Sydney Opera House Comes Alive With Music on World Opera Day

The Sydney Opera House precinct drew an unusual crowd on Sunday. On 25 October, World Opera Day, some visitors came with family to watch performances, while others posed for photographs in front of the world-famous building. With visitors coming and going and music filling the programme, the familiar Opera House took on an extra life that day.

At the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Opera Australia presented a special concert, Great Opera Hits, in which singers performed famous pieces by Puccini, Verdi, Rossini and Bizet.

Alongside it, the popular musical My Fair Lady was staged in the Concert Hall. Built around flower seller Eliza Doolittle's transformation, the production starred Claire Lyon as Eliza and Nathaniel Parker as Professor Henry Higgins.

One of the organisers said the production had come to the Sydney Opera House to mark 70 years since My Fair Lady was first staged on Broadway. It is based on the Australian version directed by Julie Andrews that reached the stage in 2016, and includes familiar songs such as 'I Could Have Danced All Night' and 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly?'. The musical runs until 31 October.

World Opera Day is observed every year on 25 October, the shared birthday of two celebrated composers, France's Georges Bizet and Austria's Johann Strauss II. Although the Sydney Opera House is the image many people associate with opera, the art form was born in Florence, Italy, in the late sixteenth century.

Following discussions at the World Opera Forum in Madrid, Spain, in 2018, Opera America, Opera Europa and Opera Latinoamerica began jointly marking the day in 2019. Its main aim is to bring opera to new audiences and build interest in the art form.

According to the organisers, opera stories carry familiar feelings — love, separation, joy and sorrow. Even when the language differs, audiences from many countries can connect with those emotions, and the art can help people understand others' feelings and be more open to different cultures.

Alongside the celebration, the insecurity facing people behind the scenes also came up. German orchestral conductor Kevin John Edusei said in a social media message that many opera artists and backstage workers worldwide still work on short-term contracts, go unpaid for rehearsals and face financial insecurity. He called for fair pay and professional security for them to keep opera alive.

Altogether, Sunday at the Sydney Opera House was a busy, festive day, with performances inside the halls and crowds of visitors outside combining to fill the programme.