By Liz Hobday

OPERA Australia’s Sydney summer season, its first slate since the departure of long-time artistic director Lyndon Terracini, should give the company’s critics something to sing about.

For starters, at least half a dozen top-flight Australian artists are returning to the country to perform, a riposte to an era in which critics felt international talent took precedence over local performers.

They include singers Samantha Clarke, Indyana Schneider, Caitlin Hulcup and Emma Pearson, and conductors Jessica Cottis and Dane Lam – the majority making their debuts with the national company.

Next, the season could easily be billed “Opera Australia and Friends” – it features partnerships with Victorian Opera, Pinchgut Opera and renowned circus company Circa, as well as a return to the line-up of the Sydney Festival.

Guest creative director Lindy Hume put together the slate ahead of new artistic director Jo Davies starting in November.

Hume told AAP she saw the brief as a kind of pop-up opera festival.

“I wanted to just leave everything open for the new artistic director to come in and do what she wants to do, so it was a delight actually, it was a real pleasure,” she said.

But the program doesn’t address what many consider Opera Australia’s greatest problem – and the clue is in the billing of the 2024 “Sydney Summer Season”.

A focus on the harbour city at the expense of programming across the rest of the country has long been an issue for the company – its 2023 slate does not feature any full productions in Melbourne, for example.

Perhaps Hume did not have the latitude or budget to program beyond the Sydney Opera House, where the summer season will see five premieres – and perhaps it’s a big ask across just three months.

At any rate, Hume has four 18th century operas on the slate, with soprano Stacey Alleaume and musical theatre star Ben Mingay starring in “The Magic Flute”.

A production of Mozart’s “Idomeneo” features celebrated tenor Michael Schade in partnership with the Victorian Opera, and there’s Handel’s “Theodora” in concert with Pinchgut Opera.

There’s also “Orpheus” and “Eurydice”, presented with Circa and Opera Queensland as part of the Sydney Festival.

A contribution from the 19th century is Verdi’s “La Traviata”, starring Samantha Clarke as Violetta.

The “European Enlightenment” offers a prism on to our own times, with insights into leadership, human fallibility and loss, according to Hume – but there’s also wisdom and hope.

Hume said that as the first fresh programming since Terracini’s 13 years at the helm, it’s a season brimming with optimism.

“I was excited to look at where the opportunities were, the stuff that Lyndon wasn’t so interested in presenting in that era… we just thought we can do different things,” she said.

The company’s new artistic director Jo Davies takes up the role in November, and the rest of Opera Australia’s 2024 program will be released later this year.