Sunday, December 18, 2011

Bass James Olds To Perform in "La Traviata" Sydney Spectacle

Aussie Bass: James Olds
"A giant stage will be built on Sydney Harbour to bring opera to the masses when Opera Australia presents La Traviata for an exclusive three-week season next year. And James Olds of Cronulla who has made a career as a bass singer will perform in the chorus when the spectacular is staged in March. 'This production is a world premiere, a massive spectacle,' Olds said of the production, which will involve installing huge pillars in the harbour. 'This is going to be a total fanfare with fireworks every night and a shorter opera that is trimmed for all ages and for all audiences.' Olds began classical training in year 10 at Newington College and joined the Conservatorium of Music in 2004. Since joining Opera Australia in 2009, he has performed in many famous productions, including Der Rosenkavalier, MacBeth, The Merry Widow and Pirates of Penzance. Since becoming a full-time performer with the company, he has travelled with their productions and has picked up some small solo and understudy roles." [Source] Read more about James Olds after the jump.

"James Olds was born February 20, 1986. All his life, James' primary passion was performing. Since starting on the TV screen at only 3 years old in the title role of Looking out For Sampson, James has pursued his dreams - sustaining his performance career with notable success. In the first year of high school at Newington College, James joined the Chamber choir after being recognized for having a great singing voice - this developed into James having many years of private singing lessons eventually leading him to win a Scholarship for study at Australia's most prestigious music school, The Conservatioum of Music, Sydney. James was also in numerous theatrical productions during his time at Newington, most notably portraying Little Red Riding Hood in the senior production of Grimm Tales. His acting also continued beyond the school stage as James worked on a number of successful Australian TV series such as Home and Away and All Saints. In 2008, James was accepted into Opera Australia and will be beginning his performance career in the chorus of the upcoming production of Beethoven's Fidelio at the Sydney Opera House. James became friends with Andrew Strouthos over the past few years and was asked to join the LG15: The Last cast as Andrew knew of James' acting abilities and passion for performing." [Source]