Thomas de Mallet Burgess is a UK theatre and opera director whose work has taken him all over the world. For the past five years, he has been general director of New Zealand Opera, leading the company through Covid, upheaval and regrowth. He is leaving after the Auckland season of NZO’s current tour of Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte to become artistic director of the Finnish National Opera.
Your name is rather ornate. What is your whakapapa?
I was born in beautiful Barnstaple, in North Devon, where my father’s family have lived for at least 400 years, and my mother grew up in London. We also have connections with Wales and France. Science enables us to go much further back, with the largest concentration of maternal DNA coming from Bangalore, India, Albania, and a particularly hostile tribe of Berbers in Libya.
You studied at Oxford. Was that predetermined or did you forge that path?
Neither of my parents went to university, but they completely supported my journey because they saw the value of education. My father’s family-building business had been in our town for centuries, and he saw the world was changing and opening up, which meant different choices needed to be made.
Did Oxford meet your expectations?
Oxford was wonderful, because we were taught to think. Intellect is not feared there, it is respected. Free thinking based on research and conviction is encouraged. I read philosophy and modern languages, French and some Russian. Oxford isn’t just about academic work, and a multitude of things are pursued there at a professional level, like journalism, drama and sport.
Is it true that the first opera you ever saw, you also directed?
Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin June 10-16 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin June 10-16 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.