Royal Melbourne Philharmonic

07/05/2026

Another excellent review in for Acis & Galatea. This one from Paul Selar from The Australian Arts Review. Bravi tutti!

Paul Selar takes a look at Handel’s Acis & Galatea - which was recently presented at the Assembly Hall by the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic.

07/05/2026

Here are some lovely images taken by the super talented photographer Paul Dodd at Tuesday evening’s closing performance of Acis & Galatea.
A wonderful evening!

04/05/2026

A few happy snaps of our soloists and conductor taken after yesterday’s performance of “Acis & Galatea” in Ballarat’s historic Central Uniting Church. A magnificent space with a near perfect acoustic which was a joy to make music in! Thank you to the local audience who gave us a long and enthusiastic ovation. Our final performance is in Melbourne tomorrow night. Good seats still available so don’t miss out: www.rmp.org.au

04/05/2026

A terrific review from Classic Melbourne’s Heather Leviston for our opening night performance of “Acis & Galatea”. Bravi tutti!!

A final third performance will take place on Tuesday evening in Melbourne so don’t miss out on hearing this. Good seats still available. Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/DLKCR or www.rmp.org.au

https://classicmelbourne.com.au/royal-melbourne-philharmonic-handels-acis-and-galatea/

If you care to google “How many operas has the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic performed?” AI will respond with “selections from operas, such as a ”Magic Moments from Opera” concert in 1998”, and “have performed Handel’s Messiah over 246 times”. AI will also tell you that, “RMP Ch.....

01/05/2026

MEET THE SOLOISTS IN "ACIS & GALATEA"
Saturday 2 May at 3pm, Assembly Hall Melbourne
Sunday 3 May at 3pm, Ballarat Central Uniting Church
Tuesday 5 May at 8pm, Assembly Hall Melbourne

Singing the role of the monster Polyphemus in these performances of Handel's "Acis & Galatea" presented by the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic will be Melbourne-based bass-baritone Nicholas Dinopoulos. A former RMP Aria finalist, Nicholas studied singing at The University of Melbourne under Merlyn Quaife AM and furthered his training as a studio artist of Gertrude Opera. He maintains a busy performance schedule consisting of various concert, recital, and operatic engagements, most notably as a core member of Songmakers Australia.

Opera credits include Caronte / Plutone (L'Orfeo), Ercole (Il Giasone), Un Scythe / Le Ministre du Sanctuaire (Iphigénie en Tauride), Bartolo / Antonio (Le Nozze di Figaro), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Martino (L’Occasione fa il Ladro), L'Apparizione / Il Medico (Macbeth), Mars (Orphée aux Enfers), The Goldsmith (The Juniper Tree) and Cimarosa's Maestro di Ca****la.

He has been heard frequently in national live-to-air broadcasts on ABC Classic, 3MBS FM and Australian Digital Concert Hall, and his performances have been recorded by both the Chandos and Pinchgut Live labels. He has also given the world premiere performances of several significant new works from among the rising generation of Australian composers.

Engagements as a guest soloist have included performances of the Grainger Tribute to Foster for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis, El Cantor (María de Buenos Aires) for Victorian Opera, Polyphemus (Acis & Galatea) for Genesis Baroque, Keeper of the Madhouse (The Rake’s Progress) for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, the Schubert Schwanengesang for Art Song Canberra with pianist Andrea Katz with follow-up performances of Winterreise, the Buxtehude Membra Jesu Nostri for the Melbourne Festival, Michael Haydn Requiem with the Australian Haydn Ensemble, four successive invitations to the Peninsula Summer Musical Festival, several return appearances for Bach Musica NZ, and recitals with Songmakers Australia at the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Melbourne Recital Centre and for Musica Viva Australia.

As a conductor and educator, he has held positions at The University of Melbourne, and the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music. He was also resident vocal consultant to the National Youth Choir of Australia for four consecutive seasons from 2015-2018 and has served as guest chorus director for several large-scale projects with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Australian Chamber Orchestra. In 2024, he commenced his tenure as Artistic Director of Western Australia’s premier chamber choir, the Giovanni Consort, founded in 1995. A specialist in the field of changing voice and young men’s singing, he has also served on the staff of the Australian Boys Choral Institute since 2007. He is only the fifth Artistic Director appointed in the Choir’s 87-year history.

For these performances of "Acis & Galatea", Nicholas will be joined by three other superb soloists: soprano Lily Flynn (Galatea); tenor Timothy Reynolds (Acis), and tenor Alastair Cooper-Golec (Damon). They will be backed by the RMP choir and Orchestra, under the musical direction of RMP Chief Conductor Andrew Wailes.

Book your tickets now to hear Nicholas perform the role of the monster Polyphemus in Handel's most adored and successful stage work, performed in the beautiful acoustics of the Assembly Hall in Melbourne and in Ballarat's historic Central Uniting Church.
BOOKINGS: www.rmp.org.au or https://www.trybooking.com/DLKCR

01/05/2026

MEET THE SOLOISTS IN "ACIS & GALATEA"
Saturday 2 May at 3pm, Assembly Hall Melbourne
Sunday 3 May at 3pm, Ballarat Central Uniting Church
Tuesday 5 May at 8pm, Assembly Hall Melbourne

Singing the role of Damon in these performances of Handel's "Acis & Galatea" presented by the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic will be the outstanding Melbourne-based tenor Alastair Cooper-Golec.
Alastair was recently awarded First Prize in the National Liederfest Competition. As part of the award, he will be heading to Austria later this year for a month-long intensive in German Art Song.

Alastair was the 2023 recipient of the Dr Michael Stubbs and Malcolm Roberts Victorian Opera Prize. In 2021, Alastair was a Herald Sun Aria finalist, winning the John Fulford Memorial Prize, and the same year he won second prize at the National Liederfest competition.

Alastair completed his Master of Music (Opera Performance) at The University of Melbourne, where he also holds a Bachelor of Music with Honours, and has also been a member of Melbourne Opera’s Richard Divall Emerging Artist Programme and is an alumnus of Songmakers Australia’s Young Artist Programme.

Alastair made his featured debut as Rustighello in Donizetti’s "Lucrezia Borgia" (Melbourne Opera), for which he has received a 2023 Greenroom nomination. Other credits include Basillio in "The Marriage of Figaro" (Melbourne Opera), Toby Higgins in Kurt Weill’s "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny" (IOpera and Melbourne Opera), and Acis in Handel’s "Acis and Galatea" (IOpera). He has also worked with Pinchgut Opera in their Rameau Triple Bill, and their 2019 production of "Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria". Alastair joined Opera Australia in their production of Wagner’s "Lohengrin", starring Jonas Kaufmann, and earlier this year appeared with Victorian Opera in "The Pirates of Penzance".

Alastair has worked with Victorian Opera since its inception, also appearing as Drebednyov in their adaptation of Shostakovich’s "Melbourne, Cheremushki". Other productions include Brother Ben Owens in Weill’s "Happy End", "Idomeneo", "The Pearl Fishers", "The Barber of Seville" and a very grumpy Zachary Briddling in Joseph Twist’s "The Grumpiest Boy in the World". During his time at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Alastair played Albert in "Albert Herring", Pluto and Mercury in "Orpheus in the Underworld" (Offenbach), Rinuccio in "Gianni Schicchi" and Tamino in "Die Zauberflöte".

For these performances of "Acis & Galatea", Alastair will be joined by three other superb soloists: soprano Lily Flynn (Galatea); tenor Timothy Reynolds (Acis), and Nicholas Dinopoulos (Polyphemus). They will be backed by the RMP choir and Orchestra, under the musical direction of RMP Chief Conductor Andrew Wailes.

Book your tickets now to hear Alastair perform the role of Damon in Handel's most adored and successful stage work, performed in the beautiful acoustics of the Assembly Hall in Melbourne and in Ballarat's historic Central Uniting Church.

BOOKINGS: www.rmp.org.au or https://www.trybooking.com/DLKCR

28/04/2026

MEET THE SOLOISTS IN "ACIS & GALATEA"

Saturday 2 May at 3pm, Assembly Hall Melbourne
Sunday 3 May at 3pm, Ballarat Central Uniting All Saints' Church
Tuesday 5 May at 8pm, Assembly Hall Melbourne

Singing the title role of Galatea in these performances of Handel's "Acis & Galatea" presented by the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic will be the outstanding young soprano Lily Flynn.

Lily is a classical soprano and composer who is completing her Master’s degree in Opera Performance at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (MCM). Her 'agile' and 'satisfyingly resonant' singing (Classic Melbourne) spans from Opera to ensemble performance, having most recently received the 2nd Prize and People's Choice Award in the 2025 RMP Aria Competition, and 1st Prize in the Opera Scholars Australia Art Song Competition.

In 2025 Lily was cast in the cover role of 'La Fée' from Massenet's 'Cinderillion' in the Melbourne University Master's program. Lily learns with Anna Connolly as she pursues a career in Operatic Performance, Oratorio and Art Song. As an undergraduate Lily performed in Melbourne University Masters’ productions of Britten’s 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' as Peaseblossom, as well as their 2023 production of Mozart’s 'Die Zauberflöte' as a cover for First Spirit, and graduated with the Grace Durling Award.

In 2025 Lily was selected as an Emerging Artist for the 2025 season with the Song Company in Sydney, and became a Graduate member of Opera Scholars Australia. While Lily's love for music is rooted in composition and Anglican choral singing, her passion for Opera and Art Song was developed at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School where she studied with Timothy Reynolds for four years, and occasionally with Carrie Barr and Dermot Tutty.

For these performances of 'Acis & Galatea', Lily will be joined by three other superb soloists: tenor Timothy Reynolds (Acis); tenor Alastair Cooper-Golec (Damon), and bass-baritone Nicholas Dinopoulos (Polyphemus). They will be backed by the RMP choir and Orchestra, under the musical direction of RMP Chief Conductor Andrew Wailes.

Book your tickets now to hear Lily perform the title role of Galatea in Handel's most adored and successful stage work, performed in the beautiful acoustics of the Assembly Hall in Melbourne and in Ballarat's historic Central Uniting Church.

BOOKINGS: www.rmp.org.au or https://www.trybooking.com/DLKCR

28/04/2026

MEET THE SOLOISTS IN "ACIS & GALATEA"

Saturday 2 May at 3pm, Assembly Hall Melbourne
Sunday 3 May at 3pm, Ballarat Central Uniting Church
Tuesday 5 May at 8pm, Assembly Hall Melbourne

Singing the title role of Acis in these performances of Handel's "Acis & Galatea" presented by the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic will be the outstanding tenor Timothy Reynolds. Timothy is a versatile performer, working in opera and oratorio, and appearing with Australia’s finest early music ensembles, including Pinchgut Opera, Ludovico’s Band, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Adelaide Baroque Orchestra, and La Compañia. Concert and recital performances include regular appearances with The Royal Melbourne Philharmonic, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He is a regular performer of the works of Bach, including The Evangelist in the Johannes Passion as well as the arias of both the Johannes and Matthäus Passion, and is a frequent guest at St John’s Southgate for their Bach Cantata programme.

In Europe, Timothy understudied a number of roles at Oper Stuttgart in Germany, and performed with The Bach Akademie Stuttgart, Opera Holland Park, Hampstead Garden Opera, The Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam, Philharmonischer Chor Esslingen, and at the Edinburgh Fringe.

A passionate ensemble performer, Timothy is a member of the Consort of Melbourne, the Melbourne Octet, and in 2023 joined Australia’s premier vocal ensemble The Song Company in Sydney as Principal tenor.

Some of Timothy’s recent performances include the Evangelist in Bach’s 'Johannes Passion', Rossini’s 'Petite Messe Solennelle', Pompeo in Pinchgut opera’s production of Vivaldi’s 'Farnace', Britten’s 'Cantata Misericordium' with the Omega Ensemble, a selection of Purcell with the Adelaide Baroque Orchestra, Ruodi in Rossini’s 'Guillaume Tell', and the Jester in Respighi’s 'Sleeping Beauty'. Timothy also has an interest in modern works, performing in Brett Dean’s 'The Last Days of Socrates' with the MSO, Hindemith’s 'Zwölf Madrigale' in Amsterdam, and in Elliot Carter’s 'What Next' as Zen with Victorian Opera.

A former finalist of the RMP Aria Competition, Timothy has regularly performed with the RMP as soloist, with highlights including works such as Handel's 'Dixit Dominus', Mozart's 'Requiem' and 'Coronation Mass', Vivaldi's 'Beatus Vir RV 597 and 'Dixit Dominus in D Major RV 594', as well as Handel's 'Messiah' and Beethoven's 'Choral Fantasy'.

For these performances of 'Acis & Galatea', Timothy will be joined by three other superb soloists: soprano Lily Flynn (Galatea); tenor Alastair Cooper-Golec (Damon), and Nicholas Dinopoulos (Polyphemus). They will be backed by the RMP choir and Orchestra, under the musical direction of RMP Chief Conductor Andrew Wailes.

Book your tickets now to hear Timothy perform the title role of Acis in Handel's most adored and successful stage work, performed in the beautiful acoustics of the Assembly Hall in Melbourne and in Ballarat's historic Central Uniting Church.

BOOKINGS: www.rmp.org.au or https://www.trybooking.com/DLKCR

22/12/2025

"The concert was a Christmas stocking stuffed with so many goodies, it’s hard to pick the most exciting..."

"...There was so much to enjoy in the RMP Carols Concert, it’s impossible to name-check all the fun."

"The RMP is an incredibly well-disciplined outfit and you could see they were delivering an all-out performance...."

Thank you to Classic Melbourne's Nicholas Tolhurst for this lovely review of our Friday night "Carols in the Cathedral" concert!

Bravi tutti 👏👏👏

This year the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic (RMP) Choir celebrates its 172nd year of music-making in Melbourne, making it Australia’s oldest surviving cultural organisation and one of the oldest secular choirs in the world. The RMP’s choristers are strictly auditioned, voluntary musicians who sha...

22/12/2025