Monday, August 03, 2009

NOTED AUSTRALIAN WRITER JOHN MARSDEN TURNS TO OPERA

Premiered at the Melbourne Recital Centre 0n Saturday 25 July, Lost to the Music, featured a program of sensational choral music and the world premiere of the opera of the same name Lost to the Music, a new children's opera by Melbourne composer Calvin Bowman to a libretto by acclaimed teenage fiction author John Marsden (pic left).

The opera is based on the fascinating true story of the Vienna Mozart Boys Choir, whose choristers were stranded in Australia with the outbreak of World War Two when all ships in the country were requisitioned for war efforts.
Without a safe means for the choir to return to their home, Dr Mannix, then Archbishop of Melbourne, made quite a cunning offer in return for forming the St Patrick's Cathedral boys choir he would provide free foster homes and free education at the 'old blue stone pile enshrined secure' college, Parade College (pictured left).

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