New Zealand Opera Company

The New Zealand Opera Company was New Zealand's first resident professional national company, formed by baritone Donald Munro in 1954.[1] Its first full-scale work was Mozart's Marriage of Figaro in 1958, which toured 47 towns.[1] From 1963 funding from the QE II Arts Council allowed national tours with a full orchestra, including a production of Porgy and Bess with a Māori cast including Īnia Te Wiata, and Ngaio Marsh's A Unicorn for Christmas with music by David Farquhar.[1] After Arts Council funding was withdrawn in 1971 the company folded.[1][2]

New Zealand Opera Company
Formation1954 (1954)
Dissolved1971
TypeOpera company
Location
LeaderDonald Munro

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Taylor 2014.
  2. ^ Brusey 1973, p. 187.

Sources

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  • Brusey, Phyllis (1973). Ring Down the Curtain. Wellington: C. Rex Monigatti Publishing.
  • Taylor, Lindis (22 October 2014). "Opera and musical theatre – New Zealand opera companies". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 May 2021.