- Operatunity Oz
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Operatunity Oz was a 2006 talent search, and accompanying four-part television documentary by Simon Target, in which Opera Australia conducted a nationwide search to find someone in Australia without professional opera experience, who could be coached to sing in a staged opera — Verdi's Rigoletto in the event — on the stage of the Sydney Opera House in the company of professional performers, as part of Opera Australia's regular season. It was modelled on the earlier British Operatunity.
The panel of judges was led by conductor Richard Gill, and included opera director Elke Neidhardt, world-renowned soprano Yvonne Kenny, and soprano Antoinette Halloran.
The winner, bass David Parkin, performed the role of Sparafucile in a performance of Rigoletto on 24 October 2006. Two other finalists, soprano Emily Burke and tenor Roy Best, impressed the judges sufficiently to be offered places in the same performance, performing the roles of Gilda and the Duke of Mantua respectively in the final act.
The documentary aired on ABC TV weekly during October 2006. A follow-up program, Operatunity Oz Revisited, aired on 2 December 2007; in it, the judges reflected on the experience and updates were provided on the winners and some of the more memorable finalists.
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