Your guests think two sommeliers have arrived to run a wine presentation. One of them clearly knows her craft. The other is winging it. The banter sharpens, the mistakes pile up and then—mid-sentence—one of them starts to sing. Full operatic voice, no warning. The room takes a few seconds to catch up. That moment is the reason this act exists.
We are Jon and Rebecca Bode. We met as soloists at Opera Australia in 1997 and spent years performing lead roles across Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East. The Singing Sommeliers grew from a simple observation: audiences respond to opera most powerfully when it arrives somewhere they never expected it.
The performance begins as a plant. We arrive in character, mingle as wine experts and begin what appears to be a legitimate tasting. The reveal builds through comic bickering into full performance, with familiar music, audience interaction and material written around your event, your people and your in-jokes.
Because the comedy is researched beforehand, the act feels spontaneous without leaving the important things to chance. We work discreetly with the organiser and venue, agree on the entrance and timing, and shape the performance around the run sheet rather than forcing the event to fit us.
The act works especially well at seated corporate dinners, gala events, winery functions, weddings and milestone celebrations—rooms where everyone can share one clear feature moment. It needs no traditional stage, travels lightly and can be supported by a compact sound system when the venue requires it.
Very loud cocktail rooms with no focal point are less suitable. We will always ask about the room, audience and timing before recommending the act. If the conditions are right, the disguise, reveal and voices give the entire gathering one story to share.
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