Opera singer and music teacher Christine Heald moved to Ballarat in part because of its reputation as a music-loving town. But when she arrived four years ago she found most other genres of music except her first love – opera.
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Ms Heald has rectified this, founding the Ballarat Chamber Opera which starts rehearsals next week ahead of its debut performance at the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral in October.
All but two of the performers involved are locals, or have a local connection having grown up in Ballarat or with family here.
“I moved here from Melbourne about four years ago with a background in opera performance, in part because of how musical Ballarat was. Then I discovered it was all musical theatre, which I love, but there was zero opera and very few performance opportunities for young classical singers to practice what they want to do – classical singing.”
The Ballarat Chamber Opera’s first performance will be Handel’s oratorio Semele on October 6.
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