From cracking jokes to singing arias
A rising star on the Australian opera scene, Bradley Daley appears in La Prima Opera’s new show, Encore, in Warragul on Friday.
A singer with Opera Australia singer and dual Green Room award-winning tenor, Daley’s singing career has taken him across the world, from the Victoria State Opera to Germany, where he rose to prominence with a starring role in Cats.
He will sing Siegmund in Opera Australia’s Ring Cycle in 2016 in Melbourne and next year will make his major Wagnerian debut in Europe, making him one of only a handful of tenors in the world who can sing this notoriously difficult repertoire.
You don’t need to be an opera buff to enjoy Encore. It’s packed with opera highlights that everyone knows, even if they have never set foot in an opera house.
Daley’s pedigree as an opera singer masks an unconventional background: he began his theatrical career in stand-up comedy, supporting himself through a drama degree at university by making audiences laugh. He may have continued down this route had his singing talent not been discovered. He switched to a music degree and his fate was sealed.
Daley said his stand-up experience has come in handy on many occasions on the operatic stage. “Anything can happen when you’re performing live so it’s important to be able to stay calm and not take yourself too seriously.”
He will perform the spine-tingling Nessun Dorma, the soaring melody made famous by Luciano Pavarotti.
The show also includes favourites from operas including Carmen and La Traviata through to Les Miserables and even Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, performed by international soprano Alison Rae Jones and Opera Australia mezzo soprano Caroline Vercoe. Joining them are concert pianist Len Vorster, popular host Christopher McKenna and acclaimed director Stuart Maunder.
La Prima Opera is at the West Gippsland Arts Centre at 11am on Friday, July 15.
Tickets are $24 for adults, $21 concession, $20 for members and $16 for under 18s.For bookings or further information, contact the West Gippsland Arts Centre box-office on 5624 2456 or visit wgac.org.au