Toi Toi Opera

23/08/2026

Today is Toi Toi Opera’s seventh birthday, so we hope you’ll forgive us for a bit of terribly emo ugly-but-happy crying today! Sometimes you reflect back on a production and simply can’t believe your luck. 🍀🌈

Yes, of course there are the usual factors at play - thoughtful programming, incredibly hard work for months and months in the lead-up by many, very careful logistical planning - but sometimes there’s something else too, a peculiar serendipity and magic brought about by the right team, being in the right place, and presenting something at just the right time. 🪄💕

‘The Merry Widow’ was just one of those perfect productions for us, and while the performances, reviews, and production photographs certainly speak volumes, so too do these backstage snaps - capturing the spirit of teamwork and community our operatic artists are building here in Waitaha Canterbury. We are so proud of every single member of our company, and so grateful to them all for sharing their time and incredible talents with us as we foster the artform here together in Te Waipounamu. ✨🎶

❤️ ❤️

21/08/2026

Happiest Friday opera lovers of Ōtautahi Christchurch! We’ve some absolutely wonderful news to share with you all today - the Christchurch City Council has just this week awarded us an incredibly generous grant from their Strengthening Communities Fund to assist with our two upcoming family-friendly productions! 🖤🤍

First up, we present a sumptuous new production of Humperdinck’s ‘Hansel and Gretel’ just before Christmas at The Piano directed by Julian Anderson, which will be followed by an exciting new staging of ‘The Magic Flute’ in March next year, directed by Sara Brodie, which will be performed outdoors at Mona Vale! 🧙‍♀️👑

This significant grant goes a long way towards us achieving our goal of offering affordable ticket prices that are accessible for all in our community who want to experience the thrill of live opera. Kā mihi nui ki a koutou - we couldn’t be more grateful for this amazing news. 🎶💕

17/08/2026

Ahiahi Pai - wishing you a very happy Monday afternoon Aotearoa! 🎶

A highlights reel for you today of incredible photographs taken by the exceptional Peter Moore at the general dress rehearsal of our sold out premiere Ōtautahi season of Lehár’s ‘The Merry Widow’, just over three weeks ago at The Tannery Boutique Shopping, Dining & Arts Emporium. 💕

Full galleries and captions from both of our phenomenal season photographers have today been posted on our website here, for your viewing pleasure: toitoiopera.com/themerrywidow 💃

Production Details:

Composed by Franz Lehár | updated libretto by Justin Fleming
Julian Anderson - Director, Script Revisor, & Production Designer
Jeremy Woodside - Musical Director, Arranger, & Principal Répétiteur

Principal Artists:

Matilda Wickbom as Hanna Glavari
Andrew Grenon as Danilo Danilovich
Warwick Shillito as Baron Mirko Zeta
Katherine Doig as Valencienne Zeta
Nigel Withington as Camille de Rosillon
Jack Mould as Njegus

Musicians:

Jeremy Woodside - Musical Director & Piano
Sarah McCracken - Violin 1
Manu Berkeljon - Violin 2
Alisa Smith - Viola
Sophie Tanner - Cello

Wardrobe Mistress:

Raemon Greenwood

Dancers:

Silhouette Studios NZ, choreography by Kate Limuloa

Full production credits: toitoiopera.com/themerrywidow
Review: https://www.theatreview.org.nz/production/the-merry-widow/ -exhilarating-night-at-the-opera-from-a-gem-in-the-aotearoa-new-zealand-opera-scene

📸 Photographs © Peter Moore for Toi Toi Opera 2026 PM_NZ Photography - Peter Moore

07/08/2026

Mōrena koutou - wishing you a very happy Saturday Aotearoa! 🎶

A highlights reel today for you, of photographs taken by the amazingly talented Karyn Taylor-Moore at the general dress rehearsal of our sold out Ōtautahi season of Lehár’s 'The Merry Widow', just over a fortnight ago at The Tannery Boutique Shopping, Dining & Arts Emporium. We miss this stunning production already, but if the stars align - she'll be back on the road very soon, and coming to a town near you! 💕

All of our galleries - including images taken of our wonderful audiences (who also looked quite incredibly divine!) will soon be posted on our website too - so keep an eye out there for all the goodies! 💃

Production Details:

Composed by Franz Lehár | updated libretto by Justin Fleming
Julian Anderson - Director, Script Revisor, & Production Designer
Jeremy Woodside - Musical Director, Arranger, & Principal Répétiteur

Principal Artists:

Matilda Wickbom as Hanna Glavari
Andrew Grenon as Danilo Danilovich
Warwick Shillito as Baron Mirko Zeta
Katherine Doig as Valencienne Zeta
Nigel Withington as Camille de Rosillon
Jack Mould as Njegus

Musicians:

Jeremy Woodside - Musical Director & Piano
Sarah McCracken - Violin 1
Manu Berkeljon - Violin 2
Alisa Smith - Viola
Sophie Tanner - Cello

Wardrobe Mistress:

Raemon Greenwood

Dancers:

Silhouette Studios NZ, choreography by Kate Limuloa

Full production credits: toitoiopera.com/themerrywidow
Review: https://www.theatreview.org.nz/production/the-merry-widow/ -exhilarating-night-at-the-opera-from-a-gem-in-the-aotearoa-new-zealand-opera-scene

📸 Photographs © Karyn Taylor-Moore for Toi Toi Opera 2026

27/07/2026

Thank you to our wonderful friends at The Press and Stuff, and especially to reviewer Tony Ryan, for today's superlative review of 'The Merry Widow'. It has been an enormous pleasure to premiere this production to our hometown Ōtautahi audiences this past weekend, and if the stars align as we hope they will, this won't be the last that Te Waipounamu sees of our gorgeous widow - she's a bit too lovely to let go of quite so soon, don't you think? 💃

Kā mihi nui ki a koutou - a very heartfelt thank you - to our season partners: Creative New Zealand, Christchurch City Council, The Lion Foundation, The Kiwi Gaming Foundation, Pub Charity Limited, New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT), The Piano, The Tannery Boutique Shopping, Dining & Arts Emporium, Silhouette Studios NZ – and to the many other individuals and organisations who have provided invaluable assistance to make this very special season possible. The many, many sparkling gems behind this wee gem of an opera company! 💎

A link to the full review on Theatreview: New Zealand Performing Arts Reviews is available in the comments below, for those unable to access this one.

REVIEW: Toi Toi Opera is “a real gem in Aotearoa,” Tony Ryan writes, in his review of the Christchurch-based opera company’s latest production at The Tannery.

26/07/2026

Kā mihi nui ki a koutou - thank you so very much Ōtautahi, for your rapturous reception to our sparkling new production of ‘The Merry Widow’ this weekend. We are truly overjoyed that you adored it as much as we’ve loved making it for you. 💕

Many more images to follow, but here are a few gorgeous shots just in from our season photographers of our principal artists and musicians sprinkling their stardust to make Lehár’s glorious operetta come to exquisite life at The Tannery, warming the hearts of our audiences on what has been a decidedly chilly weekend in Canterbury. 🎶

Deep thanks also to Theatreview and Tony Ryan for this stellar review, we are very proud and humbled: https://www.theatreview.org.nz/production/the-merry-widow/ -exhilarating-night-at-the-opera-from-a-gem-in-the-aotearoa-new-zealand-opera-scene 💃

Production Details:

Composed by Franz Lehár | updated libretto by Justin Fleming
Julian Anderson - Director, Script Revisor, & Production Designer
Jeremy Woodside - Musical Director, Arranger, & Principal Répétiteur

Principal Artists:

Matilda Wickbom as Hanna Glavari
Andrew Grenon as Danilo Danilovich
Warwick Shillito as Baron Mirko Zeta
Katherine Doig as Valencienne Zeta
Nigel Withington as Camille de Rosillon
Jack Mould as Njegus

Musicians:

Jeremy Woodside - Musical Director & Piano
Sarah McCracken - Violin 1
Manu Berkeljon - Violin 2
Alisa Smith - Viola
Sophie Tanner - Cello

23/07/2026

She’s finally arrived Ōtautahi, and boy oh boy was she worth the wait! Our SOLD OUT season of ‘The Merry Widow’ opens at The Tannery tomorrow night and here is our gorgeous leading lady, heavenly soprano Matilda Wickbom as the widow herself, Hanna Glavari, captured here backstage during last night’s dress rehearsal. 🎶👸🏼💕 ❤️

19/07/2026

Three luscious little snippets of yesterday morning’s sitzprobe rehearsal at Knox Church for our SOLD OUT season of ‘The Merry Widow’ opening in Ōtautahi this Friday at The Tannery! Featuring four of our exquisite principal artists Andrew Grenon (Danilo) and Matilda Wickbom (Hanna) [Clip 1], and Katherine Doig (Valencienne) and Nigel Withington (Camille) [Clip 2], under the musical direction of Jeremy Woodside, and accompanied by our stunning piano quintet [which you can also enjoy in Clip 3]:

Jeremy Woodside - Musical Director & Piano
Sarah McCracken - Violin 1
Manu Berkeljon - Violin 2
Alisa Smith - Viola
Sophie Tanner - Cello

As our wonderful and incredibly hardworking production team pack the show into The Tannery today, we want to say an enormous thank you to you, our amazing supporters, for snapping up your seats so enthusiastically. We cannot wait to see you all, and to bring you this spectacular show! 💃🎶

📅: Friday 24 & Saturday 25 July 2026
📍: The Tannery, Christchurch
🎫: SOLD OUT