The young artists touring The Frog Prince around SA primary schools
(L-R) James Nicholson, Lucy Stoddart, Callum McGing
The Friends of State Opera (“The Friends”) exists to support State Opera South Australia.
The Friends has been a proud supporter of State Opera South Australia since it was established in 1976. Since that time The Friends have provided donations to support State Opera mainstage productions, as well as scholarships and grants for the development of emerging operatic talent, singers and creatives, totalling around half a million dollars.
Opera is a wonderful, complex, rewarding art form, arguably at the peak of the performing arts, so inevitably it can be expensive to produce. Going to the opera is a vital way of ensuring productions are financially sustainable and we encourage all Friends members to attend as many State Opera productions as possible. Let us try and fill every seat for every performance because those ticket sales are a lifeline for opera!
The Friends provide opportunities to stimulate, educate and entertain in a collegiate and friendly setting.
Benefits to members vary from year to year depending on opportunities and arrangements in co-operation with State Opera and individual artists and creatives. But remember, by just being a Friend you are visibly supporting State Opera.
Helping our Artists
The Friends has always been a strong supporter of our operatic artists, particularly young and emerging artists, the long-term future of, opera. While we transition through and adapt to living with COVID-19, we need to support our artists and creative talent more than ever. The arts community, including opera, has been particularly badly affected by these pandemic-related changes. The Friends remain committed to providing funding and sponsorship but also encourage our members to assist individually, where possible, in these difficult times.
The Friends of State Opera is proud to be supporting the production of Macbeth in September 2023. As part of our commitment to supporting the artform of opera and the Opera Academy, State Opera’s own program designed to develop and enhance career pathways for talented emerging artists, our support for State Opera means we can help give young stars of the future opportunities to perform and grow in their artform.
The Friends has a Constitution-driven governance structure administered on behalf of the membership by an elected committee.
For enquiries or for further information about The Friends, email [email protected]
To join The Friends, click the below button to download the application form. The form needs to be downloaded to a computer, completed, saved and emailed to [email protected]
The Frog Prince
The Friends of State Opera are proud to support State Opera’s production of The Frog Prince that has started its tour of primary schools in South Australia. This is a wonderful initiative to introduce opera storytelling and a love of opera to future generations of artists, creatives and audiences. Having had the pleasure of seeing the production recently, not only is it fast paced, energetic, colourful and entertaining but also contains messages about social interactions, being kind to each other and ecological responsibility. A fun education experience on all fronts. Two of the artists in The Frog Prince, James Nicholson and Callum McGing are past recipients of funding from The Friends to further their artistic and professional development. We are delighted they are part of this production.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Friends Christmas Lunch
Join the Friends of State Opera South Australia for some Fun and Festive Folly at a luncheon celebrating a year of Friendship and Opera!
Featuring entertainment by State Opera Artists and a Silent Auction.
