Anna Dowsley

Only one more performance of La Cenerentola to go, tonight! Taking a moment to shout out to the incredible wardrobe team at @stateoperasouthaustralia , bringing the gorgeous designs of Stephen Curtis to life while making this mezzo comfortable (so she can sing delirious high notes and coloratura) ! This skirt weighs a TONNE but some braces were added at the very last minute, cleverly hidden away, so it now bounces happily from my shoulders, steering clear of my lower support singing and release muscles 😅 the magic of theatre 🥰 Thank you Tracey and Lilli @lilly_watterson (who is also my lovely dresser) for taking the extra time to make me feel as comfortable as possible and of course making Angelina feel like an absolute princess ! Shout out also to my hair and make up ladies, Dina and Jana. Just a handful of all the talented and committed artists behind the scenes of opera !! Some snaps during some of the many costume fittings over the month, and some final production photos by Andrew Beveridge. Bitter sweet to be back on the stage tonight, one last time with my beautiful colleagues xxx toi toi toi

In honour of Mother’s Day in Australia today, here’s a snippet of bring your child to work day (aka backstage after final rehearsals of “La cenerentola”). Playing Cinderella is giving mama some serious brownie points. Maddie’s advice to me after watching: “if someone is mean to you mama, you just be mean back…”. She may have missed the moral of the story, and I’m not quite sure where she got that nugget from, but at least she has mama’s back ! 😅 How lucky I am to have made this incredibly special role debut here with @stateoperasouthaustralia ; with the very best company and colleagues, and most importantly my family getting me through it ALL ❤️ I’ll share more photos soon. Only 2 more performances: 14+16 May

TOMORROW NIGHT 😮 Rossini's CINDERELLA takes over Her Majesty's Theatre. Her sisters & stepfather will be overjoyed to see you ... The stage crew are ready, are you? ✨ Book your tickets now via the link in our bio.

In all it's 70's glory, Rossini’s CINDERELLA (La Cenerentola) opens NEXT THURSDAY at Her Majesty's Theatre. Laced with love, transformation, and a touch of mischief ... 🎭 Don't miss out — Book now via the link in our bio.

Ever wondered what an opera singer might do leading up to an important performance? Maybe not, but join me anyway as I prepare for my final show of 2025! (my absolute favourite role in my repertoire at the moment - Charlotte💞 ). Pre show preparation usually doesn’t involve talking into one’s iPhone, and very rarely do I have an empty apartment, but most other things are authentic 😂! The nebuliser is also a recent addition, due to a long suffering cough these past weeks …🙄 This 5 minute reel trying to make up for my general lack of social media 😌 Thank you to everyone who has been at one of my performances this year, all my beautiful colleagues and the most supportive friends and family. And happy new year !

No words to describe the tragedy that my home city has witnessed this week. Like so many, my Australian heart and innocence has been broken into pieces. My body aches for all those painfully grieving, those in the Bondi community and especially the Jewish community. .. It is not lost on me that although often away from our homes and families, a singer is surrounded by the beauty, escape and comfort of music. In rehearsals this week, the celestial voices and tones of the exceptional Hungarian National Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra have allowed me to process and express my sadness, while craving a big hug from my family (only 2 sleeps away). For anyone else needing a moment of musical soothing… there is a livestream of our sold out Berlioz concert this evening in Budapest …. This is a piece full of expressive humanity, the most important message resonating loudly: — Protect others in need, and show love, kindness and acceptance to all — One of our closing phrases : “Yes, the charms, the hope of happiness returns to our hearts.“ 💔 Live stream found at 7.30pm Budapest time, on the MUPA website. https://mupa.hu/en/program/classical-music-opera-theatre/christmas-concert-2025-12-17_19-30-bela-bartok-national-concert-hall

Never fun to cancel, especially when it’s such a beloved role. But sometimes our bodies just can’t get there on the day. The last couple of weeks I’ve been fighting a pesky virus the best I can, while also trying to do my job, but sadly I return to bed tonight instead of the stage ! With great appreciation that I am in an ensemble position where I have this option (that doesn’t effect me financially), allowing me to put my health first….. especially having learnt from mistakes made last season (pushing through when I shouldn’t have). The tough decision also made pragmatically … looking ahead at the next month - full of travel, Christmas madness, more Werthers 🤞🤞, Hoffmanns, Hänsel role debut, concerts - and my priority is to get strong 💪🏻 again and start 2026 on top! . My beautiful colleague @dothebi lovingly takes Charlotte under her wing again tonight for her second performance, and sends me love and support at the same time - I feel very lucky to have her here ❤️ Wishing everyone TOI TOI TOI, especially @stephaniehershaw.soprano making her Sophie role debut and @jasonkimtenor for his Werther opening night in this production. . And sending best wishes and strength to all you singers/performers out there in similar circumstances… never an easy decision and never stress free being sick (especially when your bills are at risk…) 💞

Relief and happiness in spades after making a dream role debut last Saturday 😄 . here to shine a light on this special production, share some photos (@stephanwalzl ) and acknowledge everyone who was part of this adventure. . Firstly, my two Italians, @vito_cristofaro conducting so lovingly yet again, and my very first Werther, the beautiful voice and soul of @paridecataldo.tenor . The super talented Oldenburg ensemble making up the rest of the cast family! Not to mention the excellent children’s chorus, all the backstage crew, resilient reps and our home orchestra who played with such passion and beauty at the premiere. . Our production’s captain- @kaianneschuhmacher - allowing us to play in this unique space and opening my eyes to a Charlotte I was not expecting, but now love - I hope we get to work together again. @dominiquewiesbauer your exquisite set design and tableaux! And @valeriehirschmann_kostuembild we are addicted to your sense of fun and creativity. . I also want to acknowledge our Theatre’s leader, Georg Heckel - believing in me, inviting me into his ensemble, and scheduling this beautiful opera for us to play ❤️ . And my personal team… behind every performer you see on stage, there is a small, unwavering army behind them, celebrating through the good and helping through the ugly. Many of mine were there at the premiere 😍 Nicole, Etienne, Grandma Gin, Jono … 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 . And to really encapsulate the roller coaster ride of performing life… tonight I write this backstage of the “Tales of Hoffmann” Wiederaufnahme. I was scheduled to sing tonight, but due to a pesky autumn virus, here I am in costume mutely acting the role while my “voice” is luxuriously in the hands of Lotte Kortenhaus, a dear friend singing side stage. She and our tenor have travelled here today from Detmold to save the show. Live theatre! The show must go on!

At the start of the opera season I found myself greeted by this rather enormous poster displayed above Oldenburg theatre’s entrance … she embodied the shock we were all feeling, being back already from the summer break 😉 — For me, last season was a chaotic but wonderful mash of life, career and reality all kicking in at once, and by July my body was calling out for a break, in many small but significant ways. Unfortunately I didn’t start listening until it physically forced me to take an extended timeout. — Fast forward to today…. To the excitement and realisation that this coming week I’ll be opening and debuting one of my dream roles (Charlotte from Massenet’s Werther). — While some things are still slowly healing, most of that water is flowing under the bridge now and it’s been a healthy reminder that although we want to strive for the best we can be and do all the things the career asks of us, there is a limit… sometimes you just push right past it …oops! (Insert poster face again.) — I’m very relieved and happy to be back on stage, where I feel so at home. Maybe I’ll never feel quite as invincible as before, but maybe that’s a much healthier way to be… 💪🏻 — Stay tuned for “Werther” photos coming this way soon ❤️ — (PS: Poster shot - actually advertising our zany, endearing operetta “Das Feuerwerk”)

Incredibly happy and relieved that we have opened our dear new production of Janáček‘s The Cunning Little Vixen here in Oldenburg. . Could not have asked for better stage colleagues (most importantly, the lady of the night, stunning @stephaniehershaw.soprano - the foxy fun we have girl!!!and gosh do our bodies feel it 😅) and team including our musical captain @vito_cristofaro and the loving, collaborative creatives @melanie_huber_breuleux @lenahiebel and @j.k.willmott giving us fun and thoughtful direction and a vision full of pathos and vibrancy!! . This is definitely one of the most vocally challenging roles I have tackled (yet funnily enough, also one of the shortest!). The Fox, a “zwischen-ey” soprano role, is a condensed, passionate sing pushing my voice lyrically higher than it’s dared to go before! I now look forward to continuing to find my groove and exploring new ways of approaching this tessitura as the performances go on. What I love about this job is that we have the opportunity to learn something new with every role and every time we set foot on stage. I’m also prepared to expect that some nights will simply be harder than others, especially in the world of #festlife , where our voices must jump between centuries of musical style, vocal ranges and languages from day to day ❤️ . Everyone on this stage and in the pit gives SO much, from the smallest role/animal/tree to the rotating forest itself (moved by our expert statisterie/mushrooms!). What an extraordinarily rich ensemble (full of many dear friends) and a delightful production to be a part of. Not to mention all the hands and minds in the workshops backstage, who have brought the set, costumes and gorgeous masks to life! . Tonight is our second of 4 performances this season. Toi toi toi, especially to those doing their first performance (including @arthurgbruce and @bass.seungweon 😍) Performances will also continue in the next season, after the summer - would be lovely to see you there 😊 . Stunning set, costumes and lighting captured beautifully by 📸 @stephanwalzl

Only 9 more opera performances for me this season with @oldenburgischesstaatstheater ! . DATES: Les Contes D’Hoffmann: May 28 / June 13 Serse : June 1 / 6 / 9 The Cunning Little Vixen : June 21 (premiere) / 24 / July 2 / 4 . So you can find me on stage as a French woman (in a story inspired by a German writer), an Italian speaking royal prince (inspired by ancient Persian history), and a passionate Fox singing German (originally in Czech, inspired by a Czech cartoon and folksongs ). No day in the office is ever the same and this job definitely keeps our brains and bodies active 🥰🥰 . Currently in rehearsals for The Cunning Little Vixen, our final premiere before the summer, where I make my role debut as the FOX 🦊. Can’t wait to share more details as this special production unfolds… the rehearsal room is filled with a great collaborative team and we’re all in love with the beauty and poignancy of Janáček‘s music and story ❤️ (fun fact, this opera was my first “professional” gig, when I played the Dog back in 2011 with @sydchamberopera . Any of my Australian friends remember this production 😉😉? )

Tonight I make my role debut as La Muse/Nicklausse in a new @oldenburgischesstaatstheater production of Les Contes D‘Hoffmann. It’s always exciting to bring a new role to audiences for the first time and then feel how the role both evolves and settles throughout a run. Tonight is about deep, focused breaths and getting that journey started ! . Toi toi toi to my beautiful colleagues and friends for your second performance (after a successful premiere on the weekend… with love to my role buddy @dothebi for singing up a storm and rehearsing and creating this special role for us both. Love the power suit that @mendozakoeln designed for us😍) . As ever, endless appreciation to those who help me get on stage with confidence…. Some including … my best bud @mikeyjc86 preparing the role with me between Dido shows in Sydney, our luxury Studienleiter in Oldenburg @paulyplummer generously supporting me with coachings and the tricks of the trade and @alexandredratwicki and @nicolecarsoprano for all the French guidance from afar (like anything in this craft, a constant work in progress 🤓) ❤️❤️❤️ Oh là là let’s have fun 🤩 . Photos : @stephanwalzl