

^ "State Opera of South Australia Act 1976, Version: 12.5.2011" (PDF). 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
^ "State Opera of South Australia Act 1976". legislation.sa. Government of South Australia. Attorney-General's Dept. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
^ "Donald Allan Dunstan". Flinders Ranges Research. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
^ "About arts and culture". South Australia. Dept of the Premier and Cabinet. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
^ "About". State Opera of South Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
^ "State Opera of South Australia to conduct review after CEO and artistic director Tim Sexton resigns" by Patrick McDonald, The Advertiser (Adelaide), 8 May 2017
^ Strahle, Graham (15 November 2017). "State Opera of SA at a crossroads". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
^ "Former State Opera SA chief Timothy Sexton found guilty of sexually abusing teenage music students". ABC News. Australia. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
^ Mahalia Carter (2 July 2021). "Former SA State Opera chief Timothy Sexton sentenced in Adelaide for abusing teenage girls". ABC News. Australia. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
^ Nguyen, Justine (27 September 2018). "State Opera South Australia showcases Australian works in 2019". Limelight. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
^ Strahle, Graham (7 November 2018). "Taking opera to the people". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
^ Danesin, Laura (24 August 2022). "State Opera South Australia announces new Executive Director". State Opera South Australia. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^ Michael Kaufmann. "State Opera South Australia launches digital library". On Air & Online. Limelight. No. June 2022. p. 56.
^ "Wagner's Ring Cycle in Adelaide" (PDF). National Library of Australia. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
^ Smith, Steve (2 May 2010). "A Role for the Roiling Sea as Ahab Hunts His Whale". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
^ "Le grand macabre: Adelaide Festival (Australia), 26 February 2010". Opera Britannia. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
^ ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards – Winners by Award". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 November 2018.