There were soaring voices, laughter and more than a few tears as Opera Queensland brought Bravo! to Cooktown’s William Daku Waterfront on Thursday 22 October.
Approximately 180 people gathered for the free concert, with long-time locals, families, friends, seniors and overseas visitors sharing an evening that was as much about connection as it was about music.
For some, it was an opportunity to hear treasured opera favourites performed live. For others, it was their first encounter with an art form that can seem a world away from everyday life in regional and remote, Cape York Peninsula.
By the end of the evening, that distance felt very small indeed.
Against the backdrop of the Endeavour River and the hills and mountains of North Shore, Chelsea Burns, Nick Kirkup, Lachlann Lawton and Madeleine Stephens, accompanied by pianist, Andrew Georg, brought opera’s passion, humour and heartbreak to life.
Directed by Emma Nightingale, with musical direction by Jason Barry-Smith, Bravo! explores what makes a great opera hit, bringing together familiar favourites and new discoveries through music and storytelling.
In Cooktown, the answer could be seen on the faces of the audience.
People laughed. Many cried. Strangers travelling solo struck up conversations and became friends. Across generations and backgrounds, the music gave everyone something to share.
Audience feedback captured the feeling of the night, describing the performers as “charismatic, soul-stirring, theatrical and so full of emotion”.
One audience member reflected that, even without understanding the Italian lyrics, the performers’ expressions and storytelling made the emotion unmistakable: “You don’t need to understand every word. You can feel it.”
Another described the evening as “not just food for the eyes and ears but my entire being”, adding: “Extraordinary beauty in a beautiful place.”
And amid the grandeur, there were moments that could only belong to Cooktown.
As Puccini’s Nessun dorma, from Turandot, rang out in the grand finale, children in fishing shirts popped wheelies along the footpath behind the waterfront pergola. Beyond them lay the river and the North Shore hills.
It was a distinctly local scene: extraordinary music unfolding alongside the easy rhythm of waterfront life. The pergola framed it all, bringing performers, landscape and a little everyday Cooktown into the same picture.
With snacks from Wild & Wingy, a bar run by Wolf Lane Distillery and picnics shared among family and friends, the evening offered a warm welcome to seasoned opera enthusiasts and curious newcomers alike.
The response afterwards was heartfelt, with audience members celebrating the setting, thanking the performers and calling for a return visit.
The music did continue thought, when on Friday 23 October, the cast visited Sunbird Cottage to share the joy of opera with aged care residents.
Cook Shire Council thanks Opera Queensland, the artists and touring team, local vendors and everyone who came along to make the evening so special.
The event was supported through the Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and Cook Shire Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
For one evening, the waterfront became a place where strangers found friendship, familiar surroundings felt extraordinary and powerful voices gave a community something to feel together.
Bravo… Bravo indeed!
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