Turning the late Ryuichi Sakamoto into mixed reality

Shortly before he died, Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto performed a piano concert called Kagami – which was filmed and recorded with mixed reality technology. Thanks to that, the audience can see and hear Sakamoto play on a level of reality which pushes the boundaries of what a concert can be. Todd Eckert was a friend of Sakamoto and through his company Tin Drum, is pioneering this tech for the stage. 

The tragic heroine Violetta, from La Traviata, is one of the most iconic roles in opera.  Samantha Clarke is reprising her much acclaimed performance as the ill-fated courtesan for Opera Australia's La Traviata and explains why Violetta is so dear to her. She also sings the breathtaking aria Addio del passato for us, accompanied by Brian Castles-Onion.

For generations, Yolngu met and traded with other seafaring people in the top end of the continent. From this, language and songs, stories and more was exchanged. Now the Yolngu songman and dancer Banula  Marika and choreographer Rachael Wallis are collaborating with First Nations artists from Taiwan, including Suming Rupi … for a show called Gapu Ngupan (Chasing the Rainbow) at Asia TOPA in Melbourne.