News

02/12/2011

On the hunt for the youngest Hohepa cast member

The NBR New Zealand Opera is on the hunt for a little Maori boy for a walk on part in our 2012 season of Hohepa. ...

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12/07/2011

Ex-head boy hobbles home

Ex-head boy hobbles home

Not even a busted knee could stop an up-and-coming opera star from performing at his old high school....

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17/05/2011

Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci Children's Auditions

Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci Children

Calling all budding young performers! ... sing and act in Cav&Pag for NZO....

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10/03/2011

HANDEL WITH CARE: A Concert for Christchurch

HANDEL WITH CARE: A Concert for Christchurch

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14/02/2011

Under 25s: switch off your phones and tap into live performance

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17/01/2011

2011 Opera Season kicking off in March

The NBR New Zealand Opera's 2011 season reveals a programme of richly contrasting operas...

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03/08/2010

Macbeth Auditions

Macbeth Auditions

Calling all budding performers! ... your chance to appear in an opera production...

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20/04/2010

New Outreach initiatives launched

THE EDGE and The NBR New Zealand Opera have joined forces to offer ......

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15/04/2010

Figaro costumes take centre stage

Our fabulous Figaro costumes took centre stage on Campbell Live ......

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19/03/2010

Transforming old jeans into works of art ...

Transforming old jeans into works of art ...

Elizabeth Whiting, Costume Designer for The Marriage of Figaro is taking recycling to a whole new level, find out why....

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15/10/2009

2009/2010 Emerging Artists Announced

Four aspiring New Zealand singers have been selected by The NBR New Zealand Opera to join its coveted internship programme....

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15/10/2009

2010 Young Artist Announced

Congratulations to our newly appointed 2010 PwC Dame Malvina Major Young Artist....

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Did you know?

Early opera resembled the atmosphere of a race course - chatting, food, laughter and loud comments were the norm.

During all our opera performances an English translation of the libretto is projected on screens above the stage, so you can easily follow the story.

If you are 25 years old or under you can purchase $25 tickets at the venue box office before any performance.

The world's longest opera is Wagner's The Ring Cycle, lasting over 14 hours plus intervals. That's 18 hours at the theatre.

The world's longest applause lasted for 1 hour and 20 minutes as a standing ovation. The opera: Otello starring Placido Domingo.

On average, an opera will last between 2 and 3 hours, with one interval in a two act show, and two in a three act show. Operettas and musicals tend to be shorter.