This year’s concert featured an impressive line-up: (from left) Italian flautist Andrea Griminelli, Australian soprano Clarissa Spata, tenor Gaetano Bonfante and British mezzo-soprano Laura Wright. Photo: Handout
Imagine music soaring under a canopy of stars, with the rustle of a two-million-year-old rainforest and the gentle lap of waves as your orchestra.
That’s the essence of Opera In Paradise, a signature event at Pangkor Laut Resort that merges world-class opera talent with tropical serenity.
First launched in October 2023, Opera In Paradise was conceived as a tribute to the late Luciano Pavarotti, who famously called the island “paradise”.
What elevates the event isn’t just its line-up, but the setting.
Only a fraction of the land on this private island resort is developed, so guests are surrounded by lush rainforest and sea, with architecture that blends seamlessly into the natural landscape.
It’s this fusion of high art and pristine nature – the contrast between operatic arias and the wild beauty of the tropics – that makes Opera In Paradise so unique.
This year’s concert featured an impressive line-up: British mezzo-soprano Laura Wright, Italian flautist Andrea Griminelli, Australian soprano Clarissa Spata and tenor Gaetano Bonfante.
The singers in the magical setting of Pangkor Laut Resort. Photo: Handout
The performance on Oct 11, graced by YTL Group of Companies exec chairman Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, saw a surprise guest in American artiste Kory Welch who performed heart-rending ballad I Believe.
It then segued into an instrumental rendition of Sheila Majid’s Lagenda by Griminelli, whom Yeoh described as “the best flautist in the world”.
From the sweeping romance of All I Ask Of You to the moving duet The Prayer, and even a surprising twist on Ed Sheeran’s Perfect, the evening celebrated both classical and contemporary beauty.
The quartet came together for Brindisi by Giuseppe Verdi, a joyful toast to music, life and shared moments under the stars.
The next edition of Opera In Paradise is scheduled for Oct 23 to 25, 2026. For more details, visit pangkorlautresort.com.
