Linnhe Robertson - 2018 NATIONAL ADJUDICATOR

Linnhe Robertson has worked extensively in the major music centres throughout the world as a vocal coach, repetiteur, accompanist and harpsichordist. Her career began on the music staff of the Australian Opera. After a period of study in Germany in Lied Accompaniment, Linnhe remained there working as a vocal accompanist and as assistant to vocal Professor Kaiser-Breme at the Bayreuth International Wagner Festival. With her move to Great Britain, Linnhe changed music direction and pursued a high profile career as a harpsichordist throughout the UK and Europe.

She performed and recorded as the resident harpsichordist with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta and with other notable early music ensembles, such as the English Baroque Soloists under John Eliot Gardiner. During this period, she also worked as repetiteur with the English National Opera under the Music Directorship of Mark Elder. In 1989 Linnhe was invited to take up the position as Head of Music and Director of the Young Artists’ Programme at the Victoria State Opera based in Melbourne Australia, a position which continued with the merger of that company and the Sydney-based national company (renamed Opera Australia). Through the success of her work with the training and development of young opera singers, Linnhe was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 1993, which she used for further research into varying world-wide training systems for young singers.

On returning to the UK in 1999, Linnhe completed a Masters degree in Arts Management at City University, London. After a period of working in London as an artists’ manager with a London based artists’ agency, and as General Manager of a contemporary classical music ensemble, she was offered the position in 2002 as Deputy Head of Vocal Studies and subsequently Head of Vocal Studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama until 2013. She now has the role of ‘Artistic and Research Consultant for Opera & Voice’ at the Guildhall School. Linnhe also coaches the Jette Parker Young Artists at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. Linnhe continues to give masterclasses and performs regularly as recital accompanist with singers throughout Great Britain and Europe.






2018 ADJUDICATORS

2018 FINALS & SEMI-FINALS ADJUDICATOR

Michael Lewis OAM

Michael Lewis is one of Australia’s most respected singers. He is highly regarded for his command of both operatic and concert repertoire.

After winning the Metropolitan Opera Competition in 1973 and an Arts Council Scholarship, Michael left Adelaide for Europe, marking the beginning of a successful international career.

His major debut at the Wexford Festival in 1976, was followed by performances at opera houses in Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Leipzig, Amsterdam, Venice, San Diego, Pittsburgh, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North, Glyndebourne Festival and Touring Opera, and in Mexico. Since that time he has performed 35 major roles with Opera Australia, as well as regular appearances with the state companies in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane and New Zealand Opera.

He has worked extensively on the concert platform with many major orchestras and conductors in Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. Michael is a sought after singing teacher, mentor and coach and is currently a voice teacher at WAAPA.

In 2008 Michael was awarded an OAM for services to the arts.






2018 FINALS & SEMI-FINALS ADJUDICATOR

Noëmi Nadelmann

Noëmi Nadelmann is a Swiss soprano and the leading opera and concert singer of her generation. She made her debut in 1987 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice as Musetta in La Bohème.

Her many roles include Traviata, Lucia, Armida (Rinaldo), Alcina, Merry Widow, Rosalinde, Susanna, Countess Almaviva, Donna Anna, Marguerite (Faust), Manon, Marie (Wozzeck), Jenny (Mahagonny), Aida, Carmen, Contesse de la Roche (Soldaten); just to mention a few.

Noëmi Nadelmann has sung major roles at opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Opéra National Paris, Vienna State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin, State Opera Berlin, State Opera House Hamburg, Dutch National Opera Amsterdam, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Operhaus Zürich, New National Theatre Tokio, Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Dresden Semper Opera and many more.

Conductors Noëmi Nadelmann had the honour to work with include Nicolaus Harnoncourt, Christian Thielemann, Simone Young, Franz Welser-Möst, Teodor Currentzis, Vladimir Jurowski, Christoph Eschenbach, Kurt Masur, Asher Fish. There are several CDs and DVDs available on the market. In the french Chopin Film la note bleue she embodied the role of the opera singer Pauline Viardot-Garcia with french actress Sophie Marceau.

Noëmi Nadelmann was awarded the esteemed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Prize by the Goethe-Stiftung for her outstanding artistic achievements.

2018 FINALS & SEMI-FINALS ADJUDICATOR

Raff Wilson

Raff Wilson is the Director of Artistic Planning for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

He began his professional life working for music publishers such as Boosey & Hawkes and Alfred Publishing Australia, and subsequently with Symphony Australia and ABC Classic FM.

For the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, he produced numerous recordings, and innovative concert performances of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Vaughan Williams’ Sinfonia Antartica, and Australia’s first opera, Don John of Austria, by Isaac Nathan.

Working for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from 2010 to 2017, he contributed to major developments in that orchestra’s artistic evolution, including the city’s acclaimed first performance of Ring cycle, conducted by Music Director Jaap van Zweden.

Raff trained as a singer, studying with Robert Gard (Australia) and Clifford Lister (England). He holds a degree in languages from the University of Sydney.

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