Organization

Stage director

Ivan Heng

Conductor

Rhydderch Hael

Costume designer

Max Tan

Repetiteur

Phoebe Briggs

Singer

Meili Li

Liang Shanbo

Cathy-Di Zhang

Zhu Yingtai

Lighting designer

Philip Lethlean

Sound designer

Jim Atkins

Haotian Qi

Father

Kate Amos

Chorus

Elizabeth Barrow

Shakira Dugan

Syrah Torri

Shanul Sharma

Michael Dimovski

James Emerson

Stephen Marsh

Victorian Opera

Set designer

Brian Tan

Orchestra

Orchestra Victorian Opera Chamber Ensemble

English

The Butterfly Lovers

Southbank

Australia

Arts Centre Melbourne

Playhouse

Public

Private

Approved

Have you heard the sounds of the dizi? The Chinese bamboo flute that is played sideways. Or have you ever been enchanted by the pipa? Sometimes called “The Chinese Lute”, its beautiful melodies have echoed since the Han Dynasty.
Victorian Opera is thrilled to present a brand new opera, The Butterfly Lovers, composed by one of the country's most distinguished composers, Richard Mills AM with a libretto by Joel Tan. Richard is well known for his melodic and dynamic operatic works, such as The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Batavia and The Love of the Nightingale.

The Butterfly Lovers tells the tale of identity and societal repression based on a traditional Chinese folk story. It also combines the talents of some of Australia's finest opera makers and performers with Singapore’s Wild Rice theatre (world renowned as one of the best theatre companies in Asia) led by their intrepid Artistic Director Ivan Heng. Some may be familiar with Ivan from the Australian tour of the play, Emily of Emerald Hill.

Featuring the Australian premiere of countertenor Meili Li who joins Victorian Opera from the Royal Opera House and the Bavarian State Opera; baritone Haotian Qi, who's recently been heard as soloist with Opera Australia; and soprano Cathy-Di Zhang in her debut for Victorian Opera, and renowned for her performances with Pintchgut Opera.

This exciting, and innovative, opera is a world-first.

The Butterfly Lovers by Mills, From (2022/2022), Directed by Ivan Heng,, Conductor Rhydderch Hael, Arts Centre Melbourne, Southbank, Australia

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Programme, About & Synopsis

Reviews

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues