Episode 185: Lindy Hume - The Marriage of Figaro

Lindy Hume is an Australian opera and festival director, who has worked throughout Australia and internationally. She was born in Sydney. Her father taught primary school and also worked as a film censor. Her mother was a psychologist at the University of Sydney.Lindy was Artistic Director of West Australian Opera (1992–1996), OzOpera and Victorian State Opera (1996–2001), and Director of the Perth International Arts Festival (2004–2007).She was appointed as Director of the Sydney Festival in 2008,and led it from 2010 to 2012.As of June 2017 she is Artistic Director of Opera Queensland. Her productions for Opera Queensland included a 2014 season of Verdi's Rigoletto inspired by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. She fosters the creation and presentation of performance in regional Australia, and performances in eight regional Queensland centres of Puccini's La bohème in 2014 featured local singers in the chorus.Her freelance productions also included a season of Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride for Sydney's Pinchgut Opera, described by Hannah Cunningham of The Sydney Morning Herald as "a near perfect production".Lindy has a long association with New Zealand Opera spanning over 2 decades, having directed 8 previous operas for the company.The first opera she directed for NZ Opera was back in 2002, when she directed a highly acclaimed production of Bizet's Carmen. It was a massive success and traveled across the country, firmly cementing her relationship with New Zealand audiences.Lindy is currently in Wellington directing her 9th opera for NZ Opera: The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart’s most famous opera, playing at the St James Theatre on 17, 19 and 21st June. Further info can be found at nzopera.com