Welcome To

Lyster Opera

Victoria’s Regional Touring Opera Company

Lyster IOpera
About Us

Lyster Opera derives its name from William Saurin Lyster (1828-1880), an Irish born entrepreneur who made it his mission to provide opera to the growing population of Australia. Under Lyster’s auspices, Australians were given their first taste of operatic composers as diverse as Mozart, Donizetti, Auber, Meyerbeer and Wagner. Local stars such as Marie Carandini and Fanny Simonsen brought these works to a new public. Lyster’s extraordinary life and career were documented by Harold Love in his book The Golden Age of Australian Opera (Currency Press, 1981) and today the Melbourne suburb of Lysterfield is named in his honour.

COMING AUGUST SEPTEMBER 2024

Gioachino Rossini

L'italiana in Algeri

“L'italiana in Algeri - Performance Details Coming Soon”

“This production of L'italiana in Algeri is proudly supported by Henkell Brothers Investment Partners”

Past Events

See our artists in action in our gallery of past events

Martha by Friedrich Von Flotow

Performed in various Victorian locations February/March 2024

The Coronation of POPPEA

Performed in various locations throughout Victoria in 2023 May/June

La Cenerentola

Performed in various locations throughout Victoria in 2022-2023

Don Pasquale

Tarnagulla, Oxley, Daylesford, and Abbotsford Convent 2021

L’Elisir d’Amore

Tarnagulla, Beechworth, Oxley, Albury, and Warrnambool 2019

A Celebration of Dame Nellie Melba

Performed in various locations since 2016

"What are we singers but the silver-voiced messengers of the poet and the musician?" - Dame Nellie Melba

Support Us
Lyster Opera Ltd is a registered charity, which aims to celebrate and perform the art of opera in regional areas, as well as to Melbourne audiences, at an affordable price.As an approved Deductible Gift Recipient, donations of $2 or more to Lyster Opera are tax deductible in Australia.Ticket sales cover only a fraction of our running costs.  Your donation could assist us with any of the following:
  • Production costs, such as sets and costumes
  • Theatre hire
  • Sponsorship of artists
  • Touring costs, such as travel and accommodation
  •  Administration and office costs
Your donation would be used to assist Lyster Opera continue its success in bringing opera to new audiences.  Donors are acknowledged on our website and in our programmes.If you would like to make a donation to Lyster Opera, please email us at info@lysteropera.com.au or via our contact page.