An Evening of Opera at the Victorian Pride Centre

Experience the power of live opera up close as The Pride Fund welcomes the Melba Opera Trust back to the Victorian Pride Centre for a special fundraising concert in the Forum.

Presented in one of the Centre’s most striking spaces, the evening will showcase a selection of emerging professional opera singers supported through the Melba Opera Trust’s artist development program. These talented artists are building careers on the Australian and international stage, continuing Dame Nellie Melba’s legacy of supporting the next generation of opera performers.

The concert will feature a selection of performances that combine much-loved operatic favourites with beautiful works you may be discovering for the first time. Whether you are a lifelong opera lover or completely new to the art form, this will be an accessible and welcoming opportunity to experience extraordinary voices in an intimate setting.

The Forum’s soaring architecture and impressive natural acoustics make it a particularly special place to hear opera performed live. Melba Opera Trust artists were the first to present opera in the space, and this will be their third performance at the Victorian Pride Centre.

Doors and the bar open at 5:30pm, giving guests time to purchase a drink and mingle before the performance begins at 6pm. Guests are also welcome to stay for drinks and conversation following the concert.

Funds raised will support The Pride Fund’s Rooftop Pavilion Campaign. The campaign will help create an enclosed, air-conditioned and weatherproof rooftop venue at the Victorian Pride Centre, allowing the spectacular space and its views across Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay to be enjoyed by LGBTIQA+ communities and allies throughout the year.

Event details

Thursday 27 August 2026
Doors and bar open: 5:30pm
Performance begins: 6pm
The Forum, Victorian Pride Centre
79–81 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda

Tickets

• Patron Ticket: $100, including a $60 tax-deductible donation
• Supporter Ticket: $70, including a $30 tax-deductible donation
• Standard Ticket: $40

Join us for an intimate evening of exceptional voices, beautiful music and meaningful community impact.

Program

Una voce poco fa from The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini
Chloe James

Quel guardo il cavaliere from Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti
Sophie Blades

Avant de quitter ces lieux from Faust by Charles Gounod
Devon Lake

L’Amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera) from Carmen by Georges Bizet
Chloe James

Du sollst der Kaiser meiner Seele sein from The Favourite by Robert Stolz
Sophie Blades

On the street where you live from My Fair Lady by Frederick Loewe
Devon Lake

What good would the Moon be? from Street Scene by Kurt Weill
Sophie Blades

Over the hills and far away from The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay (arr. Douglas Gamley)
Sophie Blades and Devon Lake

Sisters from White Christmas by Irving Berlin
Sophie Blades and Chloe James

Hello young lovers from The King and I by Richard Rodgers
Sophie Blades

Rich, famous, powerful by David Friedman
Chloe James

Core ‘ngrato by Salvatore Cardillo
Devon Lake

Cat Duet (attr. Gioachino Rossini)
Sophie Blades and Chloe James

All I ask of you from The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Sophie Blades and Devon Lake

You’ll never walk alone from Carousel by Richard Rodgers
Sophie Blades, Chloe James and Devon Lake

Sophie Blades – soprano
Chloe James – mezzo-soprano
Devon Lake – baritone
Associate Artist Sharolyn Kimmorley AM

The Pride Fund would like to thank Rubiix Business Accountants, SB Print and Kawai for their
support of tonight’s performance,