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Gilgamesh

Performer

The ancient and contemporary collide to dazzling effect in this world premiere of humanity’s oldest epic

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Opera Australia, Sydney Chamber Opera and Carriageworks present Gilgamesh by Jack Symonds and Louis Garric.

“An astonishing new vision of what contemporary opera can achieve” (Time Out)

Jessica O’Donoghue as Shamhat/Uta-Napishti/Scorpion

The ancient and contemporary collide to dazzling effect in this world premiere. Composed by Sydney Chamber Opera Artistic Director Jack Symonds and brought to Carriageworks’ vast performance space by visionary director Kip Williams (Sydney Theatre Company’s The Picture of Dorian Gray), Gilgamesh is an epic that must be experienced.

“The teasing scorpion-cowboy duet is unnervingly cryptic, and the final scenes involving Todd’s ferryman and O’Donoghue’s Uta-Napishti are a lesson in richly serene legato singing.” - The Saturday Paper

“O’Donoghue holds us in thrall…she dominates the opening scenes in which Enkidu is putty in her hands.” - Limelight

COMPOSER: Jack Symonds

DIRECTOR: Kip Williams

LIBRETTO: Louis Garrick

PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Boud

View Official Site
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APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards 2025

Work of the Year: Dramatic (Winner) 

Performance Of the Year: Notated Composition (Winner)

Art Music Awards 2025
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    “For the outstanding cast, Symonds has crafted a vocal style unique to each singer. Jessica O’Donoghue as the priestess Shamhat and later the wise Uta-Napishti, is … smooth, seductive mysterious and other-worldly.”

    – Peter McCallum SMH ★★★★★

  • Logotype for STAGENoise featuring large red and black text with red and black smaller text indicating Diana Simmonds.

    “Ironically – for an opera – it’s the women who mainly get to play hard and fast, as characters and musically. O’Donoghue blazes with glittering hauteur assisted by sassy outfits and exhilarating vocal demands.”

    – Diana Simmonds, Stage Noise ★★★★

  • Text logo for 'LIMELIGHT Music, Arts & Culture' in red and black

    “O’Donoghue holds us in thrall, both as Uta-Napishti and earlier as the Priestess of Ishtar, Shamhat. Resplendent in a glittering red catsuit designed by David Fleischer, she dominates the opening scenes in which Enkidu is putty in her hands.”

    – Jansson J Antmann, Limelight ★★★★

Gilgamesh Opera show reel

Jessica O'Donoghue in a sparkly red outfit standing on a stage with gold leaves scattered on the floor, surrounded by blurred decorations and a person with a painted face, in an artistic or theatrical setting.
Jessica O'Donoghue with silver hair and dark clothing standing in front of a stage scene with four other performers, decorations of gold leaves, and confetti falling.
A theatrical performance featuring two actors on stage. One actor with long white hair, standing barefoot on a tree stump, wearing a long, flowing white gown, appears to be reaching out with their arms. The other actor with short hair, dressed in a p
Two performers on stage surrounded by dried leaves and branches, minimalist gray wall background, one standing and one seated in elaborate costumes.
The image depicts a theatrical scene with a dark background. In the scene, there are four models dressed in elaborate costumes that resemble fantastical or mythical creatures, standing or kneeling on a stage scattered with gold and red debris.
A performer covered in reflective confetti walks across a stage, with others sitting or lying on the floor amidst scattered confetti and debris, in a dimly lit, industrial-style theater.
Two dancers perform on a stage covered with petals, backlit by bright lights, with a minimalistic gray background.
A theatrical performance featuring actors in costumes. One actor is dressed in a ragged outfit with a tall, cone-shaped hat and is holding a staff, engaging with another actor in a furry costume. Musicians are visible in the background, playing instr
A person dressed in a costume resembling a beast or creature, standing on a stage covered in leaves and confetti, with a large black and brown prop in the foreground.
A woman dressed as a witch with a large black hat, black gloves, and a black fringed outfit appears frightened or angry as she faces an unfamiliar person. The scene is set against a gray wall with a floor scattered with yellow leaves, in a dimly lit