Mozart's cheeky comedy to appeal to younger crowd

FUN TALE: Georgia Jamieson Emms, with Cosi Fan Tutte, co-star Matthew Landreth (Don Alfonso), hopes to make opera more accessible for younger audiences.

A Wairarapa-born musician plans to make opera more accessible to the younger generation -- starting with a performance of a cheeky romantic comedy in her home region.

Georgia Jamieson Emms, originally from Featherston and a St Matthew's Collegiate old girl, is appearing in Cosi Fan Tutte, a farcical opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, soon to be performed at Carterton Events Centre.

The opera, staged by Jamieson Emms' theatrical company Wanderlust Productions, will also tour Lower Hutt, Paraparaumu, New Plymouth and Palmerston North.

Cosi Fan Tutte will be the first fully-staged opera performed by Wanderlust, which Jamieson Emms set up to help promote opera to younger audiences.

This will be Jamieson-Emms' second performance in Wairarapa in the last year, with her and sister Francesca Emms performing Happily Ever After?, a musical featuring the works of Stephen Sondheim, in Greytown in June.

She also performed in Noel and Cole in Featherston, with the 2013 Kokomai Festival.

"I'm nervous performing on my home turf," she said.

"These are my people -- they remember me from St Matthew's productions, and are interested in what I'm up to as the local girl. But they've been really supportive of what I'm doing, and think it's worthwhile for the community."

Jamieson-Emms studied classical performance at Victoria University, and later moved to Germany, where she sang with an independent opera company in Hamburg.

One of the company's main aims was to help make opera more attractive for children and teenagers, performing operas with "contemporary twists".

"Young people were feeling daunted by going to the big operas at the [Hamburg State Opera]," Jamieson-Emms said.

"Our idea was that the sooner you get children buying tickets, it will help ensure the survival of opera."

She started Wanderlust with the same ideas in mind -- making opera accessible by performing English translations, lowering ticket prices and shortening the running times.

"People have said opera is elitist and not affordable, but that wasn't what Mozart intended.

"Plus, we wanted to bring opera to places like Carterton, so people can see opera in their backyard."

In Cosi Fan Tutte, Jamieson Emms and real-life sister-in-law Brigitte Heuser play newly-engaged sisters who fall victim to a "nasty trick".

Believing women cannot be trusted, the cynical Lord Alfonso goads the sisters' men into pursuing the other's fiancee to test their fidelity.

"It's the basic wife-swap idea," Jamieson Emms said.

"It's so wicked -- there's a moralistic streak that runs through it, but it's one big farce.

"You've got lots of disguises and people chasing each other all over the stage."

She said she has enjoyed playing her character, Fiordiligi -- whose part requires a wide vocal range.

"My character is very serious -- she's concerned with appearances, but she shows genuine emotion amongst all the silliness.

"It is a challenging role vocally, but once you've nailed a Mozart opera, you can sing anything."

Cosi Fan Tutte will be held at Carterton Events Centre on Friday February 26 and Saturday February 27, at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from www.eventfinda.co.nz.