2026 Elder After Hours | Opera Gala

Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra
with Classical Voice Students
and special guest Desiree Frahn – soprano
Dane Lam – conductor

The Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra joins forces with classical voice students and a special guest soloist for an evening of operatic favourites. From beloved arias to stirring choruses, this gala concert celebrates the drama, passion, and vocal brilliance of the operatic tradition under the baton of Dane Lam.
Program
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
'Overture' from Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492
'Cinq, dieci' from Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492
George Frideric Handel
'Domerò la tua fierezza' from Giulio Cesare
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
'Deh Vieni Non Tardar' from Le Nozze di Figaro
'La ci darem la mano' from Don Giovanni
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
'Soave sia il vento' from Così fan tutte, K. 588
Claudio Monteverdi
'Pur ti miro' from L'incoronazione di Poppea
Charles Gounod
'Ah! Je ris de me voir si belle' from Faust
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
'Gente, gente, all'armi, all'armi' from from Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492

INTERVAL

Giuseppe Verdi
'Overture' from La forza del destino
Antonín Dvořák
'Song to the Moon' from Rusalka, Op. 114
Benjamin Britten
'Look! Through the Port' from Billy Budd, Op. 50
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
'Sull'aria ... che soave zeffiretto' from Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492
Gilbert and Sullivan
'Poor Wandering One' from The Pirates of Penzance
Jacques Offenbach
'Barcarolle' from The Tales of Hoffmann
Ruggero Leoncavallo
'Intermezzo' from Pagliacci
Pietro Mascagni
'Easter Hymn' from Cavalleria rusticana

Dane Lam | Conductor
Australian-Chinese-Singaporean conductor Dane Lam brings a global perspective home to Australia. With a reputation for bold programming, artistic innovation, and connection with audiences, Lam is redefining opera and orchestral music for today’s world. As Artistic Director of State Opera South Australia, he champions opera as a living, breathing artform – rooted in tradition but reimagined for new generations. His leadership across three continents speaks to his singular ability to unite musical excellence with cultural openness.
Lam currently serves as Artistic Director of State Opera South Australia (Adelaide), Music & Artistic Director of the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra (Honolulu), and Principal Conductor of the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra (China). A Juilliard graduate and protégé of the late Kurt Masur, his career spans major opera houses and symphony halls across Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. Whether conducting Mahler in Xi’an, Mozart in Sydney, or championing new Pacific Rim voices in Honolulu, Lam leads with passion, precision, and purpose.

Desiree Frahn | Soprano
South Australian Soprano Desiree Frahn is a graduate of the Elder Conservatorium and a principal artist with State Opera South Australia and the James & Diana Ramsey Foundation Opera Program. For State Opera South Australia she has performed Mabel (Pirates of Penzance), Musetta (La bohème), Johanna (Sweeney Todd), Julie (Carousel), Bubba (Summer of the Seventeenth Doll), Vixen (Cunning Little Vixen), Valencienne (The Merry Widow), Leïla (Les pêcheurs de perles), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Rose Pickles (Cloudstreet! – World Premiere), Pamina (The Magic Flute), Rosalinde (Die fledermaus), Bastienne (Bastien und Bastienne) and sung as a soloist in their regional tours, concerts and radio broadcasts.
2024 saw her performing for Opera Australia and Victorian Opera in the lead role of Ellen Holland, for the world premiere seasons of Eucalyptus. Other notable performances include the role of Stephanie in the Australian premiere and return seasons of Jake Heggie’s To Hell and Back with Australian Contemporary Opera Co in Melbourne. Desiree performs regularly as a soloist with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in both new and established works, including several recordings and world premieres.