This year brings a new focus for New Zealand Opera – connecting with the people and stories of Aotearoa and introducing the artform to new audiences. Its ambition is to reimagine opera, embrace the cultural and social identities of our diverse communities, and ensure a vibrant and sustainable presence for opera in New Zealand.

The production of Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King shows just how bold NZ Opera is prepared to be in its mission – director Thomas de Mallet Burgess recasts the historical figure of Mad King George into a modern-day corporate everyman. Partnering with the ground-breaking contemporary music ensemble Stroma, this modern take on opera promises to be a bold and immersive experience. Originally scheduled for March 25 – 29, this has been postponed to the end of 2020.

In October and November, NZ Opera will present Poulenc and Cocteau's opera The Human Voice in hotel rooms around the country, including The George in Christchurch in October.

The company was to bring a new production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro to Christchurch in July but this has been rescheduled to 2021. Director Lindy Hume and her creative team will explore the potent class and gender politics of this landmark opera and what it means in a modern context.

The 2020 season is the first programmed by general director Thomas de Mallet Burgess, who joined the company in mid-2018 and made his directorial debut in New Zealand with a sellout and critically acclaimed production of The Turn of the Screw.

nzopera.com