Opera house

An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building. While some venues are constructed specifically for operas, other opera houses are part of larger performing arts centers.

History

The first public opera house came into existence in 1637 as the Teatro San Cassiano in Venice, Italy, in a country where opera has been popular through the centuries among ordinary people as well as wealthy patrons; it still has a large number of working opera houses. In contrast, there was no opera house in London when Henry Purcell was composing and the first opera house in Germany was built in Hamburg in 1678. Early United States opera houses served a variety of functions in towns and cities, hosting community dances, fairs, plays, and vaudeville shows as well as operas and other musical events.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, opera houses were often financed by rulers, nobles, and wealthy people who used patronage of the arts to endorse their political ambitions and social positions or prestige. With the rise of bourgeois and capitalist social forms in the 19th century, European culture moved away from its patronage system to a publicly supported system. In the 2000s, most opera and theatre companies raise funds from a combination of government and institutional grants, ticket sales, and private donations.

Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, Australia, identified as one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings.

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the building was formally opened on 20 October 1973 after a gestation beginning with Utzon's 1957 selection as winner of an international design competition. The government of New South Wales, led by the premier, Joseph Cahill, authorised work to begin in 1958 with Utzon directing construction. The government's decision to build Utzon's design is often overshadowed by circumstances that followed, including cost and scheduling overruns as well as the architect's ultimate resignation.

The Sydney Opera House became a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007.

The building and its surrounds occupy the whole of Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, between Sydney Cove and Farm Cove, adjacent to the Sydney central business district and the Royal Botanic Gardens, and close by the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Opera Australia

Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the Arts Centre Melbourne, where it is accompanied by Orchestra Victoria. In 2004, the company gave 226 performances in its subscription seasons in Sydney and Melbourne, attended by more than 294,000 people.

Like most opera companies, it is funded by a combination of government money, corporate sponsorship, private philanthropy, and ticket sales. The proportion of its revenue from ticket sales is considerably higher than that of most companies, approximately 75 per cent. The company is perhaps best known internationally for its association with Dame Joan Sutherland, and for Baz Luhrmann's production of Puccini's La bohème in the early 1990s.

By the end of 2004, Opera Australia provided employment to approximately 1,300 Australians. Oz Opera (Opera Australia's education, access and development arm) presented the La bohème production in Victoria, Northern Territory and Western Australia, attended by 13,350 people, while OzOpera's Schools Company performed to over 63,500 primary age children in more than 360 performances in urban and regional New South Wales and Victoria. Many thousands of Australians also experienced the work of their national opera company through television, radio, video, compact disc, DVD, and the annual free performance of opera in the Domain in Sydney.

Stjepan Hauser

Stjepan Hauser (Croatian pronunciation: [stjêpaːn xǎuser]; born 15 June 1986) is a Croatian cellist. He is a member of 2Cellos, along with Luka Šulić.

Early life and musical training

Hauser was born in Pula into a musical family, where he began his musical education. He has a sister who is a journalist in Pula. Hauser finished secondary school in Rijeka. He studied in Zagreb, London, and later in the United States under Bernard Greenhouse.

Career

Although still in his twenties, cellist Stjepan Hauser has already performed in more than 40 countries across all the continents including successful debuts in Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Southbank Centre and many more.

He is laureate of UK's international competitions and awards such as: PLG Young Artists Auditions 2009, J & A Beare Solo Bach Competition 2009, NYOS Staffa Award 2009, Philharmonia Orchestra – Martin Musical Scholarship Fund 2009 & 2008, Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist Competition 2009 & 2007, Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition 2008 & 2006, Computers in Personnel International Concerto Competition 2008, Frankopan Fund Award 2006, and MBF Music Education Award 2006 & 2005. He is also a prize winner of international cello competitions and awards such as Adam Cello Competition in New Zealand 2009, and VTB Capital Prize for Young Cellists 2009. All together Stjepan collected a total of 21 first prizes among national and international competitions and as a consequence he was invited to perform twice on Gala concerts for H R H Prince Charles in Buckingham Palace and St. James's Palace.

Luka Šulić

Luka Šulić (Croatian pronunciation: [lǔːka ʃǔːlitɕ]; born 25 August 1987) is a Croatian and Slovenian cellist. He is a member of 2Cellos, along with Stjepan Hauser.

Early life

Šulić was born in Maribor, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia. Šulić's father, Božo, is from Dubrovnik, Croatia, and his mother, Alja, is from Izola, Slovenia. His father is also a cellist, and many members of his family are associated with music.

Career

Luka Šulić performs throughout the world combining solo classical performances and with the 2Cellos. He won series of top prizes at the prestigious international music competitions including first and special prize at the VII Lutosławski International Cello Competition in Warsaw (2009) , first prize at the European Broadcasting Union “New Talent” Competition (2006) and first prize at the Royal Academy of Music Patron’s Award in Wigmore Hall (2011).

He has given a number of solo and chamber music appearances in Europe, South America and Japan in major venues such as Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus. As a soloist he appeared with orchestras such as Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, Russian Symphony Orchestra and others.