First Nations opera star Nina Korbe set for take-off
Koa, Kuku Yalanji, Wakka Wakka soprano Nina Korbe shares her musical flight path ahead of her latest star turn: State Opera South Australia’s airport opera, Flight.
Can you give us a brief insight into your childhood and how you knew opera was your path?
I was a lucky one who always had the support of my family when I was pursuing a career in the performing arts. They knew it was going to be an ongoing investment from the whole household and I could not be more grateful. Countless school holidays were spent with us all travelling interstate for me to attend summer schools and competitions. There were countless late nights picking me up from any opportunity for me to get on a stage and perform, whether is was dancing, acting or singing. Opera was a world I began interacting with from around the age of 14 when I went for a week of work experience with Opera Queensland and the following year I performed in my first opera with the company. From there I never looked back and I am eternally grateful to every person who helped me along the way.
What do you love about singing and opera – how does it make you feel?
I fell in love with the act of telling stories to audiences through so many mediums and as a First Nations Australian, story telling is intrinsically linked to how we relate and share our culture. Music has the capacity to transcend language and allow glimpses into the minds and lives of the character’s we play onstage and those they reflect in our audiences. It is a great responsibility and honour to be a performer and a joy to serve audiences, sharing those beautiful moments in time with the orchestra soaring while we sing under dazzling stage lights all with the aim of connection.
Can you tell us about Flight?
Ten strangers’ paths converge in an airport, each with their own destinations, desires and uniquely complex inner conflicts. When a storm grounds all flights, these unlikely individuals find themselves stuck in the airport where they forge alliances, rivalries and go on their own equally chaotic journeys of growth.
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Scottish Opera’s performance of Flight. Photo supplied / credit James Glossop
This Scottish Opera co-production, directed by Stephen Barlow, brings to life Jonathan Dove’s luminous score. Can you give readers an insight into the music of Flight?
Flight is an incredibly unique operatic sound. If you’ve ever heard any of Dove’s other works, there is a distinct signature to his style that is present here. However, for those who have never heard Jonathan Dove’s compositions, there is something rather cinematic to the sound world with a deft balance of comedy, irony and heart.
Tell us about your role in Flight and what you love about this production?
My role is as a passenger by the name of Tina. She and her husband’s marriage is on the rocks and they are off on a holiday to rekindle their spark. Something that is quite fun about Tina and the opera is that it is such a comedy, not dissimilar in structure to more familiar classical opera’s such as Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. I’ve previously performed more serious roles on the whole, so having the chance to be a character who is decidedly different to anyone I have played before is quite a fun challenge.
Why is this an “opera for the modern ages” as it has been described?
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This opera was premiered and set in 1997, so that alone is a very modern production in the context of the operatic canon. While our older operatic favourites remain relevant in many capacities for modern audiences, Flight being set in the context it is allows for our audiences to easily connect with these flawed human characters, without needing to navigate the historical context of our beloved classics.
Scottish Opera’s Flight tells the story of a man trapped in an airport for 18 years. Photo supplied/credit James Glossop
Would you say it’s a good one for first-time opera goers to experience?
Absolutely, I think the modern setting alone is a wonderful way for an audience to immediately recognise the space and not feel outside of the action. Another beautiful thing about the opera is how flawed each of the characters are, making them so relatable. Then you add the glorious music, it’s a wonderful night out!
Your CV is incredible – can you tell us about a few personal highlights over the past few years …studying in London?
I have been fortunate to have had the experiences of the performances in my career thus far. Studying in London at the Royal Academy of Music was an incomparable opportunity and then to come back to Australia and be swept up in our industry has been affirming as an artist. I am hesitant to ever pick favourites as every performance is a unique experience. Two that will always hold a special place in my heart however, will be performing Maria in West Side Story for Opera Australia’s HOSH (Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour) and performing with the Queensland Youth Symphony as the soloist in Ravel’s Sheherazade to a sold out Musikverein in Vienna.
You do a lot of advocacy work around getting more First Nations voices into the creative industries – tell us a bit about that work?
When I returned to Australia after completing my Masters, it was in the height of the debates around the referendum. The climate showed me that there was a space for me to speak on these issues and, through building relationships with my arts communities and with my First Nations communities, my missions became clear. There are a few organisations with whom I work closely and currently the majority of my work is through providing access to performances, opportunities to further studies with world-class musicians and supporting First Nations schools with their instrumental program by providing instruments.
I am a proud Koa, Kuku Yalanji, Wakka Wakka woman and what always remains at the core of my work is leaning on my community and learning from my Elders when helping foster relationships with First Nations students and arts organisations. I also currently sit on the board for Queensland Youth Orchestra’s Reconciliation Action Plan as a First Nations Representative, while also working with QSO on their First Nations Advisory Board.
Flight opens at Her Majesty’s Theatre from May 8-10.