Solveig's Song – The Opera and Song Collective

Described by many as ‘the voice of the 20th century, legendary Norwegian soprano, Kirsten Flagstad is celebrated in a concert of songs and arias she loved and sang.

Our early afternoon concert is presented in the delightful ambience of the Mosman Art Gallery and our fine singers will entertain you with the broad spectrum of music that made Flagstad famous and in which she excelled. 

The programme includes beloved arias by Handel, Johann Strauss and Verdi, songs by Grieg and Sibelius that Flagstad treasured and crucially features a segment of the Wagnerian repertoire for which she became world-renowned. 

Bronwyn Douglass, one of Australia’s finest emerging Wagnerian sopranos, teams up with lyric soprano Leah Thomas and mezzo-soprano Jill Sullivan, in this intriguing concert curated by Sullivan for The Opera and Song Collective. 

The singers will be supported on the grand piano by highly regarded pianists, Donna Balson and Stephen Walter who performs in the Wagner segment, while Balson features in Grieg piano solos in addition to her role in accompanying the recital and non- Wagner operatic repertoire. 

Douglass was a recent finalist in the Marie Kraje festival of Operatic Art in Albania, starred as Donna Elvira for Opera Australia in 2023 and covered Sieglinde, while Thomas has performed many roles for Opera Australia, most recently First Lady in Magic Flute and the title role in Aida, and Sullivan, also a significant recitalist, covered the role of Rossweisse in last year’s Opera Australia performances of Wagner’s Ring Cycle and will sing Erste Magd and cover the important dramatic mezzo role of Klytemnestra (Elekta) later this year in Berlin. 

Sit back, enjoy a complimentary drink and allow the glorious music wash over you.