Program for 2026
20th June. How to run an opera company in a world obsessed with 30-second sound bites … or is there a place for opera in the AI universe? A talk with Patrick Nolan, CEO and Artistic Director of Opera Queensland. Patrick has created productions for Opera Australia, WA Opera, Sydney Chamber Opera, New Zealand Opera, Seattle Opera, Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir St, Griffin Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company, London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and all the major Australian capital city festivals. As such he has a wealth of experience in the workings of the operatic world and the challenges it faces. His presentation promises to offer many insights and perspectives on the place of opera in our contemporary world as well as the various complexities involved in running a publicly funded company. In particular he will discuss the process involved in developing a business case and raising funds for a production of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde – a process that was interrupted by the Covid pandemic but will hopefully come to fruition in the coming seasons. We all look forward to that!
3:00pm to 5:00 pm, 4MBS Performance Studio, 384 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo. Attendance Fees are $20 for members, $25 for guests. Please transfer payment to Bank of Queensland, BSB 124021, Account No. 22612919. Quote your surname and month. Please advise the Secretary at alphayap60@gmail.com of the transfer and the names of any guests. The meeting will be followed by afternoon tea, for which donations will be gratefully received.
18th July. Talk by Peter Bassett entitled ‘Enlightenment through Suffering and Love’, with specific reference to Götterdämmerung. 3:00pm to 5:00 pm, 4MBS Performance Studio, 384 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo. Attendance Fees are $20 for members, $25 for guests. Please transfer payment to Bank of Queensland, BSB 124021, Account No. 22612919. Quote your surname and month. Please advise the Secretary at alphayap60@gmail.com of the transfer and the names of any guests. The meeting will be followed by afternoon tea, for which donations will be gratefully received.
15th August. A lecture/recital on ‘Liszt and Wagner’ presented by Alpha Yap together with virtuoso pianist John Granger Fisher.
19th September. An illustrated talk by Stephen Emmerson on ‘Hagen’s Watch’ – the Dark Side in Götterdämmerung.
17th October. Cinema screening of an Act of a Wagner opera (details to be confirmed).
14th November. Our AGM. Further details TBA.