IT'S a case of performing at the Sydney Opera House and then at Batehaven for Milton-raised soprano Bronwyn Douglass.
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The highly regarded soprano made her main stage debut with Opera Australia earlier this year and is now set to perform in Batehaven on Sunday, August 6 at St Bernard's Church.
"I'm thrilled to be performing for the South Coast Music Society, who have been devoted to making first-class performances of fine music accessible to the South Coast community for over 25 years," she said.
Bronwyn and Alan Hicks (piano) will perform 'The Great Romantics: Arias and songs by Verdi, Wagner and R. Strauss' from 2pm.
"The Great Romantics, which Alan and I will present, is a beautiful selection of songs and arias by some of my favourite composers, including Verdi, Wagner and R. Strauss," she said.
"I'm excited to have the chance to perform some of this gorgeous repertoire, and it's a real treat getting to work with Alan Hicks. He is an outstanding pianist, and we have a lot of history working together since he was my head of music at the Australian National University School of Music in Canberra, where I studied for my undergraduate degree."
Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1013563 or at the door and are $45 for adults and $40 for members and people with a pension or other concession card.
Highlights of the program include selections from Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder -songs that he supposedly wrote for one of his mistresses as a present, setting her poetry to music.
Bronwyn is looking forward to her "home performance".
"I'm also pleased to be performing near home again. The last time I held a concert on the South Coast was for the Milton Ulladulla Music Society in 2018," she said.
"I share a passion with the South Coast Music Society for making classical music accessible, and I am determined to make more time to perform down the coast and in more rural areas in the coming years.
"It is, after all, near my home in Milton where my musical journey began."
Her hometown played a role in forming her career.
"I have been so fortunate to have many wonderful teachers over the years, beginning with my high school music teacher in Milton, who created many extracurricular music opportunities, including an acapella group," the soprano said.
"The sense of belonging and joy I felt in that group helped form me as a person and a musician.
"The skills I developed meant that when I went away to boarding school at Canberra Girls Grammar, I managed to make it into the auditioned 12-part motet choir and experience touring with them throughout years 11 and 12."
She said her main stage debut was a dream come true.
"My Main Stage principal debut earlier this year performing Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Sydney Opera House with Opera Australia was everything I could have hoped for and more," she said.
"The opera was fantastic, the production was incredible, my colleagues were a true delight, and I am so grateful to my family and friends who were so enthusiastic about coming to Sydney from the south coast to support me.
"Every performance I did, I would get ready early so that I could race up and stand side stage to listen to the orchestra play the overture and let it sink in that I am living my dream."
The experience is something she will never forget.
"On the last night, I took a photo of where I used to stand and watch to keep that beautiful memory forever, "Bronwyn said.
"I am still working regularly with Opera Australia, and I'm looking forward to my next principal experience of understudying the role of Sieglinde in Wagner's Die Walkre in Brisbane later this year."
