Sydney Opera House Announces New Season of UnWrapped

Celebrating Independent Voices & Contemporary Australian Work

The Sydney Opera House has announced the latest offering of live music and physical theatre as part of its UnWrapped season of diverse, rarely seen and critically acclaimed work curated by Sydney Opera House Director of Programming, Fiona Winning.

Launched in 2018, UnWrapped includes contemporary performance work across dance, music, live art and theatre. It is part of the Opera House’s broader Artist & Sector Development initiative, through which Australia’s preeminent performing arts centre supports independent Australian artists and small-to-medium companies creating new, risk-taking work.

Sydney Opera House Director of Programming and UnWrapped Curator, Fiona Winning, says: “We are thrilled to welcome audiences back to the Opera House to witness these beautifully crafted works from some of Australia’s most boundary-pushing performance-makers and musicians.

“Each of these works promises to give audiences the chance to experience true artistry and experimentation. From Branch Nebula’s mind-bending physical prowess, to the poetic melodies of improvisational trio Vazesh, and Zela Margossian’s kaleidoscopic compositions with influences from Armenian traditional music, this program draws on the rich ecology of our independent arts sector.”

The UnWrapped series for November – December 2020 will feature:

Vazesh
Utzon Room, Saturday 12 December 2020

This improvisational trio whose name means to ‘blow softly’ features renowned Iranian tar player Hamed Sadeghi (Eishan Ensemble), award-winning saxophonist and bass clarinettist Jeremy Rose(The Vampires, Earshift Orchestra) and bassist Lloyd Swanton (The Necks, The Catholics). Inspired by the melodies of traditional Persian music, this exciting collaboration will perform an exploration of musical discovery described as ‘a three-way conversation…like three wind-chimes bouncing off each other’ (Sydney Morning Herald).

Zela Margossian Quintet
The Utzon Room, Friday 18 December 2020

The Zela Margossian Quintet is an ARIA-nominated group based in Sydney, performing original works and arrangements carrying influences from traditional Armenian music. Featuring Zela Margossian as pianist and leader, Jacques Emery (double bass), Adem Yilmaz (percussion), Stuart Vandergraaff (woodwind) and Alexander Inman-Hislop (drums), the Zela Margossian Quintet expertly weave jazz rhythms with middle-eastern soundscapes reflecting the rich and colourful cultures they represent.