Jacqueline Dark

Dark performed with Opera Australia, Victorian State Opera, and was a member of Opera Queensland's Young Artist Program in 2000.[5] At the Vienna State Opera, she performed the roles of Giovanna in Verdi's Rigoletto, Grimgerde in Wagner's Die Walküre, Annina in Verdi's La traviata, Mercedes in Bizet's Carmen, Pastore (shepherd) in Puccini's Tosca,[1] Ines in Verdi's Il trovatore and Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto.[6] She returned to Australia in 2002.[1]

In 2006, she appeared as Dorabella in Mozart's Così fan tutte in the first performance of the Victorian Opera, conducted by Richard Gill. She was already hired by Opera Australia's music director, Richard Hickox. She performed there as Herodias in a new production of Salome by Richard Strauss in 2012.[4] In 2013, she performed the roles of Meg Page in Verdi's Falstaff, Lady Billows in Britten's Albert Herring, and both Fricka and Second Norne in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. She added Filippyevna in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Emilia in Verdi's Otello, and Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni to her repertoire in 2014, Amneris in Verdi's Aida and Marcellina in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro in 2015.[6]

As a freelance singer, she performed as Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana for the State Opera of South Australia, winning a Curtain Call award in the category Best Female Performance,[4][6] the soprano title role in the Australian premiere of Rufus Wainwright's Prima Donna,[6] with Kanen Breen as the Journalist,[7] at the 2017 Adelaide Festival, Berenice in Vivaldi's Farnace for the Pinchgut Opera, Mrs Sedley in Britten's Peter Grimes for the Brisbane Festival, the Old Lady in Bernstein's Candide for the New Zealand Opera, Anne in Tom Waits' The Black Rider for the Malthouse Theatre and the Victorian Opera.[6] She returned to Opera Australia as Fricka, Herodias, and as the Countess in Shostakovitch's The Nose in 2018.[4][6]

Her repertoire also included the roles of the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos by R. Strauss, the title role in Carmen, the title role and Tisbe in Rossini's La Cenerentola (for which she won another Green Room Award), Suzuki in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Rosmira in Handel's Partenope, Maurya in Riders to the Sea), Maddalena in Rigoletto, Annina in Der Rosenkavalier by R. Strauss, Pitti-Sing/Katisha in The Mikado, and Mary in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer.[6]

Dark performed the role of Sally Lowe in the world premiere of Moya Henderson's Lindy[2] and the title role in Tchaikovsky's Iolanthe for Opera Australia,[1][6] and covered the role of Pearl in the world premiere of Richard Mills' Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.[1][8]

She collaborated with directors including Neil Armfield, Lindy Hume, Barrie Kosky, Stuart Maunder and Graeme Murphy.[4]

She also performed in music theatre, cabaret, theatre restaurant and on the concert podium. In 2015, she was chosen as Mother Abbess in the national tour of The Sound of Music in Australia and New Zealand. Reviewer Lesley Reed noted in Stage Whispers: "The standout performance comes from Jacqueline Dark as The Mother Abbess. She embodies the firm but caring mother and her towering, glorious voice closes the first act with a stunning rendition of 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain'."[4] She appeared as a soloist with groups including the Melbourne Chorale, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra (concert series), Orchestra Victoria, the Australian National Academy of Music, the Royal Philharmonic Society, and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.[6] She performed the alto solo in Rossini's Stabat Mater for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. Dark joined the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra along with Trisha Crowe, Michael Falzon, Amanda Harrison and others to record I Dreamed a Dream: Hit Songs from Broadway for ABC Classics in 2013.[9]

Dark and "her best friend", Kanen Breen, who is gay, co-parented her son.[10][11]

Dark died on 3 October 2023, at age 55, having been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer the year before.[11]