Music with ‘nowhere to hide’: soprano Katherine Allen on performing Mozart
Abduction — our recent adaptation of Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio — saw Australian performers dive into some of the most challenging arias ever composed.
Reaching the soaring notes of Mozart’s virtuosic compositions was Green Room Award-winning soprano Katherine Allen, in the role of Blonde. In its review of the production, The Australian Arts Review wrote that Katherine “is adorably perky and flirtatious as the explorative Blonde and matches her character with a mellifluous, vivacious soprano”.
Below, she reflects on performing in the season of Abduction and describes what she’s up to next.
Katherine Allen: Abduction was just such a joy to be a part of! This was my first time singing a role in a Mozart opera, and I was really excited to get stuck into it. Singing Mozart is full of challenges. Most of all, I find that the music is so clean and so perfectly written that there’s nowhere to hide. It demands really solid technique and stamina while maintaining the beauty of the line. On the plus side, that means that when it clicks, it’s an absolute dream to sing!
I felt very lucky to be working on the piece with our conductor Chad Kelly, who has such a depth of knowledge of this music. He gave us wonderful ornaments for the pieces, brought out phrasing, and worked a lot on making our ensembles tight.
Another big part of what made this show such fun was the new script. It took the essence of the characters and their interpersonal relationships from the original story but dropped it into the modern world. Constantine Costi, our Director, was brilliant at creating a really open rehearsal room. He encouraged us to play with the text, cut lines that weren’t flowing, and adapt things to suit our characters. It meant we were able to build something that felt genuinely fresh and collaborative.
I loved playing Blonde. She’s completely gutsy, joyful and spicy! Especially in the first Act where she and Konstanze walk into The Pasha’s house, are greeted by the most quirky characters, and she meets Osmin (the right-hand man of the leader, The Pasha). It’s a complete whirlwind, but she just embraces the whole situation head-on with openness and delight. I loved experiencing that feeling each night.
Next up, I’m heading to Germany for a year’s contract at Musiktheater im Revier in Gelsenkirchen. It’s my first time working full-time in a German theatre, and I’m really looking forward to it! I’ll be working on and performing in multiple productions at once, which will be a new challenge for me. Keeping my vocal health, stamina, and all that music in my head at once should keep me nice and busy!
Stream Abduction via our Digital Access program anytime, anywhere, until 14 March 2026.
