James Egglestone one of Australia’s finest young tenors will join Opera in the Paddock’s seasoned performers for this year’s concert at Mimosa, Delungra on Saturday, March 15.

Egglestone, a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and the Melba Conservatorium of Music who has studied in Italy and The Netherlands, has already built up an impressive list of credits with many national and international performing companies. James will fly from Melbourne on the Friday prior to the event having performed the role of Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme for Melbourne Opera the previous night.

“We are very fortunate to have secured James for this year’s concert,” said coordinator Peta Blyth. “He is one of the rising stars of Australian opera and his willingness to perform at Opera in the Paddock shows how well we are regarded by top performers.

“It’s also great to have Elizabeth Campbell back in her home town again to perform for us.”

Both Elizabeth and David Hibbard feature in major roles in the internationally acclaimed recording of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, recently released by the Melba label.

This year’s opera marks the seventh event that Peta and Bill Blyth have organised in the grounds of their Delungra farming property near Inverell. It has been growing each year, attracting audiences from throughout the region, Brisbane, Sydney and from southern Queensland to experience the performances of some of Australia’s best and most versatile professional singers.

This year, a Twilight Recital of German Song will be held at the Inverell Town Hall at 6.15 pm on Friday, March 14, featuring works by Schubert, Brahms, Schumann and Strauss for piano and voice. The German Consulate and QantasLink are sponsoring this concert with four regular Opera in the Paddock performers, Peta Blyth (soprano) Elizabeth Campbell (mezzo soprano), Shaun Brown (baritone) and David Hibbard (bass) with David Miller (piano).

For the main paddock concert on Saturday evening the singers will be joined by James Egglestone performing an exciting program including a feature of works by Handel, duets by Bellini and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Bizet’s The Pearlfishers, Flotow’s Martha and selections from Kiss Me Kate by Porter. The Mimosa Ensemble will again feature with selected instrumental favourites.

© 2008 Inverell Times

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