Winterreise

Franz Schubert

Archipelago Productions

NICHOLAS TOLPUTT

Nicholas graduated from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in 2014. Since then, he has firmly established himself nationally and internationally as one of Australia’s leading young operatic voices. In 2015 and 2016, he became the first countertenor to be accepted into the prestigious Melba Opera Trust as their Wright-Smith Scholar. He is the recipient of a Glover Music Trust Scholarship for overseas study and was also a 2016 Young Artist for Pacific Opera. In 2016, Nicholas became the first singer to ever with both the Australian Singing Competition and the Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship in the same year. He regularly tours in Italy, New Zealand and Asia performing recitals to acclaim and has sung in some of the world’s most famous operatic venues. Nicholas has studied with several of Australia's most accomplished operatic performers including Rosamund Illing, Susan Johnstone, Peter Coleman-Wright and Andrew Dalton. He currently studies in Italy with Sherman Lowe, one of the world’s greatest technicians and vocal experts. Major engagements of the 2019 season include his Pinchgut/Opera Australia debut in the role of ‘Pisandre’ for Pinchgut Opera’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, the alto soloist in Bach’s Magnificat and Handel’s Messiah with the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Philharmonia. Highlights of his 2018 engagements include the alto soloist in the New Zealand Festival’s The Orpheus Project, the alto soloist in Britten’s Chichester Psalms (Western Australian Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra), and the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah (MSO). 2018 also saw Nicholas make his Opera House debut in the role of ‘David’ in Handel’s Saul (Sydney Philharmonia) to a packed concert hall.

AMANDA HODDER

Described as “magic” by esteemed pianist and accompanist Malcolm Martineau, Amanda has worked as accompanist, vocal coach and pianist with Opera Australia, OzOpera, VCA, Opera Queensland, Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. A keen collaborator, Amanda has also acted as music director for brand new shows performed at Festival of Voices, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Melbourne Cabaret Festival, St Martins Youth Arts and Junction Arts Festival. Having recently left her role as Associate Lecturer in Accompaniment Studies and Co-ordinator of Classical Voice at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, Amanda will spend the first half of 2021 performing at Mona Foma, Ten Days On The Island, Adelaide Cabaret Festival (with New York based Australian performer Kim Smith), and running singing workshops for teenage girls at Festival of Voices. A passionate advocate for community group singing, Amanda runs the Hobart Glee Club, a a zero-obligation choir that meets once a week.

BEN WINSPEAR

As a director Ben has steered a number of new productions for Sydney Theatre Company, where he was Resident Director for three years including MORPH, THESE PEOPLE, THIS LITTLE PIGGY, METAMORPHOSIS and THYESTES. He also co-directed VICTORY for STC, ran numerous play readings and developments and judged for the Patrick White Award and Young Writers Award. Other productions include SAVED (NIDA), INSECT!, PANTAGLEIZE, and MONKEY (UNSW), MACBETH, KING LEAR, THE TEMPEST (STC) and MONKEY (Big Monkey), THE GARDENS OF PARADISE (Ten Days on the Island), SILVER (Downstairs Belvoir), THE BLUEBIRD (Cranbrook School), GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES (Tas Theatre Co), 12 TIMES HE SPOKE (Blue Cow), and PERFECT STRANGER (UTAS). As Associate Artist for Griffin Theatre he was Associate Director on GLORIA, directed FEATHER IN THE WEB and for three years was responsible for running the artist development programmes there. For Archipelago Productions, of which he is co-artistic director, he has directed VENUS AND ADONIS, THE BLEEDING TREE, and adapted, directed PAST THE SHALLOWS as an arthouse film which was presented in the Ten Days On The Island Festival this year and provided audio content for TMAGs PARADISE LOST for Dark Mofo.

JASON JAMES - Lighting

Jason has worked as a designer for over fifteen years creating designs principally for new works, credits include Speaking in Tongue (Hobart Rep), Backwards from Winter, Echoes, The Barbarians, and Kimisis, (IHOS Opera), The Armor, (Sonia Heap), Riddle of Washpool Gully, Red Racing Hood, Big Baby, Pip and Pooch, Shadow Dreams, Sleeping Horses Lie, and Love (Terrapin), Babel, (Invisible Practice), Merchant of Venice, (Loud Mouth), What Rhymes with Cars and Girls, Born from Animals, Branch Book Bench, The Company I Keep, (Tasmanian Theatre Company), Flux, Wild at Heart, Motel Dreaming, (Unconscious Collective), Hand Made, Abandoned Dances, Episodes, Birds, Sing for Me, (MADE), Fall, Winter, Spring, (Second Echo Ensemble), Dark Path, (Dark Mofo) AND THE BLEEDING TREE (Archipelago)

MARTIN MCGRATH – Cinematographer

Martin is one of the most experienced Directors Of Photography with over 30 movies to his credit. His First feature, Proof won the AFI for best film, repeating that success three years later with the release of the iconic Muriel’s Wedding, one of Australia’s most loved movies. The ground-breaking miniseries Blue Murder was released the following year. Many AFI/ACCTA and ACS awards and nominations have followed in their wake: Children of the Revolution, On the Beach, The Sound of One Hand Clapping, Blackrock, The Broken Shore, Swimming Upstream, Operation Buffalo.

FINN MCGRATH – Assistant Camera

PETER BRENNEN – Editor

Peter started his screen career as a Sound Designer and Mix Engineer, honing his skills on countless productions for National Geographic, The Discovery Channel and many other broadcasters, both local and international. Ten years later he moved into production for TV and has since spent several years working as a writer, field producer, camera operator, editor and post producer. In 2020 Peter moved from Sydney to Hobart, seeking new creative collaborations. At the 2021 Mona Foma Festival, he wrote, directed and performed the live fantasy music event, Guitar Wars. More recently, he was editor and story consultant on the (sadly postponed) Rising Festival 2021 film project Deep Throat Drive-In.

ELIYA COHEN – Second Camera