The Adventures of Figaro sounds amazing, what can audiences expect from the show?
Something they don’t expect when they hear the word opera. I think people can get quite put-off by the word because they envisage something that they may have seen in a movie. The Adventures of Figaro is a very user-friendly opera experience, it’s performed in English, and it’s energetic and fun. We want to show people that opera is nothing to be afraid of!

Tell us about Figaro and his adventures.
Figaro is a character that has been beloved for over 200 years who really came to life in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. People responded to Figaro because he was really the first example of a character from the lower-class working for the upper-class and ultimately having the upper hand. The characters are understandable and the story is simple, it’s about a guy falling in love with a girl and getting another guy to help him get the girl out of the house where she’s locked-up.

What are the challenges involved in performing outdoors on an unconventional stage?
Each venue presents its own challenges. I think it can be easy for performers to get comfortable in a theatre. While each theatre is different, there’s still a certain level of comfort involved, so we’re actually really looking forward to the challenges and upping the ante on our own skills as performers. We’re also really looking forward to getting closer to the audience. One of the big things that separates performers from the audience is the orchestra pit, but with this production, the small ensemble is onstage with us and the singers also play instruments, so the audience can be as close as one metre away.

Have you ever had to improvise part of a show when things didn’t quite go according to plan?
Absolutely! I think that happens to at least one show in every season. That’s one of the exciting things about live performance. One of the things of being a performer is that you have to be ready to pick up on things as they arise and go with them. In traditional opera, the music will continue playing if someone drops a line because the timing is decided by the composer, but with this show we’re just going to have to deal with what ever happens. Once when I was studying at the Queensland Conservatorium at Gardens Point, a possum got into the rafters of the theatre and the poor thing was so petrified from the noise that it wet itself right on the stage. I had no idea and I nearly slipped in the possum pee. That’s the thing with live performance, ‘the show must go on’.

Of course this isn’t your first time performing outdoors as you did Opera on the Beach last year, what was your favourite memory from that show?
Amazingly, despite predictions to the contrary, it never actually rained while we were on stage. The forecasts were predicting torrential rain and during rehearsals we got a little drizzle but nothing on the night, which was actually incredible because it poured down either side of the show. One of the other really beautiful things about outdoor shows is that everybody comes. I’m sure it will be the same with Figaro because it’s being performed in places where people feel comfortable. This show could be staged in a pub it’s so versatile. People who say they don’t like opera because they have seen it on television have never really experienced opera. I find opera on television boring too, but there’s something amazing about watching and hearing it all happen in front of you.

How do you find people react to hearing live opera for the first time?
They love it! There is a funny thing that people do when they hear the human voice when it’s working at an elite level for the first time. If you’re watching the Olympic Games and something extraordinary happens right in front of you, it’s thrilling and it’s a feeling that you can’t really explain. It’s the same thing when you hear someone sing beautifully, especially some of the tricky musical stuff in The Adventures of Figaro! Most people initially react in a slightly confused way and young people try to imitate it with a comical wavering, shrill voice but then they get past it and keep listening and then something quite amazing happens. I remember the first time my wife and I sang at my boys’ school, you could honestly hear a pin drop. I think people have a connection to the human voice innately and when you hear a beautiful voice singing without amplification, it’s immensely powerful.

Do you find people are generally quite open to the experience of opera or do they take some convincing?
I generally find the latter, a lot. Opera has become a five-letter word and people perceive it to be elitist with a bunch of fat singers screaming wobbly notes but as soon as they experience what it is they change their mind. The hardest part is getting them there, but once they are there it’s okay. I think everyone should give every style of music a go, at least once.

Are there any lingering misconceptions about the genre that you would like to set the record straight about?
Very few opera singer are fat! There may have been one or two famous opera singers that were bigger but the reality is that there haven’t been that many but it seems to be the enduring perception. It’s also not just about going out and seeing fancy frocks. You can go and see opera in jeans and a t-shirt if you want to. Opera is really just a different way of telling great stories.

What do you hope people will take away from The Adventures of Figaro?
I hope people enjoy a fun night out with lots of colour and movement. The show asks a lot of the performers, more than your standard opera, so I hope people will appreciate the performance and maybe have a newfound respect for opera.

What is it that first attracted you to opera?
My dad was a church organist and my first memory of that was when I was about four years old, I was sitting beside him as he was practicing the pipe organ. All the lights were out except the lights on the console of the organ and it was like magic. My family has always loved classical music and I learnt violin as a kid. I could probably have gone on to study that at the conservatorium but then I discovered this freaky thing about my voice, it made more sound than all of my friends’, and I realised that I could communicate better through singing than anything else, even speaking. It’s been a great gift in my life. I’m a huge advocate of people finding their singing voice and experiencing all the good that can come from it.

Do you believe that deep down everyone can sing?
I do. I often come across people that say they’re ‘tone deaf’ but it just means that they never learnt to do it. If you don’t grow up with your parents and people around you singing then you won’t sing, but it doesn’t mean you can’t. Singing is just co-ordination of your brain, your ears and your throat, but once you get it it’s so joyful it’s like a weight has lifted from your shoulders. You may never be the Usain Bolt of the singing world but it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun doing it.

The Gold Coast show is just one of many, how do you keep yourself entertained on the road?
I generally spend time learning work for my next role. One of the great things about travelling shows is that you can see some absolutely amazing places that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I love learning about the places and the people we visit.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
My two boys. They are, hopefully, what I’ll be remembered for. I’m lucky to have married my soulmate and I feel so happy that we can bring our boys up the way we want to. Professionally, my greatest achievement is that I continue to be passionate about opera as an artform and that I still love doing it. People seem to enjoy that passion and the energy that I bring to the stage.

Can you remember your first ever show?
The first one I can remember was by The Brisbane Light Opera at Her Majesties Theatre in 1978 or 1979. My Grandma took me to see it and I just remember this mist started coming out from the stage and I heard voices singing off-stage, it was magic. I was totally smitten. The first show I performed in was when I was about eight. I played Sam the Good Samaritan and I just remember my music teacher mouthing the words to me from the side of the stage. I don’t remember anything else about it other than her doing that and the audience in front of me.

How do you like to start a weekend when you’re not on the road?
How do I like to start or how does it usually start? Usually, I have to mow the lawn and take the boys to music lessons but any family time for us is golden. My boys and I will go for a walk up Mount Coot-tha while Mummy stays back and continues writing.

What is your motto for life?
I don’t know if it’s a motto as such but I’ve always loved the song Nature Boy by Nat King Cole. The final line of the chorus is ‘the greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return’. I think that’s just beautiful and it is something that my family really try to be loving and respectful of one another. The energy that being truly supported gives you is amazing.

What is your personal definition of success?
Doing things that enliven you as a person and without drawing upon a cliche, to be the most authentic version of yourself. There have been times in my life when I haven’t been happy because I wasn’t being true to myself. As soon as I was able to release myself from those things I was happy again.

What inspires you?
Beauty in people, in things, in nature. Great art. Things man made and things not man made. The universe. Anything that is full of grandeur and beauty and risk-taking.

What’s next for you?
We start rehearsals for our next show for Opera Queensland at the Lyric Theatre and later in the year I am the music director for a huge show in QPAC’s concert hall but I can’t tell you about that one yet.