Dianne dumped a deluge, now this diva will storm the outback
Considered by many to be the world's best coloratura (or quick and virtuosic) soprano, Sumi Jo made her operatic debut as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto in 1986 and would go on to be famous for her Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute and the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.
She has appeared at La Scala, Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, and even once sang in the arrivals hall of Washington Dulles International Airport for an audience of dubious customs officers.
'I was very young, and I'm a tiny little Asian girl, and they simply couldn't believe that I was able to sing opera,' she recalls with a laugh.
For the Festival of Outback Opera, Sumi Jo will perform under the stars at a cattle station near Longreach, and on a prehistoric plateau called the Jump-Up at the Age of Dinosaurs Museum outside of Winton.
The dinosaur museum was cut off for days in the floods and spectacular waterfalls formed, but the location, with its fossils and life-size creature models, is ready to host its signature concert on May 15.
'What they're doing is really, really special, so I was very happy that they invited me,' Sumi Jo says.
'Sumi Jo is a phenomenal artist,' says Nolan. 'She's renowned for her technique and her capacity to sing extraordinarily complex melodies.
'Despite being one of the great divas of our time, she is remarkably down to earth, with a sense of fun and a commitment to ensuring the audience are having a good time. I think she will fit right into the festival.'
The festival is in its fifth year and firmly established as a leading event in outback Queensland, drawing visitors from far and wide as well as enthusiastic locals.
In addition to the two major concerts, there is a lavish lunch, an Opera Ball, a trivia night, a community singalong, and a celebration of opera and country music titled Are You Lonesome Tonight?
As an added attraction this year, the recent flooding means the region's usually arid landscapes will be lush and green.
'You will never see this region look as beautiful as it will be in the next couple of weeks,' White says.
'It'll be full of wild flowers, the birdlife has come back … The outback is open for business.'
While she has not sung in the outback before, Sumi Jo is no stranger to Australia, having performed at the Sydney Opera House many times.
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Late Australian soprano Joan Sutherland was an enormous inspiration to her, and she recorded her 1994 album Carnaval under the baton of Sutherland's husband Richard Bonynge.
'As soon as we finished the recording, [Sutherland] invited me to her home in Switzerland,' Sumi Jo recalls.
'She cooked dinner and said she was quite jealous – 'oh my God, Richard never gave these songs!' – obviously she was making a joke.
'I became a coloratura because of her, because of her recordings.'
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