Inquiry into the state of opera in Australia invites lovers of the art form to have their say.

The programming choices of some of Australia’s biggest opera companies have come under considerable scrutiny in recent months, with some cultural commentators and opera fans criticising the “safe” and “predictable” selection of operas on offer in 2015. Voicing these concerns may have seemed futile or even hazardous, as was the case for two respected critics who had their press tickets revoked by Opera Australia recently after authoring articles attacking the company’s 2015 season. However now a government inquiry into the future of opera has announced a series of public consultations to allow opera lovers to share their thoughts on the current state of the art form in Australia.

The National Opera Review, led by Dr Helen Nugent, was established last year to assess the “artistic vibrancy, engagement with audiences and financial positions” of Australia’s four most heavily subsidised opera companies: State Opera of South Australia, West Australian Opera, Opera Queensland and Opera Australia. The series of public consultations will visit Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide between January 27 and February 6. Full details of the public consultations are listed...