The Sydney Opera House has long been an art lover’s dream.  Apart from the fantastic professional artistic performances in music, visual arts and other genres that occur within the Sydney Opera House, the Opera House itself is an architectural wonder, having been designed and built by famed Danish architect Jørn Utzon.  In 2003, Utzon even received a prestigious Pritzker Prize, partly for his work on the Sydney Opera House.

This year, however, art-lovers can ca happy because Opera Has a New Home in Sydney!! That is because this year, for three weeks starting March 24, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbor: La Traviata will take place over the water of Sydney Harbor on a floating stage.  The project cost $11.5 million to produce, with over 130 performers and 240 Opera Australia staff members.  The stage is backlit by the Sydney skyline, and features a dazzling chandelier made from Swarovski crystal.

The Guardian has hailed this event as the “world-wide #1 opera event of 2012.”  Lat Traviata is directed by United States director Francesca Zambello and stars Australian sopranos Emma Matthews and Rachelle Durkin in the role of Violetta, and Italian tenor Gianluca Terranova and Korean tenor Ji-Min Park as Alfredo.