A chorus of regulars
Opera Australia is very proud of its chorus – proud enough to stage a new production of Chorus! in which each and every one of the 48 performers combines to be the stars of the show.
Daniella Ehrlich
Local member of Sydney’s Jewish community Daniella Ehrlich has been a member of the chorus since 1997. She will draw on her resources by singing in five different languages at the Sydney Opera House.
Opera Australia’s Chorus has been highly praised by opera experts across the globe. It performs all over Australia and often sings in different operas on consecutive days and even two different operas in a single day.
A very busy schedule which often includes rehearsals for up-and-coming productions.
How does a single mother with a successful career as a pilates instructor? Does singing run in the family?
JW: Hi, Daniella! When did you decide to be a singer?
DE: I knew I was always going to be a singer from the minute I was conscious.
JW: Did your parents have musical ability?
DE: My mother is tone deaf, so she can sing happy birthday in about 10 different keys. But it’s so funny when we look at videos of birthdays with the grandkids, and then you play back, and you hear mum singing, and it’s really funny.
Dad sang a lot with his mother. Decades ago, he went on a show called Showcase on TV, and he won by singing Fiddler on the roof and playing the violin. His mother told him that he would not be singing as a career, so he became a dentist.
So I think my singing came from them but also from my Mum’s side. Her cousin was a show singer, as well as her parents. I’m the one who took singing to the professional level. I generate further income by teaching Pilates, piano and singing.
JW: Did you go to Conservatorium?
Daniella: I went to the Con for seven years. I did a Bachelor of Music and then a Diploma of Opera. And then, I started to work for Opera Australia. Later, I went to New York and did a Master of Singing before getting a job in the Welsh National Opera. Which I was very lucky to get. I didn’t realise how amazing the Welsh singers are and how famous they are for their singing until I got there. So I feel very blessed to have been given that job.
JW: Were you in the chorus there?
Danielle: Yes, I was full-time there. And then I came back to have a family. And now I’m full-time with Opera Australia. I am very blessed to have this as it is one of the best jobs because being a full-time chorister, you can have consistent work and you get all the full-time salary benefits, and you don’t have to keep looking for a job.
JW: What is it you like most?
Daniella: I get to sing every day, which was my dream job.
JW: You had a role in an opera with which I’m not familiar called The Cunning Little Vixen.
Daniella: It’s by Janacek, and it’s all about animals. It’s so cute singing with a little family of foxes. I performed at the Aix-en-Provence festival in France. And then we toured around France, Germany and Spain.
JW: What does applause mean to you?
Danielle: We all think that we’re rubbish at what we do. And then the audience cheers, and you think wow, this has happened to us actually, in the show we performing now. Chorus!
So we’ve been planning this for two years. We started it just after COVID. And we didn’t know what the audience was going to think about it. And they clapped and cheered. After every song. We do 18 songs, all from different genres. And it was so much of a shock to me that they were clapping that I forgot to do one of my moves. Because I was like, oh my god, they like it. And I forgot to roll over
JW: It seems a great idea for a performance.
Daniella: And it’s short. It’s only an hour. So if you can’t sit on your seat watching a three-hour opera, this is a good show for you. The singing is incredible. I’m amongst 48 singers, either budding soloists or have incredible techniques and creating a beautiful sound. The audience gets to hear some glorious voices.
JW: After Chorus!, what’s in the pipeline for you?
Daniella: At the moment, we’re performing two shows and rehearsing one, and we’re about to start rehearsing another one. And then yesterday, I had a wardrobe fitting for two other ones, And I have these fabulous costumes. And I thought I’m so lucky. I get through this all day, every day, just playing and singing and dressing up and so, I am still grateful for being able to sing every day.
JW: What was the most memorable moment in the 26 years you have been in the chorus?
Daniella: The most memorable would be doing Carmen on the harbour in the rain 26 weeks pregnant, and also performing pregnant on the opera house stage during King Roger singing in Polish, and performing as a “prostitute” whilst pregnant in La Boheme. Knowing that my unborn baby was with my on stage, feeling me sing and hearing the other voices and orchestra up so close, was really special. It was something I’d dreamt of doing after seeing many other colleagues do the same.
JW: And the most embarrassing…?
Daniella: My first day with Opera Australia. They had changed the rehearsal time but hadn’t told me. Which meant I waltzed in, so excited , yet half an hour late. The chorus master at the time, now a great friend and mentor, Simon Kenway, stopped the whole rehearsal and introduced me to everyone as the very late new chorister!
JW: How hard is it to run all these careers: opera, pilates and teaching piano and singing and being a single mother, too?
Daniella: Yes, I’m a single mum. So that makes all this even more double hard. But I wouldn’t change it for anything.
Chorus! showcasing the Opera Australia Chorus is at the Sydney Opera House up to Mar 10.
