Budding singers Bronwyn Douglass (mezzo-soprano), Michael Petruccelli (tenor) and Timothy Newton (bass) will be accompanied by Simon Bruckard on the piano, performing a compilation of popular Italian pieces, from operatic arias to Neapolitan songs.
The night will showcase some of Australia’s finest young talent, as the Melba Opera Trust scholars put their hard work and training into practice.
The Melba Opera Trust offers scholarships to aspiring young opera singers, equipping them with the skills and experience required to develop as successful operatic artists.
The scholarships encompass training in a number of areas from singing, stage presence and acting, to business and finance.
Violinist and Melba Artists Manager, Jo Beaumont works with the Trust’s scholars to organise performance opportunities in what can only be described as a competitive scene.
“Our scholars are mainly young people who have finished their undergraduate degrees and they’re trying to get into the opera singing world, which is very hard of course,” Jo said.
“Many of our scholars then go overseas using the tools that we’ve given them and a lot of them have done very well, so it’s good.”
Jo’s no stranger to the world of music and opera, after having spent 33 years of her life in Italy pursuing her own musical journey.
After studying physiotherapy, Jo travelled to Italy to “be adventurous”, studying at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena alongside students from all corners of the world, including a young man from Milan who would later become Jo’s husband.
Jo then went on to become Deputy Leader of the Orchestra at La Scala Opera House in Milan and Professor of Violin at the Milan Conservatorium, before returning to Australia to continue her career.
Nowadays Jo manages to fit time into her busy schedule to work with upcoming singers at the Trust, providing them the exposure and experience needed to make it in the world of opera.
One of these talented young singers is rising operatic tenor, Michael Petruccelli.
Michael has already made his mark on the national stage, performing for Victorian Opera earlier this year, and eagerly preparing to make his debut for Opera Australia on October 28.
Michael’s passion for performance was sparked at a very young age, with the help of his Italian grandparents, who came to Australia from the small town of San Marco (Puglia) in the 1950s.
“Nonna and nonno always used to play all of the Italian classics; we used to go there every Friday night for a family dinner and nonno would be playing all of the famous Pavarotti arias and songs,” Michael recalls.
Then one afternoon at cricket practice, a young Michael was invited along to choir training by his close friend – who obviously had an eye for talent - and before he knew it he was singing with the Victorian Boys Choir.
While Michael went on to study science at university years later, his passion for singing refused to dwindle, and two years into his course the natural performer decided to undertake his Bachelor of Music at the University of Melbourne.
While the worlds of opera and science may seem light years away, Michael still uses his science background in the most crucial part of the performance.
“It’s all about the preparation,” Michael laughed.
“I’m very methodical in what I do to prepare for my performances and I make sure I leave no stones unturned, and that includes a lot of language preparation as well as having a thorough understanding of the text.”
The young talent has since gone on to take the opera scene by storm, playing “Arlecchino” in Victorian Opera’s production of Laughter and Tears earlier this month.
“It was just a wonderful process to be on the stage for a lot of the time and sing solo with the orchestra, because as a young artist you don’t often get that much of an opportunity,” Michael said.
“I really loved it and hopefully it’s going to help give me the skills for later on as I progress in my career.”
Michael’s decision to pursue a career in opera comes down to his love for the rich experience this “eclectic art form” provides, along with the sense of camaraderie surrounding each performance.
“There’s the theatre side of it where you go on stage with costumes and work with different sets and different acoustics, then there’s a bit of acting and also the singing side of things which I particularly love,” Michael said.
“I just love that it’s a team effort and getting the show on stage involves lot of people dedicated to the one thing, but all doing different jobs.”
It seems that a combination of passion and talent may lead Michael abroad to continue his operatic journey, as the humble star has recently been contacted by an agent based in the UK, providing a “bit of a foot in the door”.
While the international stage seems inevitable for this talented tenor, Michael is eagerly awaiting his appearance at the Italian Cultural Institute, where he will perform several familiar songs before a warm home crowd.
“I’m sure we’ll get quite a good turnout next week and I just love the repertoire that I’ll be singing; it’s stuff that I’ve been brought up with and they’re just beautiful melodies,” Michael said.
And with many renowned Italian songs scheduled for the evening, Michael is sure that he, Bronwyn and Timothy won’t be the only voices filling the Institute.
“I’ll be asking some of the people in the audience to have a bit of a sing with us along the way!”
