16 Sept, 2013

Co-Opera performs in Georgetown to celebrate 40 years of sister cities

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Adelaide and Georgetown, Penang, City of Adelaide and the Tourism Authority of the Penang State Government are jointly supporting performances of ‘Die Fledermaus’ (The Revenge of the Bat) by Johann Strauss by Co-Opera throughout Malaysia.

Adelaide Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood said Council was pleased to be able to support Adelaide’s own Co-Opera, Australia’s longest serving and busiest touring opera company in its celebration of the sister city relationship.

Sets and costumes, including Co-Opera’s sparkling Australian Art Deco setting are already on their way to Malaysia, ahead of the 10 day tour which kicks off in Georgetown on 28 September.

Councillor Michael Henningsen, who was instrumental in assuring funding from Council for the company’s trip will be travelling at his own expense to Georgetown later this month to see the first performance.

“The exciting thing about this trip is that it is a true collaboration between Adelaide and Penang, with 11 players from the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra joining Co-Opera’s orchestral ensemble for the performance in Penang, it’s a true show of the sister city ,” said Michael.

Co-Opera Soprano Sara Lambert, who plays the role of Adele in the show is really looking forward to the tour which includes shows in Ipoh, Melaka and Kuala Lumpur over a 10 day season.

“We are really excited about the tour to Malaysia. The icing on the cake is to have the Penang string players join our show. Collaborating with local artists is always fun for us and adds a real buzz to the event, so we’re looking forward to sharing the sister city anniversary with them,” she said.

This will be the first Co-Opera tour with the joint assistance of the Sister cities; Adelaide and Penang, previously the company received support from Austrade.

The City of Adelaide are proud to support Adelaide’s touring opera company, Co-Opera, in its Malaysian tour and sees it as a great opportunity to further strengthen ties between the cities into the future.

Adelaide audiences will have the opportunity to attend a ‘welcome home’ performance on Saturday 26 October at the Adelaide Showground.

Performance schedule:
Saturday 28 September Venue: Dewan Sri Pinang (Georgetown Penang)
Monday 30 September Venue: Riverside Hotel (Ipoh)
Wednesday 2 October Venue: Philea Resort (Melaka)
Friday 4 October Venue: Grand Dorsett Hotel (Kuala Lumpur)
Saturday 5 October Venue: Icon Penthouse Theatre (Kuala Lumpur)
Saturday 26 October Venue: Thomas Edmonds Opera Studio (Adelaide Showground)

Rebecca Draysey