Inverell born mezzo soprano Elizabeth Campbell has always been a firm favourite with Opera in the Paddock audiences and she will appear again this year.

Although Adelaide based and in demand for professional engagements across the continent, she still regards the home town concert as one of her favourites.

“When you think of a paddock, you usually think of sheep and I think this is what makes this concert so wonderful,” she said on a recent visit to Inverell for her parents’ 70th wedding anniversary.

“It is held in a paddock but the music standards are so high and it is so professional and in such a beautiful setting.

“All the performers respond (and) love the space.

“It is a natural ampitheatre and sometimes the kookaburras join in.

“It is a natural place, not man made and that creates a special bond with the audience.”

Campbell studied music at Inverell High School and went on to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

She joined the Leonine Consort and also spend two years in the Opera Australia chorus. A scholarship took her to London to study and perform in Europe.

She says career highlights include performing in Wagner’s Ring Cycle in Adelaide in 1998 and 2004 and the role of Carmen which she has performed many times in opera houses in Europe, the US and Australia.

© 2011 Inverell Times

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