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The White Hat Guide to the Melbourne Arts Centre
Purchase a Smartvisit Card for a free tour of this attraction 
Melbourne Arts Centre
St Kilda Road
Southgate
Tel: (03) 9281 8000 |
The Melbourne Arts Centre (known as the Victorian Arts Centre until 2003) is the major performing arts venue in Melbourne. The complex consists of a major concert hall and theatre as well as a number of smaller performance and gallery spaces, cafes, restaurants and other facilities. It is adjacent to the National Gallery of Victoria (International Collection) and nearby is Federation Square with the NGV Australian Collection, Australian Centre for the Moving Image and BMW Edge performing space. Also in the Southbank precinct is the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and the Malthouse Theatre. Thus the Arts Centre forms a hub for much of the larger scale arts activities in Melbourne. The complex consists of two major buildings - one housing the theatres and the other housing the concert hall. The State Theatre is the major venue for the Melbourne-based Australian Ballet and Melbourne Theatre Company. It is also the major venue used by Opera Australia when they are in Melbourne.  | Madama Butterfly | Opera Australia present
Puccini's opera Madama
Butterfly. Moffatt Oxenbould's classic production, designed by Peter England
and Russell Cohen, captures the grace and delicacy of Puccini's exquisite
creation. Translucent bamboo screens, red silk and balletic graces define an
imagined world for an all too real story, and the vivid colours are echoed by
the tantalisingly evocative music and melting arias of this glorious romance.
Nicole Youl broke hearts in her Sydney debut as Cio-Cio-San. She now brings her
moving interpretation of Madama Butterfly to Melbourne. She is joined by
Sally-Anne Russell in the role of Suzuki and Rosario La Spina as the fickle
Pinkerton. And to conduct, Opera Australia welcomes back Taiwanese conductor and
Puccini-expert, Shao-Chia Lu. Performed in Italian with English surtitles.
1pm on 22 November 2008 and 7.30pm on 11, 15, 19, 26 & 19
November 2008 and 4, 6, 9 & 13 December 2008 | |
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| Otello |
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Verdi's
Otello. Shakespeare's
story, Verdi's music, an extraordinary production and the soaring voices
of Opera Australia. Harry Kupfer, legendary director of the Vienna State
Opera, has created a production which exposes the psychological storm
within the hearts of Otello and Desdemona, and set designer Hans
Schavernoch's opulent but war-torn palace mirrors their chaotic
emotions. As for the music, it is magnificent, deliciously poised
between surging choruses, exquisite arias and the heady passion of the
main protagonists. Performed in Italian with English surtitles.
1pm on 6 December 2008 and 7.30pm on 18, 22, 25 & 28
November 2008 and 3 & 11 December 2008
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| Click here for prices and bookings for the
Sydney Opera House
Dinner and opera package for Otello. Be warned - These
packages usually book out weeks in advance. |
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| Orlando |
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Opera Australia presents
Handel's wild and
magical opera, Orlando,
in a new production created by the same team who brought
Alcina to such
spectacular life. The outstanding cast is drawn from a new generation of
talent. In Sydney we welcome Italian contralto Sonia Prina, while in
Melbourne young Australian, Dominica Matthews makes her debut in the
title role. Emma Matthews is the intoxicating Angelica while Tobias
Cole, who last year triumphed as Julius Caesar, plays Angelica's lover,
Medoro. Performed in Italian with English surtitles.
12.30pm on 13 December 2008 and 7pm on 27 & 29
November 2008 and 2 & 10 December 2008
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| Click here for prices and bookings for the
Sydney Opera House
Dinner and opera package for Oralando. Be warned - These
packages usually book out weeks in advance. |
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The Melbourne Concert Hall was renamed Hamer Hall in 2004 to honour the contribution Sir Rupert Hamer made to the arts in Victoria. It is the major venue used by the Melbourne Symphony. It is also the major venue used by the Australian Chamber Orchestra when they are in Melbourne. | Pekka Kuusisto & Simon Crawford-Phillips | Musica Viva presents Pekka Kuusisto (violin) and Simon Crawford-Phillips
(piano) performing
- Schubert
Sonatina in D major, D384
- Sibelius
Sonatina in E major, op 80
- Corigliano Violin Sonata (1963)
and other works by composers including Kreisler,
Copland,
Gershwin and traditional
works. | | 8.15pm, Saturday 5 July 2008 | Melbourne Arts Centre,
Hamer Hall - | | Enquiries: 1800 688 482 |
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| Australian Chamber Orchestra - The Red Tree | The Australian Chamber Orchestra with Richard Tognetti (Artistic Director and
Lead Violin) and Gondwana Voices (with Lyn Williams - Gondwana Voices Artistic
Director) perform:
- Shostakovich
(arr. Tognetti) String Quartet No.15 Featuring projected images from
Shaun Tan's The Arrival
- Yezerski/Tognetti/Williams The Red Tree [2008 Barbara
Blackman Commission] Featuring projected images from Shaun Tan's The Red
Tree
| | 2.30pm Sun 13 July, & 8pm Mon 14 July 2008 | Hamer Hall, Melbourne - | | Bookings: 1800 444 444 |
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| Toward the Light | | The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with Thomas Dausgaard (conductor) and Simon
Trpceski (piano) perform:
| | 8pm, 17. 18 & 19 July 2008 | Hamer Hall,
Melbourne Arts Centre - | | |
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| From The New World | | The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with Eivind Aadland (conductor) and James
Ehnes (violin) perform:
| | 2pm 26 July 2008 and 8pm 28 July 2008 | Hamer Hall,
Melbourne Arts Centre - | | |
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| Takacs Quartet | Musica Viva presents the Takacs Quartet performing:
- Haydn String
Quartet in G minor, op 74 no 3
- James McMillan String Quartet no 3 (2008)
- Beethoven
String Quartet in C major, op 59 no 3, ‘Razumovsky’
| | 8.15pm, Tues 29 July 2008 | Melbourne Arts Centre,
Hamer Hall - | | Bookings: 1800 688 482 |
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| Passionate Panorama | | The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with Christopher Seaman (conductor) and
James Ehnes (violin) perform:
| | 8pm,2 August 2008 | Hamer Hall,
Melbourne Arts Centre - | | |
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| Australian Chamber Orchestra - Intense | The Australian Chamber Orchestra with Richard Tognetti (Artistic Director and
Lead Violin) and Steven Isserlis (Cello) perform:
- Schnittke Concerto Grosso No.3
- CPE Bach Cello
Concerto W.171 in B flat major
- Bargiel Octet in C minor Op.15a
- Bartók
Divertimento for Strings
| | 2.30pm Sun 3 Aug & 8pm Mon 4 Aug 2008 | Hamer Hall, Melbourne - | | Bookings: 1800 444 444 |
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| Opera in Concert - The Flying Dutchman | | The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with Oleg Caetani (conductor), Lisa Gasteen
(soprano), Stuart Skelton (tenor), John Wegner (baritone). Sian Pendry (mezzo),
Adrian Dwyer (tenor), Bjarni Kristinsson (baritone), MSO Chorus and Men
of the Victorian Opera Chorus perform:
| | 8pm, 25, 28 & 30 August 2008 | Hamer Hall,
Melbourne Arts Centre - | | |
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| The Broken Silence | | The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with Oleg Caetani (conductor), Pavel Kudinov
(baritone), Men of the MSO Chorus and Men of the Victorian Opera Chorus
perform:
| | 8pm, 7, 8 & 9 August 2008 | Hamer Hall,
Melbourne Arts Centre - | | |
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| Australian Chamber Orchestra - Vivacious | The Australian Chamber Orchestra with Alina Ibragimova (Guest Director and
Lead Violin) perform:
- JS Bach from
The Art of Fugue
- György Kurtág from Signs, Games & Messages
- Berg Lyric Suite
- 3 Pieces
- Vivaldi The
Four Seasons
| | 2.30pm Sun 31 Aug, & 8pm Mon 1 Sep 2008 | Hamer Hall, Melbourne - | | Bookings: 1800 444 444 |
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| Beethoven and Tchaikovsky | | The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with Bramwell Tovey (conductor) and
Christian Tetzlaff (violin) perform:
| | 2pm 13 Sept 2008 and 8pm 15 Sept 2008 | Hamer Hall,
Melbourne Arts Centre - | | |
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| Eggner Trio | | Musica Viva presents the Eggner Trio performing:
| | 8.15pm, Tuesday 23 September 2008 | Melbourne Arts Centre,
Hamer Hall - | | Bookings: 1800 688 482 |
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| Handel's Water Music | The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with Bernard Labadie (conductor) and David
Hansen (counter-tenor) perform:
- Handel Solomon:
The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
- Handel Giulio
Cesare: Va, tacito
- Handel Giulio
Cesare: Aure, deh, per pieta
- Handel Alcina:
Suite - Overture, Musette, Menuet, Gavotte, Menuet, Gavotte
- Handel
Rodelinda: Vivi, tiranno
- Handel Water
Music (complete)
| | 8pm, 2, 3 & 4 October 2008 | Hamer Hall,
Melbourne Arts Centre - | | |
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| Jerusalem Quartet | Musica Viva presents the Jerusalem Quartet performing:
- Ravel String
Quartet in F major, op 34
- Richard Mills String Quartet no 3 (2008)
- Smetana String
Quartet no 1 in E minor, From My Life
| | 8.15pm, Wednesday 15 October 2008 | Melbourne Arts Centre,
Hamer Hall - | | Bookings: 1800 688 482 |
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| Australian Chamber Orchestra - Euphoric | The Australian Chamber Orchestra with Richard Tognetti (Artistic Director and
Lead Violin) and Timo-Veikko Valve (Cello) perform:
- Prokofiev
Classical Symphony, Op.25 (Symphony No.1)
- Brahms Concerto
for Violin and Cello, Op.102, in A minor
- Beethoven
Symphony No.8, Op.93 in F major
| | 2.30pm Sun 9 Nov, & 8pm Mon 10 Nov 2008 | Hamer Hall, Melbourne - | | Bookings: 1800 444 444 |
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| The Voice of the Sea | The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with Oleg Caetani (conductor), Jian Wang
(cello), Virgilio Marino (tenor), Jacqueline Porter (soprano) and MSO Chorus perform:
- Mozart Eine
kleine Nachtmusik, K.525
- Haydn Cello
Concerto in D major, Hob.VIIIb:2
- Enescu Vox Maris
| | 2pm 22 Nov 2008 and 8pm 24 Nov 2008 | Hamer Hall,
Melbourne Arts Centre - | | |
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| Hesperion XXI | | Musica Viva presents Hesperion XXI performing works by Tobias Hume,
Marin Marais, Tarquinio Merula and Diego Ortiz, traditional
and ancient melodies and dances from the Orient and Occident and new songs and
improvisations created by Arianna and Ferran Savall. | | 8.15pm, Tuesday 25 November 2008 | Melbourne Arts Centre,
Hamer Hall - | | Bookings: 1800 688 482 |
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| The Apotheosis Of The Dance | | The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with Oleg Caetani (conductor) and Susanna
Stefani-Caetani (piano) perform:
| | 8pm,6 December 2008 | Hamer Hall,
Melbourne Arts Centre - | | |
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Audio descriptions for the vision impaired are available at selected performances in this theatre. For more information phone (03) 9864 9222 or go to www.vionaustralia.org.au |
 | Sunday Market at the Arts Centre | | An undercover and outdoor market with a wide range of arts and crafts. | | 10am-5pm (6pm during summer), Sundays | | Melbourne Arts Centre, - Southgate | | Enquiries: (03) 9281 8000 |
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The complex also contains the smaller Fairfax Theatre.
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Jeffrey
Smart's Container Train in Landscape
was commissioned in 1983 to hang in the foyer of the Fairfax Theatre of
the Melbourne Arts
Centre. The painting comes into view at the top of the entrance
stairs, and by cunning use of forced perspective the train appears to
remain at the same distance as the viewer descends the stairs. It is
painted on five panels. As a consummate craftsman, Smart integrates the
painting with the colours and columns of the foyer, and as a consummate
artist uses numbers of visual devices to extract beauty form a seemingly
unpromising subject.
Those who know the painting well may notice that the
above image (from the website of the organisation selling the print) is
in fact a mirror image of the original. Never fear - if you buy the
print it is the right way round. |
Click on the State Theatre or Hamer Hall link to the right of the map. Use the controls to zoom in or out on the map or change to satellite view.
If you wish to keep up to date with current shows, finishing soon
alerts of performances and forthcoming shows we recommend that you
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White Hat works hard
to make information on these pages current and correct. However with
many thousands of entries, much of it changing daily, errors may occur.
Always verify the information by using the phone numbers supplied with
each event or venue before making a special trip or using this
information for any other purpose. If you believe some information is
incorrect, please contact us at
corrections@whitehat.com.au
and we will attempt to verify or change the information
DISCLAIMER: White Hat makes no claim as
to the accuracy of this information and takes no responsibility for
incorrect or incomplete information
or for actions based on the information in these pages, and accepts no
liability to any person or organisation for the information contained in
these pages.
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TOURISM NEWS
Qantas In Flight Magazine chooses
White Hat
Cemetery Tour as its featured Australian tour for May
There are many fine historical tours
throughout Australia including cemetery tours. From these, the
prestigious Qantas In Flight Magazine has chosen the White Hat Tour
of Melbourne Cemetery as its featured Australian tour for the May
2007 edition. This tour was also featured by ABC radio on 24 May and
will feature in a documentary series on Burke and Wills to be shown
on European television in 2008. The tour has been operating for many years and has won
praise from a wide range of sources. This is not a dry and stuffy
tour but in keeping with all White Hat offerings it is Informed,
Intelligent, Independent (and occasionally) Irreverent. You can find
details of the tour at White
Hat Tour of Melbourne Cemetery and view the article at
Qantas In Flight Magazine. |
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