The National Touring Opera (NTO) was founded in 2014 in Melbourne, Australia with the vision to introduce new audiences to the world of opera by producing exciting opera performances and creating magical experiences. The NTO also aims to support and nurture upcoming talent through creating opportunities for artists to develop their skill and mastery.

Our Artists

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Mario Dobernig

Conductor

Austro-Australian conductor Mario Dobernig is Conductor in Chief and Artistic director for the Preston Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Chorale and the Ballarat Wind Orchestra. He is also a regular guest conductor for the Barrier Reef Orchestra in Townsville and the Ballarat Symphony Orchestra… Read more

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Brian Henry

Conductor

UK conductor Brian Henry has appeared many times as a conductor in the South-East for Park Opera, Windsor & Eton \Opera and Candlelight Opera.  He has worked on a series of works by Mozart comprising The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan Tutte, Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Indomeneo… Read more

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Charlotte-Anne Shipley

Soprano

Charlotte-Anne read Music at Oxford University, where she held a choral scholarship. Despite applying as an instrumentalist (piano & clarinet), during her three years as an undergraduate she became heavily involved in the choral scene and soon became sought-after as a soprano…….. Read more

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Oliver Gibbs

Baritone

Oliver Gibbs was born in London and originally pursued a career as an actor. He has performed many principal roles such as The Count (Le Nozze di Figaro), Coppelius (Tales of Hoffmann), Belcore (L’Elisir d’Amore) , Dandini (La Cenerentola), Mustapha (Italian Girl in Algiers) …Read more

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Isabel Hertaeg

Soprano

Isabel Hertaeg is creator of Death By Soprano is a cabaret artist of international esteem. Isabel’s work has been described as ‘The Rarest of things… Theatre that mattered’ Arts Hub and ‘Radical, transgressive chic’ The Guardian, UK. Isabel has worked in theatre, opera, independent film, community radio and television… Read more

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Rachael Birthisel

Soprano

After years of extensive study in dance, drama and music Rachael went to Italy after winning the Franco Schiavoni Memorial Scholarship to learn Italian at the University of Siena. She then began her classical music studies at The Accademia Musicale of Florence…Read more

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Kristian Gregory

Baritone

Kristian Gregory began his formal music training at age nine with the National Boys Choir of Australia. Having fostered a love of classical music he continued to train privately and completed a Bachelor of Music at Monash University. He has also completed three years of study with the Opera Studio Melbourne…Read more

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Cameron Sibly

Tenor

Cameron is a young, emerging performer from Hobart. He is a current member of Opera Scholars Australia, and has performed as a chorus member with the Melbourne Opera Company since 2013. He has sung in ‘Fidelio’, ‘La Traviata’, ‘Rienzi’, ‘Madama Butterfly’, ‘The Pearl Fishers’, and most recently, ‘Der Freischutz’…Read more

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Gordon Bedlow

Baritone

Gordon Bedlow was born in New Zealand and is currently completing a Bachelor of Music at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and in 2014 received the Florence Bradford Scholarship. In 2014, Gordon performed as “Mercury” in Dido and Aeneas as part of the Peninsula Summer Music Festival….Read more

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Chris Childs Santos

Baritone

“Young baritone Chris Childs Santos made a strong impression,” (Opera Magazine, September 2015)
Chris currently studies with Nicholas Powell after winning a scholarship to study at the Royal Northern College of Music supported by the Hedley Trust… Read more

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Sasho Ujgunoski

Tenor

Sasho Ujgunoski is a Melbourne-based tenor and founder of the National Touring Opera. He studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and completed the Graduate Diploma in Opera. Sasho studied voice with Dr Margaret G. Bennett, herself trained by John Dickens, the voice teacher of Dame Joan Sutherland. Read more

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Diego Gaston Zamudio

Tenor

Diego was born in Argentina. He moved to Italy – the birthplace of his Mother. Hi graduated from the Conservatoire Juan Pedro Esnaola, where he studied pianoforte, and voice with composer Andres Risso. He then sang with the chorus of Argentino de La Plata theatre, before being awarded a scholarship…Read more

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Don Bridges

Director

Shakespearian actor Don Bridges has worked as an actor or director including HIT, La Mama, Essential Theatre (Shakespeare in the Vines,) Unicorn (London), Columbia University (New York), Geary Theatre (San Francisco) and over twenty-five productions for the Melbourne Theatre Company.  Read more

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Alexandra Chambers

Costume Designer

Alexandra Chambers has designed costumes for the Paris Opera Ballet and numerous opera productions. Alexandra is an independent designer and maker of costumes for performance and alternative fashion events, working on many productions in both Sydney and Melbourne…Read more

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Stephen Marino

Chorus Master

Stephen Marino is a passionate musician, singer, accompanist, composer and linguist. He studied piano at the Canberra School of Music with John Luxton and singing with Lauren Hannay in Cairns. Stephen is particularly active as a singer on the Melbourne Choral circuit…Read more

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Richard Hills

Pianist

Richard Hills is one of the very few musicians truly to have bridged and mastered the divide between the world of the classical organ and that of the theatre organ. Having commenced classical organ studies under William Whitehead at Rochester Cathedral, he became Organ Scholar at Exeter College Oxford… Read more

Orchestra

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The NTO acknowledges the support and hard work of the Preston Symphony Orchestra. Founded in 1950, the orchestra’s past repertoire has included Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Holst’s The Planets; symphonies including Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Brahms Requiem and several operas including Bizet’s Carmen, Verdi’s Rigoletto and Il Trovatore and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.