GYMPIE opera lovers rejoice.

The Rotary Club of Gympie-Cooloola in conjunction with Opera Queensland is presenting Opera in Springtime at St Peter's Anglican Church, Lady Mary Tce.

The event will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2-5pm followed by wine and canapes beneath a spring sunset.

Operatic baritone Jason Barry-Smith, graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium and winner of the Mathy Scholarship, the Italian Opera Award and the Star of the Pearlfishers, will be one of the star performers. Jason has performed with both the Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras.

Melbourne-born operatic classical soprano Natalie Christie Peluso will also perform. Natalie has performed extensively at Covent Garden and throughout Europe and was winner of the Australian Singing Competition's Marianne Mathy Award and BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Grand Finalist.

Accompanying the artists will be renowned, highly respected and versatile pianist Narelle French on the grand piano. Narelle was awarded the Dame Roma Mitchell Churchill Fellowship in 2002 and the Centenary Medal for service to Australian society and the advancement of music. Narelle is currently Head of Music at Opera Qld.

Negotiations are underway at this time by Opera Queensland to engage a tenor and mezzo soprano so there could be as many as three or four artists on the program.

This is a once-only performance and limited seating is available.

Only 300 tickets will be sold. Tickets will cost $95.

Proceeds of the event will be allocated to Rotary projects locally and internationally including Cooinda, Little Haven, and Rotary Projects in Cambodia /Vietnam and Soloman Islands.

Bookings online at gympieboxoffice.com.au or phone 5402 3325 or Tony Kishawi on 0418 881 063.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Jason Barry-Smith

Jason Barry-Smith studied at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich. Jason has been Artistic Director of the Queensland Youth Choir, Director of the Opera Queensland Young Artistic Program, Creative Director for Opera Queensland's Open Stage program, and a member of the 2013 Emerging Leaders Development Program at the Australia Council for the Arts.

He has performed in some of Opera Queensland's most successful productions including Pish-Tush in The Mikado, Count Danilo Danilowitsch in The Merry Widow, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Doctor Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Dandini in Cinderella, Gabriel von Eisenstein and Doctor Falke in Die Fledermaus, Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet, Schaunard in La bohème, and in the title roles in The Barber of Seville and Don Giovanni.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to opera, Jason has received the Queensland Conservatorium Medal for Excellence, Marianne Mathy Scholarship, and Opera Foundation Australia's Italian Opera Award.

Natalie Christie Peluso

Melbourne-born soprano Natalie Christie Peluso captivates audiences with a lyric soprano voice described by critics as "ravishing” and "full of youthful, delicious beauty”.

She was winner of the Australian Singing Competition's Marianne Mathy Award and BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Grand Finalist.

Natalie graduated from London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama and became Principal Soprano at Welsh National Opera for five years, performing Sr Constance The Carmelites, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Gilda in Rigoletto, Eurydice in Orphée et Eurydice, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Adina in L'elisir d'amore, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Despina in Cosi Fan Tutte, Adele in Die Fledermaus, and Marzelline in Leonora.

Other highlights include Zerlina in Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden conducted by Sir Charles Mackerra, as the soprano in Bach's St. John Passion with English National Opera; and her hugely acclaimed appearances as Susanna in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Australia.