Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s performances in Bendigo and Ballarat could be one of the last chances for people to see the opera singer live in concert.
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The New Zealand-born performer is performing on a handful of stages this year.
Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre and Ballarat’s Her Majesty’s Theatre will join New York’s Metropolitan, the Vienna State, Sydney Opera House, La Scala, Covent Garden and the Chicago Lyric Opera as the stages lucky enough to host Dame Kiri.
Capital Venues and Events manager David Lloyd said it was exciting that the only two Australian cities Dame Kiri will perform in this year are regional cities.
“She certainly hasn’t said is her last tour but as you can imagine, a soprano of her vintage is less and less likely to continue to tour,” he said.
“It is exciting that the only two Australian cities that are hosting her are in regional Victoria.”
Mr Llloyd said he has never seen Dame Kiri perform live before.
“I have watched many of the operas she has performed in but never live,” he said.
“To be honest, one of the reasons why we needed a venue with the scale of Ulumbarra is to get acts of this calibre to Bendigo.
“It isn’t possible with less than 600 seats because of the economies involved in getting a singer that magnitude to our venues. The additional seats (Ulumbarra has) make it economically viable for the first time.”
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa performs at Ulumbarra on Friday, October 28. Tickets are available from www.thecapital.com.au/Whats_On
She performs at Ballarat’s Her Majesty’s Theatre on Sunday, October 30. Visit www.hermaj.com for tickets and information.
