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• •Accessible Opera for the whole Community
Opera is great! And it can be appreciated by all.
More than Opera exists to make more types of opera more
accessible to more types of people, bringing enjoyable and
relevant opera to our community in a fast changing world
David
Kram
Creative Director, More than Opera
What is More than Opera?
MTO was formed in 2000 and is an opera partnering organisation
whose values are rooted in mentoring young, rural or disadvantaged
community members through operatic opportunities. We
are committed to inspiring creativity and innovation through
community, therapeutic and artistic programs.
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Who
is More than Opera?
Stephen
Murby (Chairman), Anthony Battaini (Deputy Chairman), Richard
Hobson (Secretary), Dr David Kram (General Manager/Creative
Director), Elisabeth Turner (Director), John Paul Fischbach
(Director), Keith Beecher (Treasurer), Mandi Tong, (Director)
Professor the Hon. George Hampel
AM QC (Chairman), Betty Amsden OAM, Colin Neave AM, Anthony Battaini,
Keith Beecher.
Graham
Ford 9682-5002 admin@morethanopera.com
MTO draws on a
very wide pool of emerging and experienced opera practictioners,
tailored towards specific programs. Several artists now making
careers in Australia and overseas have made their professional
debuts with MTO. German-Australian Opera Grant prize-winners
have distinguished themselves at international level.
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Our
Programs
Our German Australia Opera Grant Program is
one of Australia’s most prominent sponsored singing
awards – a national annual competition – the
only one to award a young Australian a year’s contract
as a principal singer in a leading European Opera House to
launch their career on the world’s opera stage.
Our Opera-Health Programs, encompassing opera therapy,
rehabilitation and education, create opportunities
for young or disadvantaged people through partnering community
organisations with Australian opera professionals.
Our Touring Opera Program features tours
to major Victorian provincial centres performing new operas
often sung in English to rural audiences ranging from school
children to senior citizens.
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Our
Contributions
The brainchild of the partnership of Hans Henkell and
MTO Creative Director David Kram, GAOG’s first prize includes a one-year employment contract at a major
German opera house (Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden, near Frankfurt), two
months German language tuition, living allowance plus travel - representing
a grant of approximately $60,000. There are four prizes in all. To date
six international careers have been launched through GAOG and the Staatstheater
has proudly recognised three of them with ongoing contracts. [www.staatstheater-wiesbaden.de].
The 2008 winner was soprano Anita Kyle. Renee Martin (2nd Prize), Chris Busietta
(3rd Prize) and Malcolm Ede (4th prize) also received prizes.
MTO has partnered Music Therapist and Opera Singer Emma O’Brien
with four cancer patients to create an original production
broadening music therapy’s horizons into the world
of movement, acting, text and theatre. This project was supported
by our opera team to create a documentary broadcasted on
SBS-TV and won a documentary prize.
MTO’s arts residency
projects at Malmsbury Juvenile Justice Centre used a similar
model, creating new work with their community partners,
encouraging self-esteem though self-expression, fostering
teamwork, and developing community skills for MTO artists.
Building on experience gained
with schools in Melbourne and Regional Victoria, MTO artists
are partnering with Coburg Senior Secondary School, creating
even more avenues for the creation of original Australian
storytelling through opera – with
a technological edge. [www.cshs.edu.au]
MTO has brought new audiences to its opera productions and
concerts in Bendigo, Benalla, Daylesford, Geelong, Melbourne,
Portland, Port Fairy, Shepparton, Warrnambool and Yarra
Ranges, and tours educational opera shows to schools in
Melbourne and Regional Victoria.
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Children's Opera, Family Opera, Corporate
Entertainment
As well as the German Australian
Opera Grant, Opera-Health and Touring Opera Programs, MTO
provides children’s
and family opera events, corporate entertainment and private
soirees. We have a bespoke approach, tailoring our entertainment
to your event – formal or informal, large or small.
Choose from a huge repertoire or let our creative team guide
you.
'It is imaginatively and colourfully
costumed, and the accomplished young opera talent…had
the children in the audience engrossed' - The Age
Their performances are multi-layered
and of exceptional musicianship and theatrical presentation.
You will not only hear wonderful voices, superb musicians,
sensitive characterization, great theatre, marvellous costumes
but also the thrill of experiencing artists of outstanding
promise’ - Weekender
For more information about
booking a children’s opera
please contact the Administrator at MTO on 03 9682 5002,
Dr Kram on (0412) 114 725 or email us at admin@morethanopera.com
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Why
we need Your Support
We have been supported by Arts
Victoria, the City of Melbourne, The Italian Institute
of Culture and – specifically
for GAOG – by members of the German-Australian business
community. We acknowledge with gratitude our donors, MTO
being a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) since 2003.
MTO needs to continue raising
awareness of opera being an accessible art form in the
community with the potential to brighten lives and enhance
well-being. Our future project
plans include more regional touring for children’s
opera, interactive web-based education packages, community
radio station collaborations to promote new Australian composers
and producing CD and DVD material for Opera-Health.
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