I choose these examples because they don t involve the public purse. But the responsibility we have to the taxpayer of Australia who helps sustain their company must reflect both these clear ambitions. We must aspire to high standards, and we must be inclusive. Of course, the only thing elitist about opera is the level an artist must attain a talent subjected to years of discipline and risk before we let them near a stage. But there is not, and should not be anything attitudinally elitist about what we do.
Opera is a wonderfully inclusive and collaborative enterprise.
I want now quickly to tell you just some of the things we do to make sure our work is for all the community, and not for the notional converts alone. I also want to dispel a few lazy myths. Check the recently compiled Securing the Future report and you will see that Opera Australia has the highest level of paid attendance of any performance company in the land. Another myth that the audience for opera is ageing. Over the ten years that our company has been conducting research, the average age of our audience has not aged by a day.