Melbourne. Soaring symphonies and thrilling high
notes rang out in Melbourne’s Federation Square on Saturday, 3
February 2024, when thousands flocked to the highly successful, second
Australian edition of BMW’s annual Opera for All
concert series.
Under brilliant blue skies, and the experienced baton of Maestro
Brian Castles-Onion, four of Opera Australia’s finest singers, all
Melbourne-based, soprano Olivia Cranwell, mezzo-soprano Dimity
Shepherd, tenor Shanul Sharma and baritone Simon Meadows, accompanied
by Orchestra Victoria, performed a selection of opera’s biggest hits,
all for free.
Opera Australia’s CEO Fiona Allan was in attendance
and soaking up the atmosphere. “It was a thrill to welcome so many
people to Fed Square to enjoy another spectacular presentation of
Opera for All. Victorians were out in force including newcomers to
opera and longstanding opera-lovers. The creative excellence for which
Opera Australia is known is thanks to our exceptional teams of
artists, artisans and arts workers. It’s also due to the close
collaboration we enjoy with our partners, sponsors, donors and the
many communities with whom we work around Australia. We thank BMW for
their continued commitment to bringing more opera to more people
through this global initiative. We are now looking forward to our
exciting 2024 Victorian season, the first by our new artistic
director, Jo Davies, that will kick off at the end of May with two
very different productions – a new staging of Tosca at Margaret Court
Arena and the musical Sunset Boulevard at the Princess Theatre.”
Wolfgang Buechel, CEO of BMW Australia, expressed his
enthusiasm, stating: “For more than fifty years, BMW has
spearheaded hundreds of cultural initiatives globally that support
art, jazz, classical music, and opera. As responsible corporate
citizens, we are committed to investing in people and society in
countries where we operate. Here in Australia, we support education,
sport, and art and culture initiatives, which helps Australia to
perform at its best. This shared commitment brought Melburnians
together for our second BMW Opera for All event, celebrating local
talented singers and musicians. We thank Opera Australia and Orchestra
Victoria for their superb performances.”
The BMW Group’s Cultural Engagement with exclusive updates and deeper
insights into its global initiatives can be followed on Instagram at
@BMWGroupCulture.
