Dafne: The Italian Opera Back to Concert Information
Composed by: Marco da Gagliano	Artists: Sara Macliver, Sally-Anne Russell, Paul McMahon with Accademia Arcadia & Ensemble Gombert	Performances: Friday 6 June at 8.00 pm Saturday 7 June at 5.30 pm Sunday 8 June at 8.00 pm Tickets:  $50 full / $45 conc

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Performance Summary:
Opera was in its infancy when Florentine composer Marco da Gagliano entertained the Mantuan court with his masterpiece Dafne in 1608.
Based on Ovid's story of a maiden who turns herself into a laurel tree rather than fall prey to the advances of Apollo, Dafne is an outstanding example of the new musical style that swept through Italy and eventually the whole of Europe during the 17th century, a style we now call Baroque.
In this quattrocentennial production three of Australia’s leading singers —Sara Macliver, Sally-Anne Russell and Paul McMahon — join forces with Ensemble Gombert and Accademia Arcadia. Stage direction by celebrated writer Rodney Hall, music direction by John O’Donnell. The production also features a fire-breathing dragon made right here in Woodend by Steve Scott.

Artist Summary:

Sally-Anne Russell	Sally-Anne Russell has had a distinguished career, performing with many companies including the Oper der Stadt Köln, the Spoleto Festival in Italy, Victoria State Opera, State Opera of South Australia, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide International Festivals, and Canterbury Opera in New Zealand. She has presented concerts and recitals in the Netherlands, Austria, England, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.
Sara Macliver	Sara Macliver is one of Australia’s most popular and versatile artists, appearing in opera, concert and recital performances and on numerous recordings. Career highlights include a performance in the presence of Diana, Princess of Wales, a recital concert in Japan, a five city tour of Italy with Ola Rudner and the Haydn Orchestra, performances of a musical depiction of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin for Musica Viva, and Mahler’s Symphony no. 4 with Edo de Waart and the Sydney Symphony.
Paul McMahon	Paul McMahon has appeared as soloist in the festivals of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and has given concerts for broadcast on ABC Classic FM and the 3MBS network. He was a member of The Song Company from 1997 to 2001, touring regularly with this ensemble throughout Australia, Asia and Europe. Highly regarded for his interpretation of Baroque repertoire, particularly the Evangelist in the Passions of J. S. Bach, Paul’s career includes many performances from the operatic and concert repertoire of the 17th and 18th century.
Rodney Hall (Director)	Rodney Hall is an author with an international reputation. His books are published in the USA, UK, Australia and Canada and in translation into German, French, Danish, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese and Korean. He has twice won the Miles Franklin Award (for Just Relations in 1982 and The Grisly Wife in 1994) and been three times nominated for the Booker Prize. Rodney is also an actor, playwright, stage director and musician.
John O'Donnell (Musical Director)	John O’Donnell enjoys an international career as keyboard artist, choral conductor and musicologist. He tours Europe regularly, performing mostly on historic organs, and is the first person ever to perform Bach’s complete keyboard works in public. His recordings of the complete keyboard works of Johann Caspar Kerll and organ works of Bach have met with international acclaim, an album of the latter named “Best Recording of the Year”(2000) in the International Record Review.
Ensemble Gombert	Ensemble Gombert, founded in 1990 by John O’Donnell, is Melbourne's outstanding chamber choir, noted for its pure intonation and historic approach to choral sound and style. Named after Nicolas Gombert (c.1495–1560), the Ensemble specialises in a cappella performance of Franco-Flemish music of the High Renaissance.
Accademia Arcadia	Accademia Arcadia is a baroque chamber ensemble specialising in cantatas and trio sonatas. Arcadia was formed by Jacqueline Ogeil in 2001 and has won international acclaim for its recordings, the most recent of which was a finalist in the 2007 ARIA awards.

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