Shining the spotlight on the choristers

Daniella Ehrlich has been singing since she can remember, so much so that she remembers her family telling her to be quiet as she would insist on singing everyone to sleep. She always knew she wanted to sing and be on the stage. Following her studies at the Conservatorium of Music, she made her way to New York and then got a job in Wales.

“I thought it was a bit strange moving from New York to Wales, it was kind of like a country town. But now I look back, I think I had one of the best jobs in the world. And now, I’ve got another best job in the world,” she told The AJN, continuing to explain her role as a mezzo soprano with Opera Australia in the chorus.

“Being a full-time chorister, it’s consistent work,” she explained.

What’s exciting for Daniella and the choristers is Opera Australia’s new production, Chorus!, showcasing the chorus’ 48 powerful voices through some of the most recognised choral pieces in the opera canon.

“The chorus are often the villages, the peasants, the audience members or the Queen’s friends,” she said.

But in Chorus! the spotlight is turned squarely on the nation’s only full-time opera chorus, which has been described as one of the busiest and most celebrated in the world.

“We’re singing the whole time. Normally, we’d come and go during the opera. But [in this one] it’s a huge repertoire,” Ehrlich said.

Chorus! will guide audiences on a journey through time exploring humanity and conflict, and a return to nature and celebration of unity. Raw sets, costumes and lighting designs all place the focus on the mesmerising force of these voices and reflect the underpinned theme of togetherness, which is the essence of the chorus itself.

“The first piece is absolutely amazing. I’ll never forget the first time I heard it. It’s just the men’s voices, no instruments, nothing. And it’s spine tingling. It can bring you to tears, for me I got goosebumps and just realised that this is going to be an amazing show,” she said. “And then you have the women singing bits by ourselves too which sounds really ethereal.

“The difference between this show and some operas we do is that quite often in the operas, we run on, see what’s happening in the drama and then stand there and sing. In this show, we are moving, it’s constant and completely choreographed – with lots of improvisation in between – but we’re hardly ever standing still.”

As per every other opera, the chorus are not mic’d, so what you hear is their projected voices. Which, as Ehrlich explained, takes a different type of training.

The Opera Australia Chorus in Opera Australia’s 2023 production of Chorus! at the Sydney Opera House. Photo: Keith Saunders

“It’s quite athletic, using our voices and our bodies. We have a huge fitness in our voice, it’s your whole body,” she said.

Ehrlich herself though is pretty fit, known to run between her rehearsals – sometimes for two different operas at the same time – her Pilates business and performances, all while also being a doting mother. But, she says, it’s worth it.

“I tried jazz – I love singing it – but I got frustrated because no one would listen. Jazz is background music. I always wanted to be out on the stage, becoming a different character and dressing up with the costumes and the wigs. It’s much more exciting.”

Chorus! is now showing at Sydney Opera House. For tickets: opera.org.au

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