Opera Australia has partnered with The Bourne Foundation to offer year 11 and 12 students $20 tickets to see Verdi’s La Traviata, during its current season at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour.
School students with an interest in music, drama, fashion, art and design are invited to experience the joy of live opera, with subsidised tickets at a cost of $20 each for students and their teachers.
In recognition of the tough year COVID-19 caused for Australia’s youth, including education, employment and mental health challenges, The Bourne Foundation is enabling access to Opera Australia productions for school students at a dramatically reduced price. The offer was designed especially for those who are geographically or financially challenged.
OA Artistic Director, Lyndon Terracini AM, expressed his gratitude to The Bourne Foundation for making attendance possible for students who’ve never been able to see opera before.
“We are really thankful to The Bourne Foundation for creating this opportunity for older students to see our productions, who wouldn’t normally have easy access, and I really hope we inspire some of them to pursue careers in the arts and grow Australia’s creative industry,” said Terracini.
Sydney Catholic Schools’ Creative & Performing Arts Specialist, Eva Spata, said, “Participation in arts activities has so many benefits for students.
“This program allows our students to see how the arts integrate – music, dancing, acting, design – in real time and from the best of the business. Seeing an opera in all its glory is something they may never have had the opportunity or means to do otherwise. We are so grateful for this amazing opportunity.”
This offer is initially available for tickets to La Traviata, Opera Australia’s 2021 Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, which opened with great fanfare on March 26, 2021 and runs until April 25, 2021.
The first school to apply to the program was Nyngan High School, who booked to see La Traviata on March 31, 2021.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for our students to see and experience firsthand the magic of opera,” says Mrs Walsh, Head Teacher of Careers at Nyngan High School. “Our students and their teachers travelled over nine hours by train to get to Sydney. This was an awesome opportunity we were not going to miss.”
The Bourne Foundation was established in 2011 by the late Henry Arthur Bourne to provide financial assistance for the disadvantaged. He had a love for opera and frequently attended performances in Australia and during overseas business trips.
“Arthur Bourne was a long-time supporter of youth in his field of business and I am sure he would be delighted and proud to know that his foundation now provides assistance to youth interested in opera,” says Sid Catlin, Managing Director of The Bourne Foundation.
Teachers can organise attendance by a group of students, in the form of a school excursion, or by individual students accompanied by a parent or guardian. Students from all subject areas are welcome.
$20 tickets are available to the following performances of La Traviata on Sydney Harbour:
Places are limited so applications are encouraged to be submitted as soon as possible. Additional productions may be made available later in 2021.
For more details please visit their website.
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