Australian Contemporary Opera Company

The Australian Contemporary Opera Company is a not-for-profit contemporary opera company, based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was formerly known as "Gertrude Opera".

History

The company was established in 2008 primarily as a training repertory company for aspiring opera singers, and répétiteurs, directors and designers. It was first named "The Opera School Melbourne" and then "Gertrude Opera". Its creative staff include Linda Thompson, Brian Castles-Onion AM. Creative teams have included Gale Edwards AM, costume designer Tim Chappel, Geraldine Turner AM, and Luke Leonard. Conductors have included Brian Castles-Onion AM, Tianyi Lu, Patrick Burns, Benjamin Northey, Matthew Toogood, and Dr David Kram. Staff members have included Andrea Katz, and Cameron Menzies. In 2013 the Studio named its performing company "Gertrude Opera", after Gertrude Johnson incorporating the Studio stage performance program. In 2020 the company changed its name to the "Australian Contemporary Opera Company".

Productions

The company's repertoire spans Australian premieres, new works, and children's/family opera. "mini-festivals" and major productions. In later years, the company has become known for Australian premieres and staging of contemporary works and treatments. In 2015 the company founded Australia's only international opera festival
International collaborators include Monk Parrots and Glyndebourne.

Selective list of productions

Australian premiere*

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland* 2022
Book of Longing 2022
The Loser* 2022
Ariarchitecture* 2020
Together, Apart* 2020
Kate Kelly* 2020
love fail* 2020-2022
To my distant love* 2020
As One,* 2020
The Enchanted Pig,* 2019
The Coronation of Poppea, 2019
Macbeth, 2019
The [Handmaid's Tale (opera)|The Handmaid's Tale],* 2018
Cosi fan tutte, 2018
The Elixir of Love, 2018
To Hell and Back,* 2018, 2016
Alcina, 2017
The Magic Flute, 2017
Doctor Miracle, 2017
The Consul, 2017
The Telephone, 2017
First Music, then Words, 2017
Thespis, 2016
the difficulty of crossing a field,* 2015
Tuesdays with Pictures,* 2015
Bon Appétit!,* 2015
Coffee Cantata,
Trial by Jury,
The Magic Flute, 2014
The Marriage of Figaro, 2014
Cinderella, 2013
The [Juniper Tree (opera)|The Juniper Tree],* 2011, 2013
Eugene Onegin, 2012
Orpheus in the Underworld, 2011
Mini Opera Festival: Orpheus returns, 2011
Loves Luggage Lost, 2011Don Giovanni, 2010
The Magic Flute,
The Old Maid and the Thief, 2009Hansel and Gretel, 2009
Acis and Galatea, 2009

Studio - Young Artists (2009 - 2019)

Gertrude Opera runs an annual international Studio Young Artist program, building bridges to new audiences and a platform for professional growth.

2009	2010	2011	2012
Hadleigh Adams	Stacey Alleaume	Ashlyn Tymms	Blake Bowden
Stacey Alleaume	Sophie Yelland	Nathan Lay	Eric Ferrer
Kari Lyon	Cameron Lukey	Nicholas Dinopoulos	Li Yang
Alison Lemoh	Greg Eldridge	Daniel Sinfield	Samantha Chong	Nathan Lay	Hannah Dahlenburg	Caitlin McNab
Kristan Gregory	Nicholas Dinopoulos	Rhiannon Stevens	Rhiannon Stephens
Tim Jaques	Daniel Sinfield	Joachin Quilez-Marin	Bernard Leon
Laura Parkes	David Costello	Kristain Gregory	Raphael Wong
Jane Matheson	Diipti Firmstone	Caitlin McNab	Juel Flemming
Amy Spruce	Rosel Labone	Jessica Kinsella	Alyssa Peacock
	Timothy Jaques	Eric Ferrer	Emma Wheeler
	Kristain Gregory	Na'ama Goldman
	Caitlin McNab	Samantha Chong
	Stephanie Falkiner	Adam Bryce
	Bethany McAleer	Emma Wheeler
	Yana Georgiou

2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Brigette de Poi	Georgia Wilkinson	Georgia Wilkinson	Alexandra Amerides	Alexandra Amerides	Alexandra Amerides
Juliet Dufour	Louise Keast	Naomi Flatman	Georgia Wilkinson	Jessica Mills	Bailey Montgomerie
Joshua Erdelyi-Götz	Yu Lin	Morgan Carter	Morgan Carter	Callum Warrender	Caitlin Toohey
Darcy Carroll	Ella Broome	NuoLin OuYang	Daniel Felton	Sandra Liu	Callum Warrender
Lisa Parker	Zachary McCulloch	Sheridan Hughes	Joshua Oxley	Angelique Tot	Genevieve Droppert
Shir Rozzen	Naomi Flatman	Joshua Oxley	Nigel Huckle	Leah Phillips	Daniel Felton
Bethany Hill	Chloe Wood	Victoria Thomasch	Sam Ward	Zhibang Chen	Mitchell Sanders
Allegra Giagu	Juan-David Guzman	Frances Kruske	Tash Atkins		Grace Gallur
Elizabeth Chennell		Hannah Peel			Sandra Liu
		Alexandra Amerides			Madeline Nibali
		Nigel Huckle			Po Goh
		Harry Grigg			Lily Begg
		Leo Williams

Awards and honours

In 2018, and again in 2019, Gertrude Opera won OperaChaser's Outstanding Production by an Independent Company Award for the Australian premieres of The Handmaid's Tale and The Enchanted Pig.
In 2020, a Green Room Award for Programming - a world-first online contemporary opera festival.
In 2022, Honourable Mention at Tokyo Film Festival for love fail - a co-production with Monk Parrots USA
In 2022, Founder and Artistic director Linda Thompson was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women