Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Carmen announced as Sydney Harbour opera

RAIN did its best to sink the first opera to grace Sydney Harbour, but the show will go on with Opera Australia confirming the Spanish sizzler Carmen for next March. 
 
A day after Handa Opera On Sydney Harbour won four Helpmann Awards for La Traviata, including best special event and best actor for Emma Matthews, organisers have announced the return of al fresco opera.
Like La Traviata earlier this year, Carmen will be played out in grand scale over 18 shows; positioned off the Royal Botanic Gardens on a tilting stage and backed by an orchestra and fireworks.

"There is no stage in the world as spectacular as this one," said Lyndon Terracini, artistic director of Opera Australia.

"Sitting on top of Sydney Harbour with the city skyline as the backdrop, this is opera like you'll see in no other place in the world."

In bringing Carmen's seductive love story to life, director Gale Edwards has teamed up with designers Brian Thompson, who won a Helpmann for his La Traviata set, costumes guru Julie Lynch and lighting specialist John Rayment.
Two mezzo-sopranos will alternate in the role of the fiery Carmen, Israeli star Rinat Shaham and Serbian model-turned-singer Milijana Nikolic.

Two tenors, Russian singer Dmitry Popov and American star Adam Diegel, will assume the part of the opera's hero Don Jose.

Opera Australia will present 18 performances over three weeks from March 22 to April 12. Tickets from $79 will go on sale from October 8.

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Thursday, September 6, 2012

One-stop shops to showcase South Australia's top food and wine in China

SOUTH Australian food and wine will be showcased in two "one-stop-shop" outlets to be built in China, giving local producers and exporters direct access to a market of more than 7.6 million Chinese consumers. 
 
The SA produce centres are expected to open in about 18 months and will give visitors the opportunity to eat, buy and order the state's  food and wine. Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Minister Gail Gago, who recently made her first ministerial visit to China, said  the centres would give  SA producers and exporters more direct access to markets in China.

Ms Gago said they would likely feature restaurants, shops and information and marketing on regions of South Australia while also operating as a wholesaler to Chinese outlets.

They would focus on food quality and safety and would also provide accreditation to available products.
The centres will be based in Nanping, with a population of 3.06 million, and Zhangzhou, with a population of 4.6 million, both in Fujian province on China's east coast.

The State Government is expected to begin discussions with local producers about their potential involvement in coming weeks.

"Fujian Province has recognised South Australia's competitive advantage of premium food and wine, grown and produced in a clean and safe environment," Ms Gago said. "The Chinese have a burgeoning economy, a burgeoning middle class that are very interested in quality food ... (and) want assurances and reliability about the quality and safety of those products.

"They're interested in basically all our primary produce and also processed foods.

"They love our seafood; fresh fish, abalone and lobster."

The centres would be paid for and run by the Chinese, in consultation with SA officials. Ms Gago said there was scope to build more stores if the first two proved successful.

Her visit to China also explored opportunities for SA university researchers to partner with the Chinese on food quality, hygiene training and technology.

"They're very interested in research links to support food quality and hygiene safety standards," she said.

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