Brian Chatterton OAM
Brian Chatterton OAM was Musical Director of Co-Opera since its inception in 1990. He was formerly Head of Performing Arts at the South Australian College of Advanced Education, Director of the Elder Conservatorium and Dean of Performing Arts at the University of Adelaide. From 1973 to 1978 he worked with State Opera of SA as repetiteur, chorus master and musical director for many productions. He regularly adjudicates at music eisteddfods and from 1972 – 1986 was a member of the music review panels of The Advertiser, The Adelaide Review, Australian Newspapers, the international magazine Opera and the monthly publication Opera-Opera. Brian has studied or taught in Essex, Basle, Prague, Milan, Edmonton and London.
In 2000 he was awarded an OAM for his services to music and music education and in 2003 he was the recipient of a Centenary Medal. From 1991 – 2017 Brian has been Musical Director of over 1,000 Co-Opera performances covering every State and Territory in Australia. Additionally, from 2005 – 2012, Brian conducted over 30 performances in SE Asia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland to generous critical acclaim.
Stephanie Acraman
Past Artistic Director
Stephanie Acraman began her performing life training in dance from age four, and has not had a year off the stage since then.
Studying Ballet, Tap and Modern Jazz, after leaving school Stephanie went on to tour New Zealand for two years with The Emergency Broadcasting Company as a leading dancer, actor and singer.
She then fell into, and in love with opera firstly training at the Eastern Institute of Technology in New Zealand, under the tutelage of Anne Reissar, then taking up a scholarship at the Australian National University in order to work with highly sought after voice teacher, Anthea Moller.
Stephanie then went on to establish herself as a performer and teacher of note in Sydney. Through this time she featured as soprano soloist for a range of organisations, including the Sydney Town Hall, Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Philharmonia Choir and Orchestra. Stephanie also was engaged as a project leader for WotOpera, and the OperaEd programme under Opera Australia.
Having performed as the featured soloist extensively throughout Australia and New Zealand, and in addition Italy, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and other parts of South East Asia, highlight performances include appearances with the Vietnamese National Symphony Orchestra at the Hanoi Opera House, the Angkor Wat Temples in Cambodia, the role of Kitty Hart with Alexander Productions Sydney premiere season of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking with Teddy Tahu-Rhodes, the Gala Recital of the NZ International Cello Festival, singing Bachianas Brasileiras No 5. by Villa-Lobos, the Italian tour and CD recording of Michael Williams’ Juniper Passion, soprano soloist for Bach Musica NZ, with their presentation of Mendelssohn’s “Hear My Prayer”, and Psalm 42, held at the Auckland Town Hall.
Performances with NZ Opera include the role of Fiordiligi in the NZ National tour of Mozart’s Cosí fan tutte, and the premiere of Michael Williams’ opera The Prodigal Child in the role of Mary.
Other roles include The Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Nedda in Leoncavallo’s I, Pagliacci, Adina in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore, Antonia and Giulietta in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman.
Also a keen lieder and art song recitalist, Stephanie recently performed solo recitals with pianist Liam Wooding at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts (NZ), and in October will present Songs and Stories of the Cabaret – a presentation of William Bolcom’s Cabaret Songs for the Elder Hall Recital Series (Australia). Stephanie and Liam recently released the album The Complete Cabaret Songs of William Bolcom under Rattle Records.
Under her alter ego as jazz soloist, Stephanie has performed in such locations as the Kunahura Resorts Easter Festival (Maldives), The Peace Hotel (Shanghai), Raffles Hotel (Singapore and Cambodia), Burg Kalifa (Dubai), Marina Bay Sands (Singapore), Inter-Continental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort (Vietnam), Inter-Continental Hotel Natadola (Fiji), and in classical, cabaret and jazz contexts with the New Zealand Festival of the Arts, Auckland Arts Festival, CubaDupa Festival, Sydney Festival, and the Adelaide Fringe Festival.
A sought after teacher of voice, Stephanie works with singers and actors on vocal production and technique, and stagecraft. She held the position as Senior Lecturer and Head of Voice/Head of Performance at the Waikato University Conservatorium of Music from 2016 – 2021 seeing great successes with the artists she worked with. During this time she directed and produced many productions, including writing City of Stars a pasticcio.
Drawing from her performance, teaching and mentoring experience Stephanie is now an active Stage Director with a special focus on the development of emerging artists from Australia and New Zealand. Recent productions include Donizetti – The Elixir of Love, Puccini – Gianni Schicchi and Offenbach – The Tales of Hoffmann. 2023 also saw Stephanie visit major conservatoriums, academies, and summer schools in Italy learning about what is offered to international emerging artists. this visit culminated with the final month spent as Assistant Director for Mozart – Le Nozze di Figaro as part of the Saluzzo Opera Academy.
Stephanie has a busy private practice, Studio Voice in Adelaide, South Australia where she conducts one-on-one lessons, workshops, and masterclasses in vocal technique, stagecraft and industry knowledge. She is currently a Vocal Technique teacher for the Elder Conservatorium of Music, in both Classical and Music Theatre courses.
Past artistic director
Dr Joshua van Konkelenberg studied piano and composition at the University of Adelaide and the Australian National Academy of Music before relocating to London to study organ and improvisation with David Graham and Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin at the Royal College of Music. He received the degree of Master of Music with distinction in 2012, and completed a Ph.D. in Composition at the University of Adelaide in the same year.
Joshua was awarded the Walford E. Davies Prize for Dux of the Organ Faculty at the Royal College of Music, and has been the recipient of grants from the Australia Council for the Arts and the Ian Potter Cultural Trust, an University of Adelaide Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement, and an Australian Postgraduate Award.
He was appointed as the musical director of Co-Opera in July 2017, and also toured with Opera Australia as a pianist for their school’s production of La Cenerentola, and as regional Chorus-Master for their 2016 and 2017 seasons of The Marriage of Figaro. He has previously held the position of Principal Organist at St Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide, and Artist-in-Residence at Marryatville High School and is a passionate teacher of the organ, piano, and classical improvisation. As the director of Co-Opera he led acclaimed productions of major operatic works including Don Giovanni, Acis and Galatea, and The Barber of Seville.