Dane Lam and Sofia Troncoso split their year between Hawaii and Adelaide, but this August they’re sharing something closer to home: a stage. Lam conducts and Troncoso sings Gretel in State Opera South Australia’s world premiere production of Hansel & Gretel, a centrepiece of the company’s Golden Jubilee Season at Her Majesty’s Theatre from 21 to 29 August.
Married, raising a toddler, and rarely in the same country for long, the pair spoke to FIFTY+SA about working together on the same production, what makes Humperdinck’s opera the ideal way into the art form, and why their son already has strong opinions about witches.
You two divide your time between Hawaii and Adelaide, and now you’re sharing a season here in very different roles. What’s it like working on the same production as husband and wife?
Sofia: It’s a joy to work with Dane, because he’s not only an excellent conductor with fabulous technique and exciting tempi, he’s also a steady, secure presence in the theatre. Moving from the rehearsal room to the stage can be daunting. The orchestra suddenly feels far away and it’s hard to hear the music or yourself. That’s the moment that sets apart a truly excellent opera conductor; they become your guide through the kelp forest of sound. I know I’m married to him, but singers are genuinely fans of Dane’s work, because he breathes with us, anticipates what we need, and keeps the music moving.
Dane: When Sofia and I first met, I was instantly taken with her, both as a person and as an artist. She brings a vibrancy and a commitment to character to every role, and the voice is somewhere between honey and velvet. We’re remarkably in tune with each other in rehearsal and performance. This week, I was indulging in a particularly luscious moment in Humperdinck’s score when I could hear from Sofia’s breathing that she needed the tempo to move on a little more than my leisurely speed. Without a word, we found our way back in sync. That’s the beauty of working with your wife.
Hansel & Gretel is being pitched as the perfect entry point into opera for families. What is it about Humperdinck’s score that makes this such an accessible starting place?
Sofia: Hansel & Gretel is a beloved story, known across generations and cultures. The audience just needs to follow the breadcrumbs of the Grimm brothers’ tale into a dark forest they already know well. The lush score becomes a character in its own right, adding to the drama and fantasy of the two playful siblings, their protectors in the forest, and the witch’s gingerbread house.
Dane: The libretto, along with some of the tunes, was written by Humperdinck’s own sister, Adelheid Wette. As a mother herself, she brought a sense of humanity and fun that parents everywhere will recognise. Humperdinck and Wette never dumb the story or the music down. This remains one of the most popular operas in Germany, watched by families around the country every Christmas. It’s full of children’s songs and games, but doesn’t shy away from crunchy, jazzy harmonies and evocative orchestral colour, used like a painter’s palette. I think of Hansel & Gretel the way I think of the best Disney features: it works on many levels, equally captivating for adults and children.
Sofia, Gretel is a role that’s been sung by generations of sopranos. What are you bringing to her that feels distinctly yours?
Sofia: I’ve been learning Gretel while raising a toddler, and he’s gotten deeply into the story. It both thrills and scares him. Watching him and the way he sees the world, I’ve folded some of his body language and instincts into how I play her. Whether she’s playing, praying, or feasting on a life-sized gingerbread house, I think about Gretel through his eyes.
This production premieres in Adelaide before touring to Opera Hong Kong in 2027. Does knowing it’s headed for an international stage change how you approach it here first?
Sofia: Hong Kong audiences genuinely turn out for opera, and I think they’ll enjoy a Grimm fairytale and its Germanic folklore as much as an Adelaide audience will. Collaboration at this level is unifying. It turns out our imaginations are captured by the same things, wherever we’re from.
Dane: I feel a real sense of pride in how State Opera is flying the South Australian banner overseas. We’re the state’s cultural diplomats. Right now, the company is making its presence felt through co-productions and co-commissions in cities including New York, Edinburgh, Beijing, San Francisco, Toronto, Dublin and Hong Kong. With The Magic Flute last year, we became the first Australian opera company to create a production with China. Being a trailblazing company is a badge we wear with pride.
Was there a moment when you both realised opera wasn’t just your shared profession, but the thing that brought you together?
Sofia: It’s one thing to be in the same industry; it’s another to be a genuine fan of your partner’s work. I admire Dane’s passion for opera and his skill as a conductor and leader in the arts. His ability to think outside the box has led to transpacific collaborations that are a first of their kind. We share a passion for the art form, and for its ability to bring people of all nations together. Our own family is a small version of that. Our ancestry spans at least five continents.
Dane: We spend hours talking about the industry: what we love about it, what frustrates us, how we might single-handedly save it and preserve this remarkable form of human expression. Sofia sees opera from a singer’s point of view, but also through the lens of history, pop culture and multiple languages. She often notices things in a production, or in a voice, that I don’t, and I value that enormously. Running an arts organisation is never a one-person job. It’s the support network around that person. Sofia is my chief support and brains trust. She’s an artist through and through.
Adelaide audiences have come to know you both through State Opera. What does it mean to you personally to be part of the company’s Golden Jubilee Season?
Sofia: I feel lucky to be a new part of Adelaide’s arts community, and the timing with the Golden Jubilee feels fortuitous. The artists in this season are world-class performers and creatives, and I’m honoured to be on the roster.
Dane: I’m proud of this company. It’s been leading the way in our region for decades, with home-grown talent here and overseas that the state can rightly be proud of. State Opera has achieved a great deal in its first fifty years; my hope is that the next fifty bring an ever-widening international reach and the same quality of work on stage. It takes a village, and what a village we have. Our audience sees through gimmicks. What we offer is substance. I’m convinced the opera we present in South Australia is the equal of any company in the world.
For readers who grew up on the Brothers Grimm story but have never been to the opera, what would you say to convince them to give Hansel & Gretel a try?
Sofia: Music elevates any story. Think of a Christopher Nolan film. He’s careful about his scores because he understands their value in the storytelling. Humperdinck’s music lifts the fantasy of Hansel & Gretel to something transcendent.
Dane: This is one of the most perfect works of art ever produced. I don’t say that lightly. I mean a work in which you’d change nothing, not a note. There’s nothing extra or gratuitous, not a phrase out of place. I can’t say the same of some of my favourite operas: Figaro is wonderful but slightly too long and meanders in places. The Ring Cycle has transcendent moments balanced by long stretches that feel, if I’m honest, slightly phoned in. Hansel & Gretel is short, perfectly paced, and filled with some of the most hummable, moving music ever written.
Between rehearsals, performances and travel, how do you two actually spend time together when you’re not working?
Sofia: We try to build shared family experiences, especially before our son starts school. On a small scale, that means being in nature as much as possible, whether it’s a run near the beach or through the hills. Our most memorable family trip was a week-long hike along the Franciscan Way in Italy, just the three of us. While we’re in Adelaide, life is busy, but we always try to steal a day at a vineyard or up in the Adelaide Hills.
Dane: We love being in nature, whether that’s the beach, the Franciscan Way in Umbria, or finding new trails in the Adelaide Hills. We’re happiest away from airports and email, and it’s what keeps us inspired to keep making art together.
stateopera.com.au/productions/2026/hansel-and-gretel
Hansel & Gretel plays Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide, from 21 to 29 August, as part of State Opera South Australia’s Golden Jubilee Season. Conducted by Dane Lam and directed by Constantine Costi, with designs by Jonathon Oxlade, the cast is led by Kangmin Justin Kim (Hansel) in his Australian debut, Sofia Troncoso (Gretel), Catherine Carby (the Witch and Mother), Morgan Pearse (Peter) and Lucy Stoddart (Dew Fairy and Sandman). The production tours to Opera Hong Kong in 2027.
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