Celeste Haworth-Dias - Mezzo Soprano, Opera Australia Artist
Celeste has performed many roles as a principal artist in Europe, Australia and Asia and has been a regular principal artist with Opera Australia , the State Theatre of Wiesbaden, and the annual Wien Modern Festival in Vienna.
Currently based in Sydney as a permanent artist with Opera Australia, Celeste is the 2023 recipient of the The George and Nerissa Johnson Memorial Scholarship and the Australian Opera Awards Committee 2023 Silver Award.
Upcoming engagements include covering the role of the ugly step-sister Dorothee in Opera Australia’s Cinderella, as well as performing a Sprite in the same production, and a recital for the NSW Wagner Society.
Recent performances for Opera Australia include The Monitor in Suor Angelica for Opera Australia's Il Trittico, as well as covering the role of La Ciesca in Gianni Schicci. Celeste also sang he Alto Solo in Mahler's 2nd Symphony with the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra, covered the role of Erda in Opera Australia's 2023 Ring Cycle at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane, whilst simultaneously performing the role of First Norn. Celeste has also sung the role of Flora in the Moshinksky production of La Traviata in both Sydney and Melbourne, as well as Dr Handa's Opera Australia production of La Traviata on Sydney Harbour. Celeste has also given many performances in the acclaimed Great Opera Hits concert series at the Sydney Opera House of which she was a featured artist.
The Australian mezzo has also made several international role debuts in Germany for the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden over a number of seasons, with roles including Emilia (Otello, Verdi), Meg Page (Falstaff, Verdi), 3rd Maid (Elektra, Strauss), Kate Pinkerton and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly, Puccini), Innkeeper (Boris Godunov, Mussorgsky), Marcellina (Le Nozze Di Figaro, Mozart), and notably as Charlotte in Zimmerman's challenging Die Soldaten. All performances were a critical and public success.
She also given several recitals at Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Giessen Musik Festival, Schloss Burg Reichenstein, Trechtingshausen and Kammer Musik Wiesbaden.
Celeste performed extensively as a soloist with renowned orchestras including the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Early Music Ensemble, the Deutsches Kammer Orchester in connection with the Frankfurter Philharmoniker, Wien Residenz Orchester and the Sydney Symphonietta.
Celeste has sung many other major operatic roles in both Europe and Australia, including Marchesa Melibea (Il Viaggio A Reims,Rossini), Tamerlano (Tamerlano, Händel), Dorabella (Cosi Fan Tutte, Mozart), Bertarido ( Rodelinda, Händel), La Voix, and Muse/Nicklausse (Les Contes de Hoffmann, Offenbach), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini), Frau Reich (Die Lustigen Weiber Von Windsor, Nicolai), Mother Goose (The Rake's Progress, Stravinsky), Madame Rosa(Il Campanello, Donizetti), Sally (A Hand of Bridge,Barber), Deuxieme Commere (Angelique, Ibert), La Marchande(Les Maremelles de Tiresias,Poulenc), Florence Pike and Nancy Waters (Albert Herring, Britten).
Celeste has four degrees, three from the Sydney Conservatorium, including a Post Grad Diploma of Music (Opera ), and her Masters of Opera from the Vienna Conservatorium (Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien). Her Master’s Thesis “Rossini Heroines” was published and is available on amazon.com.
In addition Celeste single handedly created and presented the Opera Australia mini series podcast for the Opera Australia production of Madame Butterfly on Sydney Harbour. She is also an occasional presenter on Fine Music Sydney, 102.5FM on the flag ship drive time program, Fine Music Drive.