Under the artistic direction of internationally celebrated Australian conductor Dane Lam, the 2025 season signals a dynamic transformation grounded in inclusion, relevance, and world-class artistry.
Lam’s vision is encapsulated in three simple but powerful words: Opera Without Borders – A world-class artform. A South Australian stage. A place to belong.
With this statement, Lam sets a clear tone for the future—one where opera is no longer confined to tradition, but instead emerges as a vibrant, human, and contemporary force.
“This is opera as it’s meant to be—visceral, immediate, and human,” says Lam.
Opera singers are the Olympians of the voice. They train their whole lives to perform without microphones, using a technique passed down for generations, throwing their unamplified voices over a full orchestra and into a theatre.
“When this vocal magic takes place, it reaches right to the heart. That power doesn’t belong behind glass. It belongs in the world, and on our South Australian stage,” he says.
Lam’s appointment marks a generational shift not only for the company but for Australian opera leadership more broadly. Together with CEO Mark Taylor, the duo brings a fresh energy—respecting the tradition of the artform while fearlessly pursuing its future.
The 2025 season launches on 8 May with Jonathan Dove’s Flight, a modern opera that blends humour, humanity, and stunning vocal work. Set in an airport during a sudden shutdown, the opera brings together a group of travellers, each with their own story—an apt metaphor for the way opera can speak to everyday lives while still lifting us above them.
More details about the full season will be released in May, but Lam promises a compelling mix of beloved works reimagined and new pieces that reflect Australia’s place in the wider operatic world.
“Opera without borders means removing barriers that separate people from this artform,” says Lam. “We’re taking stories that have spoken across centuries—of love, jealousy, comedy, revenge—and letting them breathe in today’s world,” he says.
“That might mean updating the setting, collaborating with artists from across the Asia-Pacific, or simply trusting the raw power of the music and voices to do the work, and always having subtitles! This is not opera in aspic. It’s living, breathing, and fiercely relevant.”
Born in Brisbane to a Singaporean-Chinese father and Australian mother, Lam brings a uniquely global perspective to his role as Artistic Director of State Opera South Australia, Music & Artistic Director of the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Conductor of the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra in China.
His career has taken him from conducting Mahler in Xi’an to reshaping Mozart in Sydney, to championing emerging composers across the Pacific Rim.
Opera is one of the most powerful ways we can connect across borders—geographic, generational, and emotional.
“At a time when the world feels fractured, cultural diplomacy is more important than ever. Art, and opera especially, is how we meet as people—not through politics.”
The company’s evolving identity under Lam is deeply rooted in connection—with artists, audiences, and community. Whether you’re a lifelong opera lover or stepping into the theatre for the first time, this is a space designed to welcome and inspire.
“We want people to walk through the doors and feel like they belong. Whether it’s their first time at the opera or their fiftieth. Whether they grew up with Verdi or have never heard a note of Mozart. This company is for all South Australians, and it’s a company that the world is watching.”
As State Opera South Australia approaches its 50th year, Lam’s Opera Without Borders is more than a tagline—it’s a bold and inclusive blueprint for the future: Fearless programming. Universal stories. A stage that belongs to everyone.
“Opera without borders. Stories that speak to now. A company that belongs to South Australians— and resonates far beyond,” Lam says.
More information:
