The Children's Bach, Op. 74, is a chamber opera by the Australian composer Andrew Schultz to a libretto by Glenn Perry, based on the 1984 novella of the same name by Helen Garner. The work was commissioned by the Melbourne-based group Chamber Made and their artistic director Douglas Horton with the aid of an Australia Council Project Fellowship; it premiered for a run of 15 performances at the Malthouse Theatre's Merlyn Theatre on 20 June 2008.[1]
The opera was performed and recorded at the 2019 Canberra International Music Festival, conducted by Roland Peelman.[2] The Lyric Opera of Melbourne and Theatre Works gave the work its second full staging in August/September 2024.[3] [4]
| Dexter | baritone | Andrea Carcassi | |
| Athena | mezzo-soprano | Kathryn Grey | |
| Billy, their son | Jackson Cairnduff/ James Christensen | ||
| Phillip | tenor | James Egglestone | |
| Elizabeth | mezzo-soprano | Dimity Shepherd | |
| Vicki, Elisabeth's sister | soprano | Teresa 'Tess' Duddy | |
| Poppy, Phillip's daughter | Hannah Kostros/ Alexa Madden | ||
| Director | Chris Kohn | ||
| Lighting design | Richard Vabre | ||
| Design | Dale Ferguson | ||
| Sound design | Russell Goldsmith | ||