Victoria Chorale proudly presents our Musical Masterpieces concert with The Art of Sound Orchestra and conductor Mario Dobernig, 5pm May 28 at St Paul’s Cathedral.
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Puccini’s passionate Messa di Gloria, filled with soaring melodies and operatic choruses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziBPK-t2tN4
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Four fabulous arias by Beethoven, Donizetti and Mozart sung by superstar soloists Sally-Anne Russell mezzo-soprano, Jiancheng Ding tenor and Christopher Tonkin baritone.
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The world premiere of Houston Dunleavy’s Celebration Fanfare.
Sally-Anne Russell - Mezzo-Soprano
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Sally-Anne Russell has appeared in twenty-five countries and has recorded over 40 CDs and DVDs including her solo aria disc Enchanting with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Sally-Anne’s awards include an ARIA for Pergolesi Stabat Mater with Sara Macliver, and nominations for Young Australian of the Year, Young Achiever of the Year, Green Room and Helpmann Awards.
She has over 80 operatic roles in her repertoire and regularly works with all the major opera companies and symphony orchestras in Australia. International highlights include the Spoleto Festival Italy, Washington National Opera (DC) and Carmel Bach Festival.
This year Sally-Anne will return to the Melbourne Bach Choir, Victorian Opera, Adelaide Symphony, Melbourne Opera and debut with National Opera, Canberra as Bradamante in Alcina.
Sally-Anne is co-artistic director of Albury Chamber Music Festival, a member of the Kathaumixw Festival International Artistic Council, Canada and the Belvedere International Singing Competition, Vienna. Sally-Anne is proudly sponsored by the Bee Family Foundation.
Mario Dobernig - Conductor
Mario is the Artistic Director and Conductor for Victoria Chorale and the Art of Sound Orchestra. His dynamic conducting has delighted audiences and attracted many singers to the choir. Recent performances include Mozart vs Salieri at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Requiems by Gounod and Duruflé, Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, Brahms’s Requiem and Alto Rhapsody; Beethoven’s Mass in C, Symphony No. 1, Eroica and Pastoral Symphony.
Australian performances with other musical groups include conducting at Hobart’s MONA FOMA and festival appearances with Electronic Dance Music Producers. Mario’s international work includes conducting annually in Europe and leading the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in Doha.
Jiancheng Ding - Tenor
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Jiacheng Ding, an outstanding young tenor received his Bachelor of Music Performance in China, and won the Chiangjiang Cup, the first prize in a National Students Singing Competition.
His repertoire as tenor soloist includes Gounod’s Requiem and Orff's Carmina Burana, Handel's Messiah, Britten's Chichester Psalms and Beethoven's 9th Symphony with Adelaide Chamber Singers, Mozart's Requiem and Beethoven's 9th Symphony with CoOpera and Haydn's Nelson Mass with Adelaide Philharmonia Choir.
His 2022 engagements include Parpinol in Puccini’s La Bohème and Topp in Meale’s Voss both for State Opera South Australia.
Christopher Tonkin - Baritone
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Australian baritone Christopher Tonkin has appeared throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. His major roles include Marcello (La bohème), Silvio (Pagliacci), Il Conte Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Pollux (Castor et Pollux), Ping (Turandot), Albert (Werther), Valentin (Faust), Tarquinius (Rape of Lucretia), Demetrius (A Midsummer Night's Dream), and Harlekin (Ariadne auf Naxos).
In Australia, Christopher has appeared with Opera Australia, Adelaide Festival, Victorian Opera, West Australian Opera, and the Australian Contemporary Opera Company. On the concert platform, he has been heard with Lucerne Festival (Der Tod Jesu, Graun), the Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras (Messiah and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9) , City of Stonnington, (Sharpless in Madama Butterfly) and Sydney Vivid Festival (Chou En-Lai in The Nixon Tapes).
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, and the VCA, Melbourne, Christopher was resident principal baritone at the State Opera in Hannover 2010-2016.