Opera at the Channon

Members of Opera Queensland's Young Artist Program who entertained us!

Judy, our hostess, and I checking out the music program.

After a very luscious main course.....this was our dessert!

Bill checking that there was room at our table!

Some of our party including our hosts Judy (4R) and Don (6R).

Well we had a wonderful day out when we headed for the Opera in the Channon on Sunday. We dressed in full evening wear and were picked up by a large bus in Ballina about 9.30am and driven through some wonderful country - lush rolling green hills, pretty valleys and lots of spectacular autumn australian bush which really appreciated from the large picture windows of the bus! Our destination was the Channon about forty kilometres from Ballina via Lismore.

The event was an Opera in the bush - an annual event staged by Rotary to raise funds for the Westpac Helicopter.

On arrival at the Channon (I think it is a little river?) we were welcomed with champagne and strawberries and had a little time to chat with our other guests before we were seated in the big marquee for lunch. The tables were beautifully decorated and the whole setting was relaxing, rural and so sophisticated.

We had a wonderful lunch and very interesting conversation with our table guests. We were served our luscious food and wine by very capable waiters, and, being on Judy and Don's table meant we got extra special service. After lunch and our coffee we headed over to the area where we had seats in the front row for the Opera singers. The first half of the program was very operatic . The young singers had wonderful voices and the setting lent itself to the arias they chose. We listened to renditions from Rigoletto, Cosi fan tutte, La boheme etc. The compere was especially entertaining and informative.

We had a coffee break in the middle and then the singers returned for a program of songs from the musicals. Wonderful...songs like Vilia from the Merry Widow, You'll Never Walk Alone from Carousel, If ever I would leave you from Camelot etc. they even had Danny Boy as a tear jerker before the finale which was an amazing rendition of Amigos para siempre from Andrew Llyod Webber reminding us of the Olympic Games..

The music was wonderful and the autumn leaves fell as the drums rolled and at one stage a noisy rooster from the next door farm shouted his approval too! Wonderful Day.

We were driven safely home in our big bus where we wanted neither dinner or wine..we had had our fill.

The quality is not good but you might like to hear to a bit of Danny Boy. Keep your eye out for David Kidd, the tenor, he was one of the Ten Tenors but has returned home to Brisbane for a while to be with his young family. He was so nice to watch and so good to listen to!!