Members of the Melbourne Opera respond to works in the NGV’s medieval gallery, including pieces from the NGV Collection as well as twelve paintings by Richard Lewer, on display as part of Triennial 2023, which examine the creation story of Adam and Eve.
Soprano, Rebecca Rashleigh, and harpist, Glavier Aldana Norgiega, will bring new layers of aural colour, interior life, and transformative mods through intimate and immersive performances of early music, set amongst these artworks of devotion, reverence, and obsession.
In its 21 years of existence, Melbourne Opera has become one of the nation’s leading professional opera companies. With over 60 main stage productions to its credit, significant community engagement, a large group of philanthropic supporters, a unique national training role and strong regional presence, Melbourne Opera entered its third decade presenting the multi-award-winning Ring Cycle in Bendigo. 2024 will see new productions of works by Mozart, Donizetti and Puccini.
Performers
A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, Rebecca Rashleigh (soprano) has performed many various roles with opera companies within Australia and Asia including Melbourne Opera, Victorian Opera, Opera Australia and Lyric Opera. Roles include Clorinda (Cenerentola), Woglinde and the Woodbird (Ring Cycle), Parrwang (Parrwang lifts the sky), Marzelline (Fidelio), Blonde (The Abduction from the Seraglio), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Pamina (Die Zauberflote) , Liu (Turandot), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel) and Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea). Rebecca has also received several awards one being the much prestigious Herald Sun Aria in 2018 and was nominated for a Green Room Award in her portrayal of Marzelline in Fidelio (2020).
Glavier Aldana Norgiega is a classical harpist trained at the renowned Simon Bolivar Conservatory in Venezuela and is currently studying a Master of Music (Performance Teaching) at the University of Melbourne, where she is a recipient of the EC Wellisch Bequest, Mabel Kent Scholarship and Cassidy Bequest Scholarship for excellence. From 2018 to 2020, Glavier was the principal harpist for the Melbourne Youth Orchestra under Brett Kelly and Fabian Russel. Glavier has performed with Melbourne Opera, the Australian Conservatoire Ballet, Victoria Chorale, Australian Contemporary Opera Company, Forest Collective, Australasian Orchestra, Preston Symphony Orchestra, Stonnington Symphony, Art of Sound Orchestra and the Melbourne Wind Symphony. Glavier is also a finalist in the Concerto Aria Competition 2022.