The Wind and the Hares by Barry Russell
Coming direct from Berlin, KinderOpera premiers Barry Russell's opera "The Wind and the Hares" at the Melbourne Museum for children under 5. Russell's adaption of the West African story will leave you spellbound on the edge of your tiny seats. Children will be enchanted by this delightful action packed opera. Be dazzeled by the boldness of our talking hares and the cheekiness of the hungry crocodile. Watch and laugh as the hares embark on one adventure after the other. A must see for all children who like to have fun.
Barry Russell - Composer
Rose Nolan - Director
Pamela Christie - Music Director
Louise Keast - Hare 1
Jessica Carrascalao Heard - Hare 2
Barry Russell composer
Barry is a pianist/performer with the Cornelius Cardew Ensemble and 50p worth of the Pound Shop Boys. He works Europe wide as a freelance composer/animateur. As well as a long standing relationship with the BBC Philharmonic, he has directed education and community projects for the Royal Northern Sinfonia, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Manchester Camerata, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Malta Philharmonic, Philharmonische Orchester Hagen (Germany) and Holland Symfonia (Amsterdam). “Everything we do is Music” ‐ Cross‐curricular projects based on the music of John Cage was published in May 2016. His book of composition projects for GCSE The GCSE Composition Course is also published by Peters Edition. Recent performances as vocalist include Eight Songs for a Mad King (PMD) Facade (Walton) and Frankenstein!! (Gruber) and keyboard/percussion/electronics in concerts at Fylkingen in Stockholm. International performances of his works include Birthday Variations (choreographed) in New York, Hey Escher! in Adelaide (6,000 children performing in 12 concerts) and The Pub Operas and Supermarket Symphony on the Isle of Man with BBC Philharmonic musicians. His Pub Operas are published by Peters Edition. Other operas include The Ice Palace for primary schoolchildren and professional singers and The Wedding Ghost, a community opera for the Ryedale Festival. Snogging Harold Wilson, a street opera, was premiered indriving snow in November 2004 as part of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (hcmf commission).
More info:
Town and Country, written for the BBC Proms, involved children from Cumbria and Stockport and a storyteller performing alongside the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Geoffrey Norris said of this in the Daily Telegraph; “This was delightful ‐ proper adult music conceived for youngsters.” and Lyn Gardner in The Guardian described it as “a delightful collaboration.....that utilised the full talents of a group of
primary school children alongside the orchestra. Completely artless and quite simply sophisticated.” Barry was invited to Plovdiv in Bulgaria where he directed a performance project involving 250 young singers and instrumentalists (including choirs, wind band, accordian orchestra and folk bands). The resulting performance rituals for Orpheus took place in Plovdiv’s 2000 seat Roman amphitheatre also involved the Cornelius Cardew Ensemble and was broadcast on state television. His Supermarket Symphony involving community groups and 20 members of the BBC Philharmonic and commissioned by ASDA was premiered to great acclaim in the ASDA supermarket in Harpurhey, Manchester.
Rose Nolan Director
Rose Nolan is a founder of KinderOpera. The company was created to immerse children in the magic of opera.
After studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London and winning numerous awards, Rose toured through China with the 70 piece Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra. Companies she has worked with include Opera Australia, OzOpera, English Theatre Berlin, Berlin Hof Klang Festival, Opera Danube, Surrey Opera, Gertrude Opera, Buxton Festival Opera, Lyric Opera of Melbourne, Grange Park Opera, Melbourne Opera Company, Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde, Scottish Opera and Victorian Opera.
Roles performed include Old Woman and Mrs North Wind in The Enchanted Pig, Ann in To Hell and Back, Serena Joy in Handmaid's Tale, Bradamante in Alcina, Hata in The Bartered Bride, Gato in El Gato con Botas, Madam Flora in The Medium, Desideria in Saint of Bleeker Street, Secretary in The Consul, Flora in La Traviata, Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Nancy in Albert Herring, Mercedes in Carmen, David in Saul, Tessa in The Gondoliers, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Sara in Roberto Devereux, Oreste in La belle Hélène, Clown and Juggler in Sid the Serpent, and Adalgisa in Norma.
Pamela Christie - Music Director
Since completing her piano studies at Melbourne University and Moscow Conservatory, Pamela has worked for many years as a repetiteur and coach in and around Melbourne. She is a repetiteur for the Opera Australia Schools Company, BK Opera and GBD Productions; and also fulfils numerous performance and production commitments as a freelance accompanist and musical director. Recent engagements include L’Elisir d’Amore; Rigoletto; La Voix Humaine; The Magic Flute; La Traviata; Madame Butterfly; Werther; Cenerentola; The Barber of Seville; Don Giovanni; Le Nozze di Figaro; Cosi fan Tutte and Carmen; as well as numerous art song and instrumental recitals and a hugely successful concert tour of China with the Melbourne Bach Choir and soloists. In her spare time she breeds warmblood horses; and applies her psychology and counselling qualifications in her holistic healing practice.
Louise Keast - Hare 1
Soprano Louise Keast is currently undertaking the Richard Divall Emerging Artist Programme with Melbourne Opera. She has recently returned from two months study in Sicily, where she performed principal roles in Carmen and Don Giovanni at the Mediterranean Opera Studio & Festival. In June 2019 she represented Australia at the Hans Gabor International Belvedere Singing Competition in Villach, Austria. Louise has recently won the 2019 Warrnambool Eisteddfod Aria Competition and received the Margreta Elkins Encouragement Award in the 2019 Bel Canto Award, Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation. She was a semi-finalist in the 2018 & 2019 Herald Sun Aria , and a finalist in the 2019 National Liederfest, Boroondara and Cowra Eisteddfod Aria Competitions. In 2018 she was a finalist in the Sydney Song Prize, awarded by the Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation, as well as a studio artist with Gertrude Opera Studio.
Jessica Carrascalão Heard - Hare 2
Melbourne-based soprano Jessica Carrascalão Heard began singing in choirs at an early age, before completing a double degree in Arts and Music at Monash University. She has made her mark in concert and on stage around Victoria, and this year made her debut with Opera Australia in their 2019 Victorian Schools Tour as “Aunty Bartola/Basilia” in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. She has previously performed as “First Lady” in The Magic Flute, and both “Second Woman” and “Sorceress” in Dido and Aeneas by Purcell, as well as several roles from the Gilbert and Sullivan canon.
Barry Russell - Composer
Rose Nolan - Director
Pamela Christie - Music Director
Louise Keast - Hare 1
Jessica Carrascalao Heard - Hare 2
Barry Russell composer
Barry is a pianist/performer with the Cornelius Cardew Ensemble and 50p worth of the Pound Shop Boys. He works Europe wide as a freelance composer/animateur. As well as a long standing relationship with the BBC Philharmonic, he has directed education and community projects for the Royal Northern Sinfonia, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Manchester Camerata, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Malta Philharmonic, Philharmonische Orchester Hagen (Germany) and Holland Symfonia (Amsterdam). “Everything we do is Music” ‐ Cross‐curricular projects based on the music of John Cage was published in May 2016. His book of composition projects for GCSE The GCSE Composition Course is also published by Peters Edition. Recent performances as vocalist include Eight Songs for a Mad King (PMD) Facade (Walton) and Frankenstein!! (Gruber) and keyboard/percussion/electronics in concerts at Fylkingen in Stockholm. International performances of his works include Birthday Variations (choreographed) in New York, Hey Escher! in Adelaide (6,000 children performing in 12 concerts) and The Pub Operas and Supermarket Symphony on the Isle of Man with BBC Philharmonic musicians. His Pub Operas are published by Peters Edition. Other operas include The Ice Palace for primary schoolchildren and professional singers and The Wedding Ghost, a community opera for the Ryedale Festival. Snogging Harold Wilson, a street opera, was premiered indriving snow in November 2004 as part of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (hcmf commission).
More info:
Town and Country, written for the BBC Proms, involved children from Cumbria and Stockport and a storyteller performing alongside the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Geoffrey Norris said of this in the Daily Telegraph; “This was delightful ‐ proper adult music conceived for youngsters.” and Lyn Gardner in The Guardian described it as “a delightful collaboration.....that utilised the full talents of a group of
primary school children alongside the orchestra. Completely artless and quite simply sophisticated.” Barry was invited to Plovdiv in Bulgaria where he directed a performance project involving 250 young singers and instrumentalists (including choirs, wind band, accordian orchestra and folk bands). The resulting performance rituals for Orpheus took place in Plovdiv’s 2000 seat Roman amphitheatre also involved the Cornelius Cardew Ensemble and was broadcast on state television. His Supermarket Symphony involving community groups and 20 members of the BBC Philharmonic and commissioned by ASDA was premiered to great acclaim in the ASDA supermarket in Harpurhey, Manchester.
Rose Nolan Director
Rose Nolan is a founder of KinderOpera. The company was created to immerse children in the magic of opera.
After studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London and winning numerous awards, Rose toured through China with the 70 piece Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra. Companies she has worked with include Opera Australia, OzOpera, English Theatre Berlin, Berlin Hof Klang Festival, Opera Danube, Surrey Opera, Gertrude Opera, Buxton Festival Opera, Lyric Opera of Melbourne, Grange Park Opera, Melbourne Opera Company, Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde, Scottish Opera and Victorian Opera.
Roles performed include Old Woman and Mrs North Wind in The Enchanted Pig, Ann in To Hell and Back, Serena Joy in Handmaid's Tale, Bradamante in Alcina, Hata in The Bartered Bride, Gato in El Gato con Botas, Madam Flora in The Medium, Desideria in Saint of Bleeker Street, Secretary in The Consul, Flora in La Traviata, Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Nancy in Albert Herring, Mercedes in Carmen, David in Saul, Tessa in The Gondoliers, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Sara in Roberto Devereux, Oreste in La belle Hélène, Clown and Juggler in Sid the Serpent, and Adalgisa in Norma.
Pamela Christie - Music Director
Since completing her piano studies at Melbourne University and Moscow Conservatory, Pamela has worked for many years as a repetiteur and coach in and around Melbourne. She is a repetiteur for the Opera Australia Schools Company, BK Opera and GBD Productions; and also fulfils numerous performance and production commitments as a freelance accompanist and musical director. Recent engagements include L’Elisir d’Amore; Rigoletto; La Voix Humaine; The Magic Flute; La Traviata; Madame Butterfly; Werther; Cenerentola; The Barber of Seville; Don Giovanni; Le Nozze di Figaro; Cosi fan Tutte and Carmen; as well as numerous art song and instrumental recitals and a hugely successful concert tour of China with the Melbourne Bach Choir and soloists. In her spare time she breeds warmblood horses; and applies her psychology and counselling qualifications in her holistic healing practice.
Louise Keast - Hare 1
Soprano Louise Keast is currently undertaking the Richard Divall Emerging Artist Programme with Melbourne Opera. She has recently returned from two months study in Sicily, where she performed principal roles in Carmen and Don Giovanni at the Mediterranean Opera Studio & Festival. In June 2019 she represented Australia at the Hans Gabor International Belvedere Singing Competition in Villach, Austria. Louise has recently won the 2019 Warrnambool Eisteddfod Aria Competition and received the Margreta Elkins Encouragement Award in the 2019 Bel Canto Award, Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation. She was a semi-finalist in the 2018 & 2019 Herald Sun Aria , and a finalist in the 2019 National Liederfest, Boroondara and Cowra Eisteddfod Aria Competitions. In 2018 she was a finalist in the Sydney Song Prize, awarded by the Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation, as well as a studio artist with Gertrude Opera Studio.
Jessica Carrascalão Heard - Hare 2
Melbourne-based soprano Jessica Carrascalão Heard began singing in choirs at an early age, before completing a double degree in Arts and Music at Monash University. She has made her mark in concert and on stage around Victoria, and this year made her debut with Opera Australia in their 2019 Victorian Schools Tour as “Aunty Bartola/Basilia” in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. She has previously performed as “First Lady” in The Magic Flute, and both “Second Woman” and “Sorceress” in Dido and Aeneas by Purcell, as well as several roles from the Gilbert and Sullivan canon.
