Opera Queensland’s baritone talks Rossini, six packs, bullock trains and stage disasters.

“I tend to make a program a surprise. If people know what they are going to hear they make decisions. They know how they want to hear a piece. If you catch them by surprise they can go on a journey with you and not be distracted by set ideas or a map. They are free to enjoy the beautiful vista they are walking by”.

Barry-Smith says a firm “no” to whether Wagner and Verdi are scheduled for an Operatic Night of Fun. As it is two hundred years since these whopping rivals were born the question had to be asked. Instead, he says the musical trail follows Puccini, Rossini, Mozart and Kurt Weill. It slips out accidentally that Cole Porter’s The Tail Of The Oyster could be an encore.

About the program, the Baritone says, “I’ve chosen important things from my career and songs of importance to me. I’m singing a Figaro aria as this is a role that fits me like a glove and a Rogers and Hammerstein duet People Will Say We’re In Love with the glorious soprano Emily Burke. Oklahoma was one of the...