Enriching lives with rare and reimagined operatic experiences.
Established in 2003, Lyric Opera of Melbourne is a bold, creative opera company committed to developing operatic artists, building new audiences and enriching the operatic repertoire by creating a forum for the production of lesser-known works. Lyric's work is focused on producing innovative and exploratory music-based theatre, using contemporary practices that challenge, engage and inspire artists and audiences alike. ​ ​
Season 2025
Song from the Uproar
The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt
Music by Missy Mazzoli Libretto by Royce Vavrek
​venue: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders St, Melbourne
duration: 90 minutes
Friday 17 October 7:30pm (preview)
Saturday 18 October 7:30pm (opening night)
Tuesday 21 October 7:30pm
Friday 24 October 7:30pm
Saturday 25 October 5pm
tickets: $30-$60
Melbourne’s multi-award-winning Lyric Opera returns to fortyfivedownstairs to present the Australian premiere of this “dazzlingly original score”. First staged at The Kitchen in New York, it has been hailed as a masterpiece of modern opera, drawing influences from baroque to minimalism to indie rock.
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Isabelle Eberhardt’s journals were a rich source of inspiration for Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek. Eberhardt, born in 1877, led an extraordinary though short life. After the deaths of all her immediate family, she travelled unfettered to North Africa on a journey of self-discovery. She rode through the desert dressed as a man, outraged authorities, married an Algerian, converted to Sufism, and died in a flood, all by the age of 27.
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The role of Eberhardt will be sung by the “commanding and captivating” mezzo-soprano Olivia Federow-Yemm supported by a cast of Melbourne’s most talented young singers and instrumentalists.​
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​Help bring this new production and Australian premiere to life.
All donations through our Australian Cultural Fund campaign will directly support our five-show season and help provide essential performance opportunities for early-career singers and musicians.
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Photo by Jodie Hutchinson
Their Voices Will Rise
Wednesday 14 May 2025
venue: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders St, Melbourne
time: 7:30pm
tickets: $32-$42
Prepare for an electrifying evening of world premieres and daring musical narratives. Australian rising star Meta Cohen unveils a thrilling and major new song cycle Kiss My Sword. With a libretto by Evan Bryson, this fiercely queer reimagining of history plunges into the untamed world of Julie d’Aubigny—the 17th-century opera singer, swordswoman, and unapologetic rebel. A lover of women, a defeater of men in duels, and a trailblazing performer, d’Aubigny’s story blazes across the stage – this opera explores her mythologisation and the multiplicity of stories about her.
Scored for soprano, mezzo-soprano, and piano, this premiere promises a powerful fusion of drama and desire. Being developed into a forthcoming full-scale opera production by renowned dramaturg/director Alyson Campbell, this daring work is a major new addition to the classical Australian art song repertoire.
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Alongside Kiss My Sword, the evening features Sally Whitwell’s luminous song cycle (He)art Songs—a deeply personal exploration of love, identity, and resilience, written for tenor and piano with texts by Whitwell and Alex Gorbatov. The program concludes with Kevin March’s compelling Songs for Dark Times, a raw and urgent outcry for our era, set to the evocative words of Brecht, Rilke, and Bachmann.
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With an internationally renowned cast bringing their talents to three exciting song cycles – mezzo-soprano Jessica Aszodi, soprano Breanna Stuart, soprano Livia Brash, tenor Alex Gorbatov and pianist Coady Green, and hosted by Lyric Opera Artistic Director Patrick Burns, this is an unmissable night where music ignites the stage, queer voices break boundaries, and stories are told with unflinching truth.
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The performance of Meta Cohen's Kiss My Sword is made possible through the generous support of City of Melbourne's Arts Grants Program.
Green Room Nominations for Lyric's The Children's Bach
We’re excited to highlight the incredible cast and creative team of The Children’s Bach, nominated for multiple awards at the 42nd Annual Green Room Awards! Congratulations to all the talented performers and creatives who contributed to this production.
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Outstanding Production: The Children’s Bach presented by Lyric Opera of Melbourne
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Outstanding Performance in a Lead Role: Michael Honeyman
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Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role: Chloe Taylor & Juel Riggal
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Outstanding Design: Jacob Battista (Set) & Amelia Lever-Davidson (Lighting)
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Outstanding Direction: Katy Maudlin
The Age
'Utterly captivating… Biographica is high art that successfully reflects on the past while offering a glimpse of opera’s future.'
Limelight
‘...a significant achievement... Biographica is a fascinating, refreshingly different contemporary opera presented with intelligence and talent'
Stage Whispers
'...a magnificent, moving, almost magical production.'
