Working with highly respected Opera Australia conductor Simon Kenway is like a dream come true for Faulconbridge singer and Springwood choir master Nicole Giezekamp-Bakija.
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She is one of 27 Mountains singers joining almost 300 singers from west and south-west Sydney to put on a free concert in Parramatta Park on March 15.
"Coming out of mummy-dom, that someone like myself could be considered to be mentored by maestro Kenway is like my dream come true," Ms Giezekamp-Bakija said.
In her younger years she was a student at the Julliard School of Music in New York, but has taken a step back from the industry for 20 years to raise children. But she's still kept a toe in there, running a singing and performance group in Springwood and taking on the role of choir master of the Shine Community Choir in Springwood.
"People like me have been given an opportunity that without this initiative wouldn't have happened," Ms Giezekamp-Bakija said.
"You don't have to be a music star or rich and famous, you just have to be able to sing."
Simon Kenway is responsible for keeping the 300-member choir on track.
"Originally, the Communities Choirs project was about improving access to opera and providing a free mechanism for singers to improve their skills under professional tuition," he said.
"What has eventuated has been far more than we could have ever foreseen - western Sydney now has truly top-notch community choirs and it's a complete joy to hear them sing. The choristers' enthusiasm has been infectious and all of us at Opera Australia are looking forward to this grand finale performance."
The choir will perform a selection of well-known songs accompanied by four guest artists from Opera Australia - Ayse Goknur Shanal, Sian Pendry, Rosario La Spina and Shane Lowrencev. Program highlights include Nessun dorma from Turandot, The Toreador's Song from Carmen and Un bel di from Madama Butterfly.
Ms Giezekamp-Bakija can't wait to get back on stage, clearly overwhelmed by the reaction to the massive choir's last performance at the Sydney Opera House.
"We got a standing ovation from people who had never been to the opera or heard classical music before," she said.
She hopes there will be government and council funding to continue projects with Opera Australia into the future. The free concert at Parramatta Park begins at 7.30pm on Sunday, March 15.
Limited paid parking is available.
This final concert is part of a three-year project that involved two other performances at the Sydney Opera House in 2012 and 2014.
