This past Spring 2025, the historic village of Millthorpe in NSW Central West Australia hosted a new boutique festival that brought opera into close range: open rehearsals, artist talks, and music shared at community scale. Supported by the International Foundation for Arts and Culture (IFAC), Handa Opera at Millthorpe reflects a long-held idea: opera can thrive when it feels local, welcoming, and part of everyday life.

Curated by Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini during the Easter weekend of April 18-20th 2025, the festival’s inaugural edition began as a vision of making opera more personal and accessible, ultimately becoming three days of music, conversation, open rehearsals and celebration across the town.

The historic and picturesque Millthorpe itself shaped the atmosphere. A late 19th-century village of bluestone kerbs, vineyards and heritage buildings, it offered a backdrop no urban venue could replicate. Festivalgoers moved between Millthorpe Hall, nearby cellar doors, paddocks and cafés, creating a sense of opera woven into the rhythms of the place rather than set apart from it.

The festival’s spirit was rooted in inclusion. Rehearsals were free for locals to attend, and morning artist talks turned opera stars into neighbours. This approach echoes a belief shared by Terracini and Dr Handa: the art form should belong to everyone—not only those in major cities or traditional venues.

The programme balanced star power with discovery. Friday’s Gala Opera Concert filled Millthorpe Hall with the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra under Paul Terracini, with soloists Natalie Aroyan, Agnes Sarkis, Luke Gabbedy and Thomas Strong, plus guest violinist Jun Yi Ma. Saturday night turned the spotlight to bel canto with Giorgio Caoduro’s The Art of the Virtuoso Baritone. Sunday opened the door to the future with a Stars of Tomorrow showcase featuring Robert Adam, Bronwyn Douglass, Imogen Faith-Malfitano and Nicholas Paul, before closing with Noëmi Nadelmann and André Desponds in an evening of Cole Porter and George Gershwin.

Review coverage praised the hall’s resonant pressed-metal ceiling and singled out standout moments across the weekend—from Verdi and Carmen highlights to Rossini fireworks and the ease with which Desponds moved between jazz sparkle and concert virtuosity.

Beyond the stage, the festival wove itself into the fabric of the town. Local restaurants hosted degustations pairing regional produce with local wines. Volunteers extended shop hours. A Thousand Words Gallery mounted a festival-associated exhibition, Landscapes in Harmony. Perhaps most tellingly, primary school students designed festival posters that appeared in windows throughout Millthorpe—small gestures that made the weekend feel owned by the community. Terracini also announced plans to start a community choir, an idea that drew immediate sign-ups.

If the goal was to plant something that could take root, early signs look incredibly promising. With our Chairman Dr. Handa as Patron in Chief and IFAC acknowledged as Principal Partner, the festival has both a guiding vision and a stable base from which to grow. Most of all, Handa Opera at Millthorpe reminded everyone why live music belongs in communities: it invites audiences to listen up close, meet artists as people, and celebrate places alongside repertoire.

Fast Facts

• Dates: 18–20 April 2025 (Easter weekend)
• Location: Millthorpe Hall and surrounds, Millthorpe, NSW Central West
• Founder / Artistic Director: Lyndon Terracini AM
• Patron in Chief: Dr Haruhisa Handa (IFAC Chairman)
• Presented by: IFAC in partnership with Lyndon Terracini and Freeflow Projects
• Highlights: Gala Opera Concert; Stars of Tomorrow; The Art of the Virtuoso Baritone; Gershwin & Porter evening

Keep an eye on future festival announcements, and if you’re new to opera, consider attending Millthorpe next year, where you can experience the art form up close.