Australian Girls Choir to Join Opera Australia for BMW Opera For All at Fed Square

The final month of Summer in Melbourne will connect icons of Australian arts and culture in the free public event BMW Opera for All. The Australian Girls Choir and performers from Orchestra Victoria will join Opera Australia, the country's largest performing arts company, at Fed Square for the open-air concert. BMW Opera for All will present an evening of operatic delights with a selection of arias including timeless classics.

For the first time, the event will introduce an exciting new edition of a 30-minute prelude performance by the Australian Girls Choir. This addition highlights BMW’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility by supporting arts and culture at a grassroots level. Importantly, the performance connects young, aspiring artists with award-winning operatic talent, embodying the spirit of creative collaboration.
 
The Australian Girls Choir (AGC) is delighted to be performing at the BMW Opera For All event on Saturday February 1. "The choir will be presenting an engaging selection of repertoire including inspirational and uplifting songs such as ‘You Raise Me Up’ and ‘You’re The Voice’ as well as much loved Australian classics including ‘My Island Home’ and ‘I Still Call Australia Home." said, Vicki King, Artistic Director, AGC.
 
Founded by Judith Curphey OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia) over 40 years ago; the AGC now has over 6,500 choristers in training in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney and last year they spread their wings internationally, opening a chapter of the choir in Singapore.
 
Regularly seen at major events from the cricket to the Australian Open tournament and Carols by Candlelight and Carols in the Domain, the AGC has shared the stage with a long list of professional artists including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Andre Rieu and Hugh Jackman, and has been honoured to perform for Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, President Obama and the Dalai Lama.
 
The choir is excited to be joining the featured Opera Australia singers and Orchestra Victoria to present this special event for the people of Melbourne.
 
For more than 50 years, BMW Group has initiated and supported hundreds of cultural collaborations worldwide. This year marks the third presentation of the global initiative BMW Opera for All in Melbourne. Adding to the excitement, these iconic cultural institutions will celebrate significant milestones in 2025. This includes the Australian Girls Choir celebrating over 40 years and Opera Australia heading towards 70 years as one of Australia’s oldest performing arts companies.
 
BMW’s Global Head of Cultural Engagement, Dr Thomas Girst will visit Australia to participate in the celebration. He has been at the helm of arts and culture initiatives for BMW since 2003 and will speak to media and guests at special events in Sydney and Melbourne. Dr Girst will provide a unique insight into two signature BMW initiatives - BMW Art Cars and BMW Opera for All.
 
Since 1975, renowned artists have transformed BMW vehicles into works of art to create the iconic BMW Art Cars collection. Over the past five decades, 20 renowned artists including Andy Warhol have contributed to this project, turning BMW cars into “rolling art sculptures.” Two of these artists have been Australian, including the legendary Australian artist Ken Done, who designed a BMW M3 Art Car. Ken Done will join Dr Girst in Sydney and share his experience of being selected as a global BMW Art Car artist and the inspiration behind his design.
 
Opera for All is one of BMW’s signature cultural initiatives globally and has taken place in locations including, Munich, Berlin, London, Moscow and Melbourne. The signature event highlights BMW’s support and celebration of local Australian talent, on a large scale. Headlining the concert are four of Opera Australia’s finest opera singers. Soprano Olivia Cranwell, Mezzo-soprano Dimity Shepherd, Tenor Shanul Sharma and Baritone Christopher Hillier. This celebrated cast from Opera Australia will be conducted by the renowned Brian Castles-Onion and accompanied by a live orchestra of 20 musicians from Orchestra Victoria.
 

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