Last night the Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir, hosted a cocktail reception for Pinchgut at Government House. It was a very special evening. Her Excellency is very supportive of what we are doing, as she is with many arts organisations in NSW, and has been attending our productions for many years even before she was the Governor.
Erin Helyard (harpsichord /co-artistic director) and tenor Andrew Goodwin (Orpheus) only arrived in Sydney a few days ago and although they both claimed to be suffering from jetlag – it did not show. They performed the stunning aria “Cara speme! Alme di scoglio!” (My dearest! Ah, you have hearts of stone!) from L’anima del filosofo – and it was completely transporting, particularly in the beautiful ballroom of Government House.
Her Excellency said of Andrew after the short performance that we were all in the presence of a voice that was truly magical, and that everyone should experience it. Everyone who attended was equally impressed. I wish I could bottle Haydn’s gorgeous music that Erin and Andrew made in that moment and simply play it in the heads of Sydneysiders – and beyond! We would all be a happy lot.
Anna
Pics: Andrew Goodwin and Erin Helyard at Government House
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