New Zealand Opera Company
The New Zealand Opera Company's production of Carmen in 1969 | |
| Formation | 1954 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1971 |
| Type | Opera company |
| Location |
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| Leader | Donald Munro |
The New Zealand Opera Company was New Zealand's first resident professional national company, formed by baritone Donald Munro in 1954. Its first full-scale work was Mozart's Marriage of Figaro in 1958, which toured 47 towns. From 1963 funding from the QE II Arts Council allowed national tours with a full orchestra, including a production of Porgy and Bess with a Māori cast including Īnia Te Wiata, and Ngaio Marsh's A Unicorn for Christmas with music by David Farquhar. After Arts Council funding was withdrawn in 1971 the company folded.