Below: Vardos – Alana Hunt on violin, Sofia Chapman on accordion and Indra Buraczewska on double bass thrilled audiences at Hargreaves in Yarra Glen.
By Kath Gannaway
FROM opera in the riddling room at Domaine Chandon and in the vineyard at Balgownie to gypsy music and dancing in the street at Yarra Glen, the 2010 Melba Festival was a sellout success.
The opening night event “The Sopranos” was spectacular with the incredible talents of soprano Antoinette Halloran and Yarra Valley based mezzo-soprano Beth Williams, supported by four sensational Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust scholarship winners and accompanied by musical director David Kram.
The intimate cave-like setting of the wine cellar provided an intimate atmosphere and excellent acoustics for a program, which included Mozart, Puccini, Gilbert and Sullivan and Verdi.
Both artistic director Caroline Stacey and Troy Hughes, who produced the festival on behalf of Yarra Ranges Regional Marketing, were thrilled with the weekend.
Ms Stacey told an enthralled audience at the launch on Friday night that more intimate, regional festivals such as the Melba Festival are the festivals of the future.
Festival events were held at restaurants and wineries from Coldstream through to Dixons Creek.
Mr Hughes said there were a number of standout events, including “A Meeting of Strangers”, a performance which brought together Laura Vaughan and Amy Valent Curlis with a program from Boroque to the present day.
“Undoubtedly, the highlight was the Sopranos gala, which we hope to continue and grow as a signature event for the festival,” Mr Hughes said.
Mr Hughes said the festival was a spectacular event musically but that it was also a success for the operators who hosted events, and for the Yarra Valley with accommodation booked out.
