Not hers: the singer originally engaged, Sonia Anfiloff, was unable to keep the commitment because of her expected delivery date.

Greenwood, who started in trad jazz before switching to classical voice at the ANU School of Music, played Annio in National Opera's production of Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito last year and has also recently been working professionally in Queensland and Victoria.

National Opera's artistic director, actor and singer Peter Coleman-Wright called to offer her the concert opportunity when it arose after Anfiloff withdrew.

"It was really kind of him to think of me," Greenwood says.

As the featured artist, Greenwood will perform a selection of arias including Pace, pace mio Dio from Verdi's La forza del destino and Dich, teure Halle from Wagner's Tannhauser.

She will also sing the solo role in the Easter Hymn from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana.

Greenwood will be joined in the Trio from Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier by associate artists Emma Mauch and Hannah Carter, both sopranos and Canberrans.

"Even though we're all sopranos, how we sound is very different," Greenwood says.

"There are different roles that suit us."

The gala will also feature a large opera chorus and the National Capital Orchestra under the baton of Louis Sharpe.

Greenwood began as a mezzo-soprano but was attracted to the soprano repertoire.

When told she had to choose she decided to focus on developing her soprano voice.

"It was more of a challenge at the time," she says.

While at ANU she performed with Canberra company Stopera, including the role of Mrs Fairfax in Michael Berkley's opera Jane Eyre.

She studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and performed in Ireland and Britain before returning to Australia, where she is an associate artist at Melbourne Opera.

Among the roles she has performed are the Lady-in-Waiting in Verdi's Macbeth and Sieglinde in Wagner's Die Walkure.

She will be in a production of the full Ring Cycle in Bendigo in 2023.

Louis Sharpe will conduct the National Capital Orchestra in a program that also features opera choruses and orchestral pieces - including the Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore and Va, pensiero from Nabucco, both by Verdi - as well as the Bridal Chorus from Wagner's Lohengrin, the Champagne Chorus from Johann Strauss Jr's Die Fledermaus and the Overture from La forza del destino.

Apart from the Fledermaus chorus, which will be sung in English, all of the selections will be performed in the original languages.

Sharpe studied percussion at the University of Melbourne and conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

He was recently named music director of the National Capital Orchestra and is also the conductor for the James McClusky Orchestra and the Canberra Youth Orchestra.

This will be the NCO and Sharpe's third concert for 2022 following an orchestral concert at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre and a performance of Rossini's Petite messe solennelle.

He's looking forward to the challenge of working with opera soloists as well as chorus and orchestra.

"Balancing is always a big thing."

Coleman-Wright liaised with Sharpe, who was assistant conductor on Tito, in putting together the gala program.

"We wanted to produce an event not only of pieces people would know but to offer beautiful music from operas that are less known," Sharpe says.

That's in keeping with the general aim of the company.

Stephanie McAlister was with Canberra Opera when it was founded in 2011 by David Reedy. It became National Opera in 2020 and she is now president and chief executive officer.

"We're not trying to be a replica of Opera Australia and roll out the big famous operas," McAlister says.

People can go to Sydney to see those large-scale productions and "we can't compete with that".

Instead, National Opera is intended to showcase lesser-known works, often by well-known composers. Puccini's La Rondine was intended to be the first production in 2020 but because of COVID it had to be postponed multiple times and did not go ahead.

The gala will be the company's first production since La clemenza di Tito and the soloists will wear evening dress.

"Peter's words were "Diva yourselves up' - it's time for them to shine," McAlister says.

"The idea of this is bringing Canberra together in all its facets.

"There are more than 120 people involved, all locals."

There will be a chorus of about 50 - members of the regular National Opera Chorus and other people who responded to an ad inviting people to take part. The chorus master is Dan Walker.

The next National Opera production will be Handel's Alcina, in December. Emma Matthews will play the title role and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Graham Abbott.

The National Opera's Opera Gala is on at Llewellyn Hall, ANU, on August 27 at 7.30pm. nationalopera.org.au/opera-gala.

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