Co-Opera Presents AMONGST THE TREES

In this exciting new double-bill, Co-Opera pairs Schönberg's Erwartung with the world premiere of Daphne, written by Adelaide's Josh van Konkelenberg. Set in a dream forest, the two stories of Amongst the Trees blend myth and reality, exploring the hidden regions of our inner lives.

Erwartung is the surreal dreamscape of a woman wandering a dark wood at night, stumbling through the darkest corners of her subconscious. Schönberg's daringly modernist score - reminiscent of the brilliant canvases of Kandinsky - changed the musical world but has never before been performed in Adelaide.

While Daphne has been a symbol of eternal beauty and devotion for centuries, the story of her flight from Apollo is also a tale of passion, devouring grace, reason and innocence. Read today, it resonates with the contemporary issues of domination and abuse, retelling the tale from Daphne's tragic perspective.

Daphne composer Josh van Konkelenberg describes the two works as "intensely sensual and charged with emotional energy". Written by a powerhouse creative team of van Konkelenberg (Walford Davies prize, Royal College of Music, London), Fleur Kilpatrick (winner of the Max Afford Playwright's award) and Bronwyn Palmer (Le Coq training, Paris), the fully staged performances are sung by rising star Bethany Hill, and will be a talking point for years to come.

With the generous support of Australian Communities Foundation and the Adelaide Showground, together with the ongoing support received from its members and benefactors, Co-Opera is pleased to be able to further its commitment to making accessible opera with new reduced ticket prices to this premiere production.