A Beechworth group was formed last year and got the 3000-strong crowd warmed up with Queen’s We are the Champions.

Kim Moreland was eager to attend his second Opera in the Alps and support his wife.

“She joined the Empire Pub Choir and she really loves it – they were invited to come here tonight,” he said.

“My first year here was terrific and I enjoyed seeing the scholars.”

Historian Jacqui Durrant gave a special acknowledgment of country, after gaining permission from five local Indigenous groups.

Co-directors Graeme Wall and Margot Cory-Wall opened the event.

“We clocked up 50 years last Friday and we’ve been building this for half of our married lives,” Mr Wall said.

“The event seems to build and build – there was 150 in the audience in 1996 and now there are 3500.”

In that original audience at Mount Buffalo 23 years ago was Margarete Schitz from Lavington.

“I first came when it was up in the hills and it was just beautiful,” she said.

“I love music and I am always at the Albury Entertainment Centre when there is something on.

“It keeps getting better.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Mark Vincent again – he was here last year.”

Vincent was joined by fellow tenors Nicholas Jones and Brenton Spiteri to kick off the program, and the three finalists for the Opera Scholars of the Year followed.

It was Emilia Bertolini’s fourth year at the alps but this year was particularly special as scholar and participant in mid-week events.

“It’s really strange as I was in the chorus and thought I would stay there, and years later to be singing as a soloist is so exciting,” she said.

“The feedback we’ve gotten over the past few days has been fantastic.

“It’s nice to go out for coffee in the morning and run into someone who was at the concert.

“I’ve just finished my honours in music so I’m going to be freelancing as much as possible.”

In another first, tenors Mark Vincent and Nicholas Jones chose an audience member from the crowd to join them on stage for Because You’re Mine in the second half.

It was La Trobe University Vice Chancellor John Dewar’s wife Bel Clough whom they serenaded.

“It was unexpected … even my husband didn’t get down on one knee,” she said.

“I’ve been coming for four years and find it’s such a great way to experience opera.”

Conductor Guy Noble tried his hand at singing, entertaining the crowd with a humorous ‘mystery item’ that included the royal family, Donald Trump and Clive Palmer.

“I would've done something on Bill Shorten, but there’s nothing funny about him,” he joked.