Wagga Wagga-born soprano Lisette Bolton is a Masters student at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and an alumna of Opera Australia’s Regional Student Scholarship program, the Young Songmakers Development Program and Opera Scholars Australia. She has performed with Victorian Opera, Australian International Productions and the Albury Chamber Music Festival. Her performance as Olive (Fly, Barry Conyngham, 2019) with Lyric Opera and the Girl (Viktor Ullmann, The Emperor of Atlantis, 2022) with IOpera saw her nominated for two Green Room Awards. Her other roles include Parrwang (Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, Parrwang Lifts the Sky, 2024), Laetitia (Menotti, The Old Maid and the Thief, 2023), Erste Dame (Mozart, Die Zauberflöte, 2023), Bird (Joseph Twist, The Grumpiest Boy in the World, 2023) and Second Woman (Purcell, Dido and Aeneas, 2022). She has also been study-cover for Contessa (Mozart, Le Nozze di Figaro, 2019) and understudy for Blanche (Poulenc, Dialogues des Carmélites, 2018).

Ruth Burke is an Irish-Australian mezzo-soprano. Ruth studied at WAAPA graduating with a Bachelor of Classical Music (Vocal Performance) in 2022. Ruth is a 2024 Wesfarmers Young Artist with West Australian Opera. In 2024 Ruth made her principal artist debut in WAO’s production of Dido and Aeneas singing the roles of Second Woman and Second Witch. In 2023 Ruth performed as the mezzo soloist in Beethoven 9 with Darwin Symphony Orchestra.

With Freeze Frame Opera, Ruth has performed the roles of Rosina in Barber of Seville(Schools tour), Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, La Zelatrice in Suor Angelica, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi and Dangeville in Adriana Lecouvreur.

Ruth’s awards have included 1st in the Opera Lovers Aria Prize (2022), 1st in the ROSL Winifred Hurford Award (2023), and 1st in the Fremantle Eisteddfod Open Aria (2021). Ruth was also the recipient of the 2022 ECU WAAPA Excellence Scholarship.

Tasmanian Soprano, Georgia Cooper, is currently enrolled in the Masters of Opera Program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music studying voice with Maree Ryan AM.

Scholarships include: Peter Davidson, Chapple/ Bremner, Helpmann Family Fellowship and Patricia Lucas Music Scholarships. A recipient of the George and Margaret Henderson Traveller’s Scholarship, Georgia travelled to Manchester, Great Britain and Trentino, Italy for operatic performance development programs.

Roles include: Erste Dame, Die Zauberflöte (Mozart) with conductor Lochlan Brown, Fortuna, L'incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi/ Kats-Chernin) with conductor Stephen Mould, Principal Soprano, Triptico (Kats-Chernin), Cherubino, Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Silvia, Zanetto (Mascagni).

Concert repertoire as soloist include: The Creation (Haydn) with conductor Omid Mohebzadeh and Requiem (Fauré)

Georgia’s upcoming performances include Contessa from Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart) with conductor Craig Kier at the Prague Summer Nights Festival and soloist in Ein deutsches Requiem (Brahms) for the Illawarra Choral Society.

Baritone Aidan Hodder has had a hunger for performance ever since participating in Opera Queensland’s high school residency programme. He has completed a Master of Music Studies at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, and is currently the recipient of the John Wegner AO Opera Scholarship and the Max & Jill Schutz Opera Society Scholarship with Melba Opera Trust.

During his tenure at the Conservatorium, Aidan appeared in all the student opera productions, with scenes including Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Antonio (Le nozze di Figaro), and Bottom (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Jupiter (Orphée aux enfers); also performing Lord Chancellor (Iolanthe) in its entirety. In 2019, 2021 and 2022 he also participated in the Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program.

Aidan made his professional debut in 2023 in State Opera South Australia’s G& S FEST, singing John Wellington Wells (The Sorcerer) and appearing in the chorus for The Pirates of Penzance and H.M.S. Pinafore.

Queensland Baritone Jake Lyle is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Music (Performance) in Classical Voice at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University under the tutelage of Dr Margaret Schindler. During his studies at QCGU, Jake has received the Elizabeth Muir Undergraduate Memorial Award (2022) and the Nora Baird Memorial Fund Audition Bursary (2022).

Jake has performed extensively in the opera program at QCGU having recently played Tonio in I Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) and Taddeo in L’Italiana in Algeri (Rossini) as part of the Val Machin Opera Scenes. In 2023, Jake played Jupiter in scenes from Orpheus in the Underworld (Offenbach) in the context of Val Machin Opera Scenes and main stage opera, Underworld: An Operatic Journey to Hell and Back, with direction and conceptualisation by Michael Gow. In September, Jake will play Marco in Gianni Schicci (Puccini) in September 2024 at the Queensland Conservatorium.

 Jake has also been selected to participate in the Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program later this year.

Soprano Ariana Ricci completed her BMus (Performance) in 2023 from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she studied as a full scholarship student. She currently studies voice with Dr. Anke Hoeppner-Ryan. Recent awards include the Ted and Susan Meller Memorial Scholarship, the Demant Dreikurs Song Competition Audience Prize, and the Henderson Travellers Scholarship to attend the RNCM Winter School in 2023.

Ariana’s performed operatic roles include Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Le Feu (L’enfant et les sortileges), Nymph/Spring/First Woman (the Fairy Queen), and First Witch (Dido and Aeneas). Concert soloist credits include ‘Nelson Mass’ (Haydn), Messiah (Handel), Chamber Symphony (Isaacs), Exsultate Jubilate (Mozart), and Passion and Resurrection (Ešenvalds), for which she was the Soprano 1 soloist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra last year.

During her Bachelors, Ariana pursued a double major in voice and violin, and her previous teachers also included Dr. Rowena Cowley (voice), and Assoc.Prof. Goetz Richter (violin). Ariana will begin a Masters in Vocal Performance at the Royal College of Music in London later this year under full scholarship.

Soprano Molly Ryan is completing her Masters of Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium, studying with Maree Ryan AM. She has been the recipient of the Greenberg Gurney Jensen Fund, Helen Myers Scholarship, Florence Mary Verga-Smith Award, Henderson Travellers Scholarship, and first prize of the 2023 Demant Dreikurs Scholarship Competition. Molly’s roles include Theodora (Handel), Knusperhexe - Hänsel und Gretel (Humperdinck), Piacere - Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (Handel), La Princesse - L’enfant et les sortilèges (Ravel), Belinda and Second Witch - Dido and Aeneas (Purcell), Susanna - Il Segretto di Susanna (Wolf-Ferarri) and Maguelonne - Cendrillon (Viardot). In 2024, she debuts the world premieres of Mother - The Lullaby (Zhen) and Menarche (O’Donoghue), and Australian premiere of Mauxalinda - The Dragon of Wantley (Lampe). Concert repertoire includes Messiah (Handel), Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven), Krönungsmesse (Mozart), Missa in Angustiis (Haydn), Missa Cellensis (Haydn), Magnificat (Vivaldi), Requiem Op. 48 (Faure).

Soprano Eden Shifroni holds a Bachelor of Music (Classical Performance) and a Master of Music Studies (Opera Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Her notable roles include Pamina (The Magic Flute) at the Vienna Summer Music Festival, Musetta (La bohème) and Suor Genovieffa (Suor Angelica) at the Mediterranean Opera Festival in Sicily, and Poppea in the Sydney Conservatorium and NIDA production of The Coronation of Poppea. In December 2023, she created the role of Jess in Track Works; a new pastiche opera at Sydney’s Mortuary Station. Theatre Now wrote: “The operatic voices soar in this vaulted space. None more so than Eden Shifroni’s crystal clear soprano.”

Concert appearances include those with Willoughby Symphony Orchestra (Vaughan-Williams’ Benedicite) and North Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Eric Zeisl’s Requiem Ebraico). Eden is the recipient of the Dame Nellie Melba Scholarship, Patrick & Vivian Gordon Award and Ryman Healthcare Opera Scholarship with Melba Opera Trust. In 2023, she won the Tinkler and Andrea Catzel prizes at the Australian Singing Competition and in 2021 was named winner of the Demant Dreikurs Lieder Competition.

Hailing from Albany, WA, soprano Bonnie Staude is in her final year of a Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, under the tutelage of Emma Matthews AM.

Bonnie’s professional opera debut was with Freeze Frame Opera in a double-bill production of Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi (Puccini). She has sung the role of Annina in La traviata (Verdi) in a concert production by Jenna Robertson. Her performed roles at WAAPA include Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart), Mab in The Enchanted Pig (Dove), and she has covered Gretel in Hansel and Gretel (Humperdinck). Concert repertoire includes Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” (Mahler). Bonnie has been a Youth Artist with Breaksea since 2021.

Accolades include receiving Opera Australia’s Regional Student Scholarship (2018), 1st Prize in the Royal Over-Seas League Award for Young Singers (2023), finalist in the Taryn Fiebig Award (2023), and finalist in the West Australian Opera Lovers Aria Competition (2023)

Leon Vitogiannis is establishing himself as one of the Australia’s most exciting young baritones. After completing degrees at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Mr. Andrew Dalton and Dr. David Greco, Leon continues to build an impressive list of stage and concert credits. Leon’s stage credits include Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, Eisentein in Die Fledermaus, Leporello in Don Giovanni, and Mr. McC. in Foss’ Introductions and Goodbyes.

His concert appearances include Requiem (Mozart), Messiah (Handel), Ein Deutsches Requiem (Brahms), Requiem (Fauré),

Paulus (Mendelssohn), and the Australian premiere of Requiem for an Angel (Carr). As Leon continues to expand his opera and oratorio repertoire, he also holds Lieder and Art Song to equal importance, focusing on the song cycles of Schubert, Schumann, and Mahler.

Leon held a position as a Young Artist with Pacific Opera Studio in 2023, where he has returned for their 2024 season as Eisenstein in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus and Il Conte in The Marriage of Figaro.

Wellington based soprano Michaela Cadwgan completed her BMus(Hons) in 2020 with First Class Honours under the tutelage of Dr. Margaret Medlyn, Wade Kernot, Dr. Jenny Wollerman and Bruce Greenfield, alongside completing a BA in German and Italian at Victoria University of Wellington.

She is an alumna of the New Zealand Opera School which she attended in January 2020. In 2019 she performed the title role of Suor Angelica in the NZSM Puccini double bill and in recent years, has collaborated as soloist with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO at Te Papa 2020), Wellington Orchestra (Midsummer Night's Dream, and the New Zealand premiere of Schumann’s Scenes from Faust), Kapiti Concert Orchestra, and is a member of both the New Zealand Opera Chorus and Wellington Opera Chorus.

Michaela has won the Wellington Regional Aria Competition (2021), and in November of 2022 Michaela was awarded runner-up at The Lockwood New Zealand Aria final.

West Australian baritone, Benjamin Del Borrello holds a Bachelor of Music (Classical Vocal: Performance) from The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPAXECU). Graduating in 2022, Benjamin was awarded the Roger's and Thick Award for 2023 through Freeze Frame Opera with whom he was then engaged in his first professional role as Figaro in 'Rapunzel' (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Freeze Frame Opera 2023. Other roles include Father (Peter) 'Hansel and Gretel', WAAPA 2022.

Benjamin's passion for music came from his Italian family, where he often heard folk tunes and Canzoni Napoletane at family gatherings.

Accolades include 2nd Place in the Fremantle Eisteddfod Open Aria; Finalist in the West Australian Opera Lover's Aria Competition 2021, 2022; Finalist in the ROSL Art Song and Winifred Hurford Competition 2022. Benjamin has also participated in Masterclasses with esteemed singers Teddy-Tahu Rhodes, Emma Matthews and Sara Macliver.

Cassandra Doyle is a mezzo-soprano in her final year of a Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, studying voice with Maree Ryan AM. A graduate of the Conservatorium High School, Cassandra has been a recipient of the Patricia Bell Grant, Patricia Long Scholarship and George Henderson Travelling Scholarship, Istituto Italiano di Cultura Award (IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition, 2022) and awarded 2nd Prize in the Sydney International Song Prize (JSRB Foundation, 2022).

Her performed roles include Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel (Humperdinck), Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Ino in Semele, Irene in Theodora (Handel) and Madame Frida in Max and Moritz (Draguns). Her concert soloist repertoire includes Requiem Op. 48 (Fauré), Rückert-Lieder (Mahler), Messiah (Handel), Requiem in D minor (Mozart), Ascension Oratorio BWV 11 (J.S. Bach), Magnificat RV. 611 (Vivaldi), Messe di Minuit (Charpentier), Petit Messe Solenelle (Rossini), Stabat Mater (Pergolesi), Requiem Op.9 (Duruflé), Lamentationes Jeremiae Prophetae(Duranté) and Nelson Mass (Haydn).

Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono is a twenty-five-year-old Samoan tenor from Flaxmere, Hastings.

Emmanuel was part of a youth initiative called “Project Prima Volta” in high school. After learning through PPV, he continued singing at the University of Waikato. He is currently completing his Masters’ at the University of Waikato under the new programme called Te Pae Kōkako - The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio.

Emmanuel attended the New Zealand Opera School in Whanganui in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, where he was awarded the DMMF Award and the Guy and Susie Haddleton Scholarship. Emmanuel won the Lockwood New Zealand Aria Competition and made the Lexus Song Quest Finals winning the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Scholarship for Potential. Earlier this year, he won the inaugural Tarling Aria Competition in Auckland.

Emmanuel played the role of Malcolm in New Zealand Opera’s production of Macbeth and also the role of Tupaia in Tim Finn’s Ihitai ‘Avei’a - The Star Navigator.

Ellena is currently studying a Master of Music Studies (Opera Performance) with Dr. Rowena Cowley. In 2023, she will make her role debut as Ottone in L'incoronazione di Poppea. She has performed the roles of Secrecy, Mopsa and Summer in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. She was an alto scholar at St Stephen’s Uniting Church. Her solo performances include Leonard Bernstein’s song cycle I Hate Music with the Orange Youth Orchestra and an excerpt from Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo in the Spanish Music Festival Encuentros Espanoles 2022. She has been excited to returned home to Orange to perform as the alto soloist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasia with the Orange Symphony Orchestra and Handel’s Messiah with Allegri Singers and Orange Regional Conservatorium. She has also performed as an alto soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Sydney Conservatorium Big Choir and Handel’s Messiah with Radio Community Chest in Sydney’s Town Hall.

Soprano Rachael Joyce graduated with First Class Honours in a Bachelor of Arts/Music from Monash University, majoring in French and Performance. 2023 marks Rachael’s third season with Opera Scholars Australia, and she was a finalist in their Aria Competition in 2022.

This year, Rachael stepped in to perform the role of ‘Rosita’ in Un Mari à la Porte (BK Opera) on opening night, and previously, she covered the role of ‘La Regina dei Topi’ in Il Mago di Oz (Victorian Opera). Rachael was a finalist and award winner in the National Liederfest (2022), and was the recipient of the Australian Music Prize at Monash University, as well as winning ‘The Talent’ on 3MBS Fine Music Radio Station (2019).

Rachael’s most recent concert credits include the Dvořák Stabat Mater with Monash University Choral Society; performances with the Yarra Philharmonic Orchestra, Australian Welsh Male and Excelsis Choirs; and the Victorian Artists Society.

Hailed as a “soaring soprano” of “clarity and promise” by Opera News, soprano Yvette Keong is establishing herself as a dynamic artist of opera, art song, concert, and contemporary repertoire. She recently made her solo recital debuts with Carnegie Hall Citywide and Opera Maine, and joins the Ravinia Steans Music Festival this summer. She has been featured as a soloist with the Aspen Music Festival, Houston Grand Opera, Annapolis Opera, Music Academy of the West, Marlboro Music Festival, Beth Morrison Projects, Princeton University, and in recital at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and National Sawdust.

She has won accolades from the Metropolitan Opera Competition, Gerda Lissner Foundation, and Australian Music Foundation. She was a recipient of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship, the first singer in a decade to be awarded the prize. Yvette completed her Masters at The Juilliard School, where she was the recipient of the Novick Career Advancement Grant.

Daniel Ott is a baritone with a passion for opera and performance. His experience includes performing in operas, including works by Mozart, Gilbert & Sullivan, Bernstein, and Ravel. In addition to his opera performances, he has also appeared as a guest soloist including the televised Carols in the Domain and at the Zhejiang Conservatorium of Music in China.

Daniel has been the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, including the inaugural Opera Australia regional scholarship, scholarship from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Tinkler Encouragement Award and the Goethe Institute Scholarship. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice and is currently completing his Master of Music Studies in Opera Performance, both from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Australian Soprano Eden Shifroni has completed her Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is currently undertaking a Master of Music Studies (Opera Performance) under the tuition of Dr Anke Hoeppner-Ryan. Her stage roles include Musetta in La Bohème, Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica, and Pamina, Papagena and Zweite Knabe in Die Zauberflöte.

Later this year, Eden is looking forward to performing the role of Poppea in the Sydney Conservatorium of Music X NIDA production of L’incoronazione di Poppea, which will be an Australian premiere of a new version of Monteverdi’s work, by composer Elena Kats-Chernin. In recent years, Eden was awarded the overall winner prize and audience prize in the Demant Dreikurs Lieder Competition (2022), The George Henderson Scholarship (2022 & 2023), and was a finalist in the Elizabeth Todd Lieder Competition (2022).

She has participated in masterclasses led by Dr. Graham Johnson, David Miller AM, David Gowland, Graham Pushee and Paul Fitzsimon. Eden has a keen interest in linguistics and plans to further her operatic training in Europe after graduation.

Amelia will graduate from the Royal Academy of Music London in 2023 after completing her MMus (Opera Performance) (1st Class Honours) and BMus (Performance) at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Amelia was a member of Melbourne Opera’s Richard Divall Emerging Artists Programme (2021/22), the winner of the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Prize in the 98th Herald Sun Aria Competition, a major prize recipient in the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award (2021) and the winner of the 2022 Ringwood Aria and Bettine McCaughan Memorial Scholarship.

Roles performed include Pamina (Mozart), Lauretta (Puccini), Soeur Constance (Poulenc), Cupidon and Juno (Offenbach) Miss Wordsworth (Britten) and Susanna (Mozart). Amelia was the Good Witch of the North in Victorian Opera’s 2022 production of Il Mago di Oz (The Wizard of Oz, Valtinoni). At the Royal Academy of Music, she performed opera scenes as Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata and Adina in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore.

For Kristin, singing is a way to project and reveal the emotions of characters through the language of music. She sings with joy and excitement to satisfy the listeners’ curiosity, quest for meaning and pleasure. While singing, Kristin brings forward her voice and character that has been matured throughout the progress of her thoughts and life circumstances.

The lyric mezzo-soprano became a finalist at 2022 Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship and received first prize in 2022 Boroondara Eisteddfod. She performed Ottone in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Mopsa and Chorus in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, and prepared Rossini’s Rosina from Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Kristin holds a Bachelor of Biology, Master of Teaching, and currently studying Master of Music (Opera Performance) at Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She is preparing to continue her journey by joining the Young Artist Opera Program in Armenia.

Jake Bigwood graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with distinction, winning both the Regency and AM Parker awards for excellence, and worked with the highly sought after vocal professor and fellow Australian Raymond Connell. Jake’s final recital was deemed a “revelation” by the world renowned Lieder scholar Richard Stokes and also from Linnhe Robertson: “..an excellent vehicle for a genuine bass voice with enormous operatic potential, lyrical and resonant, technically well put together.” Since graduating, Jake has become a Bendat scholar and Wesfarmers' Arts Young Artist with West Australian opera and performed as Il Maestro in Prima la musica, Angelotti and Sciarrone in Tosca, and is set to create the character of The Mayor in Emma Jayakumar's new opera Our little inventor. For Freeze Frame Opera, Jake has performed the roles of Colline and Ashby and will take part in their regional tour of Tosca in 2023.

Jeremy received second prize at the Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship and a TDP Mary Lopez AM Scholarship in 2022. He achieved joint first prize at the 4th Fresno State Art Song Festival and accepted the Demant Dreikurs Lieder Competition scholarship in 2020. In 2017, he received an Opera Australia Regional Student Scholarship. Roles include Marcello (La Bohème) for Musica Proibita in Bergamo, Italy, Papageno (Die Zauberflöte) and Demetrius (A Midsummer Night's Dream) for Sydney Conservatorium, Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Secret Police Agent (The Consul) and Death (Sāvitri, Holst) for The Cooperative, Uberto (La serva padrona, Pergolesi) for Opera in Wollongong and Æneas (Dido & Æneas) for Gondwana Choirs. Concert work includes solos in Messiah and Messe di Minuit (M.A. Charpentier) for Argyle Orchestra. Hobart, Dixit Dominus (Händel) for Sydney Conservatorium and Requiem (Mozart) in Wollongong. Masterclasses include that by Jessica Pratt, Barbara Frittoli, Fabio Armiliato, Gerald Finley and Dr. Graham Johnson. Jeremy studies with Maree Ryan AM.

Cassandra Doyle is a mezzo-soprano in her 3rd year of a Bachelor of Music (Performance) on merit scholarship at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She studies voice with Dr. Rowena Cowley. This year has seen Cassandra perform Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart) and Ino in Semele (Handel). Cassandra also featured as a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor with the Illawarra Choral Society and Bach’s Ascension Oratorio BWV 11 with the Choir of St. James. She had recent success in the Sydney Eisteddfod, placing second in the Operatic Aria (21-26) section. Later this year, Cassandra will feature as the Alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Ecumenical Choir and as a finalist in the Demant Dreikurs Song Competition at the Sydney Conservatorium. Cassandra is currently a choral scholar at St. James, King Street and an Apprentice Artist with The Song Company.

Australian Baritone Tom Nicholson is undergoing Postgraduate studies at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University under the tutelage of Professor Shelli Hulcombe. In 2022 Tom has been accepted as a Melba Opera Trust Artist. Tom has recently performed the role of Frank Maurrant in the QCGU production of Kurt Weill's Street Scene (2021) under the direction of Michael Gow. Other QCGU productions include Beatrice et Benedict in 2020 (Somarone), 2019 Machin Scenes (Manon Lescaut), Dry River run in 2018 (The Policeman, Jack). His fondness for lieder and art song has also led him to win the Elizabeth Muir Memorial Prize (2021), the John and Sue Thompson Vocal Accompaniment Scholarship (2021) and the Margaret Nickson Prize for Voice and Accompaniment (2019) alongside pianist Ruby Luck. In the past year Tom has also performed Vaughan Williams' Songs of Travel and Schumann's Dichterliebe.

Daniel Ott is a young baritone from the Hunter Valley, who recently graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a Bachelor of Music (Performance), and is now completing a Master of Music Studies (Opera Performance) at SCM. Daniel is an experienced recitalist, and is building stage experience, including travel to Zhejiang Conservatorium of Music as a guest soloist for recitals in 2019. Roles include Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges (Le fauteuil), a concert adaptation of of Bernstein’s Candide (Maximilian) for Sydney Conservatorium of Music and recently Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore (Dick Deadeye for Rockdale Opera) and Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Erster Priester for SCM).

Coming from a family of singers, Olivia’s passion for music has grown exponentially and led to a broader love of the arts and performing. In her childhood, she enjoyed performing in a multitude of capacities, which all led to solo performance opportunities at the Sydney Opera House, Chatswood Concourse and Sydney Town Hall. From 2015 onwards, Olivia has been involved with Opera New England in their productions of Susannah and La Traviata, Blush Opera’s How To Build A Billy and working with Operantics in Mansfield Park, the St Matthew Passion and concert series. Olivia has also enjoyed featuring in Cantata’s and Christmas services at St Andrew’s Cathedral and Grace City Church’s Carols In The Park. At the end of 2019, Olivia completed her Bmus at AIM in Classical Performance studying under the tutelage of Arax Mansourian. She has taught singing since 2016 and loves teaching at the GoBravo Studio. She plans to continue pursuing her love of singing in further education, performing and teaching.

Ukrainian-Australian soprano Billie Tumarkin is an Honours student at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Tumarkin’s career so far has focused on bringing the transcendental beauty of classical song into unexpected places and sharing it with new audiences. She’s sung in art galleries at the Adelaide Festival and Melbourne Art Fair; she’s sung in theatres and on ABC live radio with the Festival of Jewish Arts and Music. She has collaborated with visual artists, dancers, writers, theatre directors in creating embodied interpretations of classical music. Tumarkin sings in more than a dozen languages. In September she’s honoured to be performing Ukrainian folk songs at the Sydney Opera House’s Antidote Festival and to be part of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Compassion’.

Lily Ward is a soprano currently in the final year of her bachelor’s degree in Music and Politics, Philosophy and Economics and the Australian National University in Canberra. Originally from Hobart, Tasmania, her love of classical voice began with Bel Canto Australia under the guidance of Susanne Ortuso at the age of 11. During this time, she performed in numerous concerts and eisteddfods, as well as radio programs for the ABC and 3mbs Fine Radio. In Canberra, Lily has learned from Cheryl Barker-Wright, Peter Coleman-Wright and Marta Nowicka. Her recent performance experience includes eisteddfods and concerts, in addition to playing the roles of Papagena in Die Zauberflöte and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro with National Opera. Lily is excited to see where her singing career will take her and is looking forward to pursuing many more roles in operas.

Born in Korea, Younji Yi is a soprano with a warm tone and colorful technique who has received a Bachelor's degree from the Korea National University of Arts in Seoul and worked with Professor Young-mi Kim. In recognition of her skills at the Korea National University of Arts, she played the leading role of Servilia in 'La clemenza di Tito, Susanna in 'Le Nozze di Figaro', and Rosalinde in 'Die Fledermaus', and received numerous scholarships. She has won many competitions in Korea. She won the prize at Korea Vocal Music Competition, Sunchang Music Competition, and Suri Music Competition, and she won the prize at Wollongong Eisteddfod competition in Australia. She also worked for the Gwangmyeong City Choir in Korea. She has also appeared in prestigious concert venues in South Korea Sejong Performing Arts Centre, Seoul Arts Centre in Seoul. After that, she came to Australia and entered the Sydney Conservatorium, where she is studying her Masters degree with Professor Rowena Cowley.

Bianca Bacchiella is a Soprano from regional North Queensland studying a Bachelor of Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, under the tutelage of Anke Höppner. She is also an accomplished instrumentalist with many years of orchestral experience behind her in both Bassoon and Violin having played with many conductors from Australia and overseas. Bianca has also studied French and Italian language for five years.

In 2018, Bianca performed the operatic role of Melia in Apollo et Hyacinthus (Mozart) and was in the chorus of L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Ravel). She was recently the recipient of the Farleigh Senior Vocal Scholarship at the Cowra Eisteddfod and has been a finalist in the Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition and other competitions. Bianca is a very passionate musician with goals of furthering her studies abroad.

Matthew is a 24-year-old baritone from Perth, currently studying on a scholarship with Robert Dean at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Also as an avid pianist, Matthew was the recipient of the Silver Anniversary Prize for the Evelyn and Ralph Thompson Scholarship and also the winner of the Royal Overseas League Singing Competition. In 2018/19 Matthew has been involved with many of the Guildhall’s projects which include Spanish, Italian and Lied concerts, operatic scenes singing the roles of Don Giovanni, Belcore (L’elisir d’amore) and Billy Budd also debuting at Wigmore Hall in a Schubertiade with Graham Johnson.

He debuted the role of Motor Cop in Dead Man Walking for the UK premiere opposite Joyce Didonato. Back home in Australia over the last few ‘summer breaks’ he has performed with the Western Australian Opera Chorus in their productions of L’elisir d’amore, The Merry Widow, Carmen and Sweeney Todd.

Josi Ann Ellem, from Sydney, Australia, is a soprano in her final year of masters in opera performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under Maree Ryan AM. In her undergraduate studies, she was a soloist with the Sydney Conservatorium’s Orchestras in Handel’s Israel in Egypt(2016), Mozart’s Grosse Messe (2017) and with the Opera School as Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (2017). During her postgraduate studies, she sang La Journaliste in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tiresias (2018), Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (2018), L’Enfant in Ravel’sL’Enfant et les Sortileges (2019) and will sing Sandrina (Marchioness Violante Onesti) in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera later this year.

She recently performed as the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaroin Berlin as part of Berlin Opera Academy’s 2019 OPERNFEST season. She was a semi-finalist for the IFAC Handa Australian Singing competition in 2018 and was the Soprano Soloist for the City of Sydney’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah at Sydney Town Hall.

Stella Hannock is a young mezzo-soprano currently in her final year at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She is studying a Bachelor of Music (Performance) in classical voice with Dr Rowena Cowley. Stella is pleased to hold an Associate Young Artist position with Pacific Opera for 2019, throughout which she has performed as a featured artist at the Utzon Room- Sydney Opera House, Independent Theatre, and Chatswood Concourse with Willoughby Symphony Orchestra. She recently performed the role of Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro with Prague Summer Nights Festival at The Estates Theatre.

Stella’s other operatic appearances include Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, and Une Grosse Dame in Les Mamelles de Tiresias with the Sydney Conservatorium, as well as the Spiegeltent production of I Pagliacci. Recent orchestral engagements include the role of Ma Moss in an excerpt of Copland’s opera The Tender Land with the Sydney Conservatorium Wind Symphony.

Rebecca Hart is a young French/Australian mezzo-soprano, currently a Young Artist with Pacific Opera. She holds a Bachelor of Music and a Graduate Diploma in Music (Opera Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where she received the Dr. Harris Philip Greenberg and Olav Gurney-Jensen Scholarship, and the Patricia Lucas Music Achievement Scholarship.

Roles include Radamisto in Handel’s Radamisto, Prince Orlofsky in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Ramiro in Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera, Apollo in Mozart’s Apollo and Hyacinthus, Third Spirit in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Endimione in Cavalli’s La Calisto and Lady Jane in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience. Concert repertoire includes Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Bach’s Missa Brevis in A Major, Handel’s Messiah, Jenkins’ The Armed Man, Mozart’s Requiem, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

Clare is a New Zealand coloratura soprano studying with Jane Irwin at the Royal Northern College of Music, generously supported by the Waverly Fund, the Anne Reid Memorial Trust, an Anne Bellam Scholarship, and a Graduate Women NZ Fellowship. She graduated MMus and BMus (Hons) in performance, both with first class honours from the University of Auckland. Roles include Madame Herz (Der Schauspieldirektor), Le Feu (L’enfant et les sortilèges), and Israelitish Woman (Judas Maccabeus).

Her performance of Annea Lockwood’s I give you back received excellent reviews, with the NZ Herald noting that “Clare Hood’s vocal work in the edgy ‘I give you back’, dazzled with its many shades of speech and song”. For RNCM Opera, she has sung Madam Wanton (The Pilgrim’s Progress) – with Opera magazine’s review noting a “delicious cameo from Clare Hood as Madam Wanton” – and later this year, she will sing Madame Lidoine (Dialogues des Carmélites).

Chloe Lankshear is a Canberra soprano who is currently studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under the guidance of Simon Lobelson. In 2017, Chloe made her debut with Song Company for multiple programs including the premier of Australian Composer, Alice Chance’s song cycle ‘Fiat Lux’. In 2018, Chloe made her debut opera performance with South Australia State Opera in their production of Brett Dean’s ‘Hamlet’ for the Adelaide Festival.

In March this year Chloe performed a selection of early chamber music under the direction of Erin Helyard as part of Judith Neilson’s ‘Pheonix Central Park’ performance and recording series at Dangrove Arts Facility, and in the following months she performed as a featured soloist in a range of programs including R. V William’s ‘Sea Symphony’ alongside Baritone David Greco (Canberra) and, G. F Handel’s ‘L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato ‘ (Sydney). Chloe hopes to specialise in historically informed music practices and contemporary chamber music and opera in future postgraduate studies.

A previous Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist, Tongan Tenor, Manase has performed and covered roles such as Spoletta from Tosca, Nemorino from Elixir of Love, the Defendant in Trial by Jury and Parpignol in La Boheme with NZ Opera. He is an alumni of the University of Auckland completing his Bachelor of Music with First Class Honors under the tutorledge of Dr. Te Oti Rakena. In 2015, Manase was awarded the Iosefa Enari Memorial Scholarship presented by Creative NZ.

He is a current member of the Kiri Programme, an initiative by the Kiri Te Kanawa foundation set to prepare young singers for the operatic stage. Manase was a finalist for the Lexus Song Quest competition in 2018 and won the NZ Aria Competition that same year. He has recently won the Dame Malvina Major Napier Aria Competition and is preparing for further study at The Royal College of Music in London.

A recent graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Brisbane-based bass Henry Pinder maintains a busy performing schedule both locally and interstate. Henry began performing in the Opera Queensland children’s chorus in 2004 at the age of ten. Soon thereafter, Henry moved to Vienna to become the first Australian member of the Vienna Boys’ Choir, with whom he toured extensively and performed under the batons of several renowned conductors.

Henry commenced his undergraduate music studies at Queensland Conservatorium in 2015 as a pupil of Associate Professor Margaret Schindler. Henry performed several leading roles in Conservatorium operas, including the Speaker in Mozart’s Magic Flute, Superintendent Budd in Britten’s Albert Herring and the Drunken Poet in Purcell’s Fairy Queen. In 2018 Henry created the role of Joseph in the world premiere of Paul Dean’s opera Dry River Run. Henry hopes to continue expanding his repertoire and embark on an international performing career.

Samson Setu is a bass-baritone who is currently based in Auckland, New Zealand. A proud Samoan who was born and raised in Manurewa, South Auckland. Samson is currently under the tutelage of Dr. Te Oti Rakena. Samson is currently a Freemason’s New Zealand Opera artist and was a former Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist for 2018. As an emerging artist Setu was given the opportunity to understudy and rehearsal cover for roles during the New Zealand Opera, 2018 season.

Samson’s most recent accomplishments include winning the annual Dame Sister Mary Leo scholarship from the annual NZ Opera School. In conjunction with this award, he was also awarded the Guy and Sue Haddleton Scholarship award. Samson has recently accepted a position to study at the Royal College of Music in London, starting in September of 2019.

Soprano Zoe Drummond is currently completing an Artist Masters of Opera Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Zoe was honoured to be awarded the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Melba Trust Scholarship, the Opera Foundation for Young Australians 2016 Lady Fairfax New York Scholarship, and second place in the 2016 Mietta Song Competition. Recent performances include Susan in A Dinner Engagement (Guildhall Opera Studio), Giroflé/Girofla in Two Weddings One Bride (Opera Australia), Architects Daughter in The Eighth Wonder (Opera Australia), Nightingale in The Sleeping Beauty (Victorian Opera) and covered Soeur Constance in Dialogues des Carmélites (Guildhall Opera Studio).
She also enjoyed performing with the Opera Australia Chours for the 2017 Summer and Winter seasons, and international tours with The Seven Sopranos. Zoe is looking forward to performing Despina in Cosi fan tutte and Titania in A Midsummer Nights Dream with the Guildhall Opera Studio.

Josi Ann Ellem is a young Soprano from Sydney, Australia studying a Masters of Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under the tutelage of Maree Ryan (AM). She graduated a Bachelor of Music Performance in Voice (2017) with a high distinction. The institution has awarded her the Geoffrey William Rothwell (2013), Estivo Summer Program in Verona (2017), Demant Dreikurs for Excellence in Lieder (2017, 2018) and Bud Brown (2018) Scholarships. During her undergraduate studies Josi had the opportunity to perform as a featured soloist with the Conservatorium’s choirs and orchestras in Handel’s “Israel In Egypt” (2016), Mozart’s “Grosse Messe” (2017) and with the Opera School as Papagena in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” (2017).
This year she will perform as Zerlina In Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” with the Opera School. She also performs regularly as a soloist in concert with the St James King Street choir both locally and internationally. Josi intends to continue exploring opera, lieder and sacred music in the future.

Sydney born baritone Tristan Entwistle completed a Masters of Music Studies (Opera Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2017 under Ms Maree Ryan, where he was awarded the Bud Brown Memorial and Patricia Lucas Music Achievement Scholarships. Tristan is a founding member and artistic advisor of the Sydney-based youth company, Operantics, and has worked with them as a performer, director, conductor and chorusmaster since their maiden production in 2015.
His operatic roles include Escamillo (Carmen), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Nardo (La Finta Giardiniera), Barone Douphol (La Traviata), Dottor Grenvil (La Traviata), Dr Falke (Die Fledermaus), Elder McLean (Susannah), Edmund Bertram (Mansfield Park), Old Yue (Chang’E and the Moon), Giove (La Calisto), the Drunken Poet/Corydon (The Fairy Queen), and Giuseppe Palmieri (The Gondoliers).

Cleo has been the proud recipient of the Joseph Sambrook Opera Scholarship with Melba Opera Trust since 2017. She performed the role of Gretel in Victorian Opera’s Hansel and Gretel in both the 2018 season and the 2017 Victorian regional tour. Cleo was a soloist with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has featured as a soloist on ABC Classic FM multiple times, including in celebration of International Women’s Day. Cleo holds a Bachelor of Music with Honours from the University of Melbourne, majoring in Performance.
Cleo received a number of scholarships during her tertiary studies, including Runner-Up of the Acclaim Awards Sleath Lowrey Scholarship, the Athenaeum Club Female Solo Vocalist Prize, and the Muriel Cheek, Mona McCaughey, and Florence Bradford Scholarships, and was joint winner of the Harold Fisher Memorial Opera Scholarship. In 2017 Cleo was a finalist in Opera Scholars Australia’s Scholar of the Year competition.

Katherine is a soprano from New Zealand, studying for a Masters in Vocal Studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, under Yvonne Kenny. She holds a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours from the New Zealand School of Music, and was a Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist with New Zealand Opera for 2015/16. She has been selected for development programmes with the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation and the Dame Malvina Major Foundation, was a Britten-Pears Young Artist at the Aldeburgh Festival, and won the Wellington Aria Competition in 2015.
She recently made her Barbican debut with the small role of Sister Catherine in the UK première of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Her roles include the Governess in The Turn of the Screw, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Giulietta in I Capuleti e I Montecchi, and Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro.

Nicole is an undergraduate student currently in her fourth and final year of her Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice at WAAPA under the tutelage of Fiona McAndrew. Nicole has been performing for fourteen years and began her classical training aged fifteen with Jennifer Turnbull of Charmaine Gibbs Studios in Nicole’s hometown of Wollongong, NSW. At WAAPA, Nicole has gained varied performance experience as a soloist in Operas such as Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Poulenc’s Les mamelles des Tirésias. She will be performing the role of Madame de la Haltière in Massenet’s Cendrillon this October.
Nicole won an inaugural WAAPA scholarship to Melbourne International Festival of Art Song and Lieder (MIFLAS) to study and perform with Dr Graham Johnson.Nicole is most honoured to be selected as a semi-finalist and plans to pursue postgraduate studies in the U.K in the near future.

Sydney soprano Georgia Melville is in her final year of a Bachelor of Music (Performance) in Voice at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music studying with Ms. Maree Ryan AM, where she is a current recipient of the Chapple-Bremner Award Scholarship. In July 2017, Georgia was given a full scholarship to the ESTIVO Chamber Music Festival in Verona, Italy.
Her performed operatic roles include ‘La dame élégante’ in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias, ‘Second Fairy’ in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, ‘Second Witch’ and ‘Spirit’ in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and ‘Corridon’ in Handel’s Acis & Galatea. Georgia is also a seasoned soloist in concert. Notable engagements include performing as the soprano soloist in James Humberstone’s Requiem in 2017, Haydn’s The Creation in 2016 and Mozart’s Requiem conducted by Richard Gill OAM in 2013 at Sydney Town Hall. Georgia hopes to pursue her love of singing with postgraduate studies in the near future.

Pasquale graduated with First Class Honours in Classical Voice in 2017, under the guidance of Jenny Wollerman and Margaret Medlyn. She is currently studying for her Masters of Musical Arts in Classical Voice at Wellington’s New Zealand School of Music. Her goal is to ultimately further her studies abroad. Pasquale is a keen dancer and holds her NZAMD Licentiate diplomas for Jazz, Tap and Hip-Hop, and her Trinity LTCL diploma in Performance Arts. In 2017 Pasquale debuted as Mercedes in Carmen with NZ Festival Opera, starred as the Vixen in NZSM’s The Cunning Little Vixen, played Susanna in Eternity Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro, and sang in the NZ Opera Chorus for Carmen.
She is an alumni of both the IFAC Handa NZ Singing School and the NZ Opera School. Pasquale is passionate about all aspects of performance, living for the stage and strives to captivate her audience.

Mezzo-soprano Xenia Puskarz Thomas began her formal studies with her mentor Margaret Baker Genovesi at 16 years of age. She is currently completing the honours year of a Bachelor of Music at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, under the tutelage of Dr. Margaret Schindler. At the Conservatorium, she has performed excerpts from Mozart’s Idomeneo as Idamante and recently Le Prince Charmant from Massenet’s Cendrillon. In September 2017, Xenia sang the name role of L’Enfant from Ravel’s L’Enfant et Les Sortilèges. Her Conservatorium awards include the Sir Mostyn Hanger Opera Award, Donald Penman Prize for Voices in Combination, the Linda Edith Allen Undergraduate Award and the Barbara Hebden Music Bursary.
Recent professional engagements include performing with the Camerata of St John’s in the 2017 Tyalgum Music Festival and in their Helpmann nominated “Home” concert. She was also invited to represent Australia in the 2017 Australia-Chinese Film Festival in Wuhan, China.

New Zealand soprano, Sophie Sparrow, grow up in Whangarei performing in local shows. Now with a Bachelor of Music with first class honors in Classical Performance and a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting from the University of Otago, countless performances and achievements under her belt, Sophie will start her international training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in September. Sophie has been seen placing in Dame Malvina Major Foundation Aria Competitions around the country, guest artist at Opera in the Garden in Whangarei, soloist in oratorio works, and performing with New Zealand Opera and Opera Otago.
Last year she attended the inaugural Dame Malvina Major Foundation Opera Studies programme, in association with New Zealand Opera, and was a finalist in the New Zealand Aria Competition performing with maestro Johannes Fritzsch and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Sophie is the recipient of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Auckland/Waikato Arts Excellence Award, The Wallace Foundation Grant, and Auckland Opera Studio Training.

Mezzo soprano Shakira Tsindos was a Developing Artist with Victorian Opera, the recipi-ent of the Joseph Sambrook Opera Scholarship with the Melba Opera Trust and a finalist in the Opera Scholars Australia Scholar of the Year competition, all in 2016. Last year, Shakira made her European debut with the Mediterranean Opera Festival (Sicily) in the role of Dorabella in Così Fan Tutte and was named the joint recipient of the 2017 Acclaim Awards Fellowship. This year, Shakira performs the role of Agatha The Cat in By the Light of the Moon for Opera Australia following recent performances as the Possum in Victorian Opera’s The Magic Pudding – The Opera.
Further roles with Victorian Opera include; Dorothée in Cendrillon, Alisa in Lucia di Lam-mermoor, Mrs Mayor in The Pied Piper, Mum in The Grumpiest Boy in the World, Ministrel in Laughter and Tears, and Il Cucolo in La bella dormente nel bosco.

Damian is the proud recipient of the 2017 Eleanor Blakemore Opera Society Scholarship as part of the Melba Opera Trust. A finalist in the Australian Singing Competition, Damian also won the Wollongong Eisteddfod Aria and Cowra Eisteddfod Aria competitions. In 2015, he debuted with Opera Australia Schools Company in their adaptation of Rossini’s La Cenerentola. Other roles include Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart in Mozart and Salieri and the Tenor Lover in Il Tabarro. His concert experience includes Handel’s Messiah, Gounod’s St Cecilia Mass, Haydn’s Paukenmesse and Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, Damian most recently performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and attended the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School.
In 2017 Damian is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the Meitar Opera Studio in Israel, including performing scenes from Pelléas et Mélisande

Livia is a Young Artist with Pacific Opera. She holds a Masters of Music Studies (Opera) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she was the recipient of the Geoffrey Rothwell Scholarship and the Joan Bonamy Scholarship, studying under the tutelage of Maree Ryan AM.
Livia has performed as a soloist for diplomatic and vice-regal events, performing for General Sir Peter Cosgrove, Dame Quentin Bryce, Malcolm Turnbull, and ambassadors for the United States and Japan.
Her operatic credits have included Fiordiligi (Cosí fan tutte), Titania (The Fairy Queen), Eurydice (Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo), Nancy Waters (Albert Herring), La Maestra delle Novizie (Suor Angelica), as well as numerous roles in contemporary works. Livia will be the female soloist in Theodorakis’ Canto General at City Recital Hall and will perform the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni for Opera Hunter this year.”

Lyric-baritone, Daniel Carison is one of Australia’s most promising young singers. A graduate from The Conservatorium of Music Melbourne, Daniel is the winner of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Aria Compeition and one of the inaugural winners of 3MBS’ The Talent. In 2017 Daniel is a third-time recipient of the Paulette Bisley and Ruskin Opera awards with the Melba Opera Trust. Some of his most celebrated performances include Schubert’s Winterreise (2015) Schwanengesang (2016) and his live to air performance of Schumann’s Dichterliebe (2014). Operatic credits include, Balthazar (The Play of Herod – Victorian Opera), Pandolfe (Cendrillon – Victorian Opera), The Mayor (The Pied Piper – Victorian Opera) and most recently his role and international debut as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with the Malaysian Philharmonic.
In 2017 Daniel will complete the final chapter of his Schubert trilogy with a number of performances of Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin throughout Melbourne.

Paull-Anthony made his principal debut with West Australian Opera (WAO) in Gianni Schicchi while he was the 2016 Wesfarmers Young Artist. He recently appeared as Sciarrone in company’s production of Tosca while continuing as a member of the Young Artist Programme.
Paull-Anthony’s other operatic credits include Leporello in Don Giovanni, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Frank in Die Fledermaus, Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Pasquale in Orlando Paladino and Don Andronico in Don Procopio.
Paull-Anthony Keightley is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).
Upcoming engagements include Baritone soloist in Faure’s Requiem with WASO, Bass Soloist in Bach’s Cantata BWV. 147 with Perth Symphonic Chorus, Colline in La Bohème with Freeze Frame Opera and Zuniga in Carmen with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

Jae (Joseph) is currently in his final year of the Bachelor of Music Performance (Classical Voice) course at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Jae has received multiple scholarships and awards including the Helens Myer Scholarship at the Con, and winning the “Rising Star Opera Award” and the “German Lied” sections from the Ryde Eisteddfod in 2016. Later this year, he will be a participant in having Master Classes with Dr. Graham Johnson, and Dennis O’Neill, at the WAAPA International Art Song Academy.
Jae has gained performance experience by participating in multiple Sydney Conservatorium Productions: as the Quartet’s Bass in English Eccentrics (2015), as a soloist in the Mass – A Theatre Piece (2015) at the Sydney Opera House, as Shylock/Father Time in The Passing Show of 2016 (2016) and understudying the role of Don Alfonso for Cosi fan tutte (2016).
Jae’s future plans include pursuing a Masters course in Australia/Europe next year, while auditioning for Young Artist Programmes and continuing to learn the Italian/German language

Lauren Lodge-Campbell studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London with Janice Chapman and Yvonne Kenny. Lauren previously studied at the Queensland Conservatorium with Margaret Schindler.
Since moving to London, Lauren has won several prizes including the Cheltenham Bach Choir Competition, and the Susan Longfield Prize and the Franz Schubert Institut Lieder competition, both at the Guildhall School. The latter awarded her a full scholarship to study at the Franz Schubert Institut in Austria in summer 2016.
In 2016 Lauren made her Barbican Hall debut with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle in the role of the Princess in the world premiere of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ opera The Hogboon.
A keen recitalist, Lauren is a member of the Guildhall Song Guild, directed by Graham Johnson. She has performed in recital at the Barbican Hall and the Wigmore Hall, and in masterclasses with such artists as Dame Emma Kirkby, Dame Felicity Lott and Elly Ameling.
Lauren is kindly supported by The Carpenters’ Company, the Kathleen Trust and the Australia Day Foundation UK Trust.

Imogen – Faith Malfitano recently completed her Masters in Music Studies (Opera Performance) at The Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Here, she was awarded multiple scholarships, including the prestigious ESTIVO program in Italy and an Internship with Opera Australia.
In 2016, Imogen performed the soprano solo in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (SCM), was a finalist in The Opera Foundation’s Lady Fairfax New York Scholarship, Joan Sutherland Memorial Award and reserve finalist in the Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship. She was also awarded an encouragement prize from the Bel Canto Foundation as well as the honour of singing in Maestro Richard Bonynge’s 2016 Masterclass.
Opera experience includes; Susannah (Floyd: Susannah), Titania (Purcell: The Fairy Queen), Mme Silberklang (Mozart: Der Schauspieldirektor), Miss Tylney Long (Williamson: English Eccentrics), and soloist (Bernstein: Mass) Sydney Opera House. Imogen has broadcast for Fine Music 102.5 and in 2015, was a featured soloist for the Sydney Mozart Society.

Filipe Manu holds a BMus and a PGDip with Distinction from the University of Waikato where he studied under the direction of Dame Malvina Major. A former Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist with the New Zealand Opera Company, Filipe has achieved notable success in aria competitions nationally, a recent highlight being in the prestigious Lexus Song Quest and NZ Aria, in which he was placed 2nd for both. Alongside balancing a busy performance schedule across the country, Filipe works as a volunteer for the Duffy Foundation “Books in Schools” project and is honoured to be one of the inaugural singers in the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Singers’ Development programme.
In September of this year, Filipe will commence studies at the Guildhall School of Music in London in the Opera Studies stream where he will learn from Yvonne Kenny.

Katherine holds a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours in Classical Performance Voice from the New Zealand School of Music, where she studied under Jenny Wollerman and Richard Greager. She was a Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist with New Zealand Opera for 2015/16, and is a member of the inaugural Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Singer Development Programme.
She won the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Wellington Aria Competition in 2015, has performed with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra as a finalist in the New Zealand Aria Competition for the past three years, and has attended the New Zealand Opera School four times. She recently played Tatyana in Eugene Onegin for Days Bay Opera, and has been selected for the 2017 Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme at the Aldeburgh Festival in Suffolk.
In September, she will begin a Masters at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, studying under Yvonne Kenny.

Mezzo-soprano Shikara Ringdahl is a recent graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and holds a Bachelor of Music. During her time, there she performed in a range of operatic roles, the most notable being Mrs Herring in Britten’s Albert Herring, directed by Bruce Beresford in 2016.
Last year Shikara was selected to participate in the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School on the Cathryn Mittleheuser Full Scholarship. During this time, she was able to work with coaches and conductors from the Metropolitan Opera and Royal Opera House, as well as perform with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
Shikara also co-founded the Revival House Project, an art song meets contemporary film project that fully crowd funded a tour to Vienna, Berlin, and Munich, to work with esteemed coaches from opera houses such as the Wiener Staatsoper. She will be performing Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder later this year as part of this project.

Natasha Wilson was born and raised in Auckland, and is of Maori and European heritage. Natasha studied at the University of Auckland, graduating with a MusB (Hons) majoring in classical vocal performance with first class honours in 2016. Natasha made her professional debut with New Zealand Opera in 2017, as a member of the company for their touring production of The Mikado. Natasha was involved in workshops of Tim Finn’s upcoming opera, Star Navigator, in the role of Purea, also through NZ Opera. Other operatic roles include Ilia: Idomeneo (University of Auckland, ‘Opera Scenes’, 2015), Belinda: Dido and Aeneas, Rusalka: Rusalka (University of Auckland, ‘Opera Scenes’, 2016).
Natasha is making her professional, international debut with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, performing as the Soprano soloist in their ‘Spanish Baroque’ concert series in May this year.
Natasha enjoys the support of the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation as member of their ‘Kiri programme’, a mentoring programme initiated by the foundation to foster the next generation of New Zealand’s operatic voices.

Sarah has a Graduate Diploma in Music (Opera Performance) and Master of Music Studies (Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney.

In 2016 Sarah was named a Pacific Opera Young Artist. She was one of only three recipients of the 2015 Sydney Opera House Opera Award which granted her the opportunity to participate in the Renée Fleming Masterclass. That same year Sarah was the runner up of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Aria Competition and winner of the Lieder section at the Hawkesbury Eisteddfod.

Sarah has gained extensive performance experience and her recent roles include Miss Tylney Long in English Eccentrics at the Con and she performed as a soloist in the MASS: A Theatre Piece at the Sydney Opera House.

In the future Sarah hopes to audition for Young Artist Programmes in the United States and Europe while continuing her training in the key European languages.

Morgan holds a Bachelor of Music in Advanced Performance in Classical Voice from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.

Over the course of her singing career she has been awarded many scholarships and prizes including the 2015 Amelia Joscelyne Memorial Scholarship from the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust. Morgan was a Finalist in the 2015 Bel Canto Award and 2015 Lady Fairfax Scholarship among several other major competitions. Also in 2015 she was awarded a Hawaii Performing Arts Festival Professional Fellowship.

She has most recently performed in Purcell’s King Arthur and as a soloist in the Vivaldi’s Gloria both at the 2016 Brisbane Baroque Festival. She has worked with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Antipodes and Queensland Conservatorium Chamber Orchestra. Morgan has also appeared at a host of chamber music events including the Port Fairy Music Festival and later in 2016 will be appearing at the Coriole Music Festival.

Morgan has been invited to audition for several graduate programmes in the USA and hopes to commence those studies late in 2016.

In 2015, Anastasia completed the final year of her Bachelor of Music (Classical Voice) at the Queensland Conservatorium, and graduated with straight High Distinctions in both languages and voice. Anastasia is an accomplished linguist listing German, French, Italian and Russian in her catalogue of spoken languages.

She was a Semi-Finalist in the 2015 Australian Singing Competition where she won the inaugural Judith Ward Lieder Scholarship. Also in 2015, Anastasia expanded her performance experience appearing as “Hansel” in Michael Gow’s Hansel and Gretel and as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah for the Queensland Bach Society. Upcoming roles include “Florence Pike” in Albert Herring directed by Bruce Beresford and appearances as a soloist at the 2016 Brisbane Baroque Festival.

Anastasia is currently enrolled in a Certificate of Music Studies in Opera at the Queensland Conservatorium and plans to continue post-graduate studies during 2016 and 2017 before auditioning for Young Artist Programmes in Europe.

Eliza is currently completing a Post-Graduate Certificate in Opera Studies at the University of Waikato. In 2015 she obtained a Bachelor of Music with 1st Class Honours also from the University of Waikato.

Eliza was the winner of the 2016 Dame Sister Mary Leo Scholarship at the NZ Opera School. In 2015 she was the winner of both the Dunedin Aria Competition and the Te Awamutu Aria Competition. In that same year Eliza played “Leatitia” in The Old Maid and the Thief and in 2016 appeared as the “Countess” in Le Nozze di Figaro both at the University of Waikato.

Later this year Eliza will be taking part in the inaugural Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Singers’ Development Programme and plans to audition for NZ Opera’s Emerging Artists Programme. She also hopes to apply for various Masters Programmes in both America and Europe for commencement mid-2017.

Fleuranne holds a Bachelor of Music (Classical Performance) from the University of Western Australia.

She is a 2016 Developing Artist with Victorian Opera and over the course of her singing career has won several prizes and scholarships including the 2014 Prichard Panizza Award and the 2014 Wagner Society of Western Australia Scholarship.


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Jarvis Dams has a Master of Music and a Bachelor of Music with Honours from the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand.

From 2014-2015 he was a Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist with New Zealand Opera.

In 2016 Jarvis has performed extensively with New Zealand Opera, performing in Tosca, Madama Butterfly and La Cennerentola. He has worked with Haken Hagegard and Renée Fleming in Masterclasses held in 2015 and 2016 respectively. He also secured several excellent roles at the 2013 Astoria Music Festival in Oregon, USA. Upcoming engagements include a role in The Magic Flute and chorus work for Nixon in China and Otello all with New Zealand Opera.

Jarvis hopes to pursue a Masters in Europe or the United States in 2016/17.

Zoe has a Bachelor of Music Performance (Voice) with 1st Class Honours from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney.

In 2016 Zoe was named a Melba Opera Trust Scholar and was the recipient of the Dame Nellie Melba Scholarship and Patrick & Vivian Gordon Award. Zoe has considerable performance experience, most recently appearing with Opera Prometheus as “Son” in Monsoon and as “Monica” in The Medium. She has also worked as a soloist with various companies including the Sydney Philharmonia Choir and Orchestra.

Zoe’s goals include the completion of a Masters at Die Universität der Künste in Berlin as well as auditioning for Young Artist Programmes and Opera Studios.

Frederick is currently completing a Masters in Advanced Vocal Technique at the Wales International Academy of Voice. He previously obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Operatic Performance with Distinction, and a Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance (Voice) both from the Te Koki New Zealand School of Music.

His most recent engagement was in Day’s Bay Opera’s production of Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier and he has appeared as a soloist in various productions including Ainadamar with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in the 2014 New Zealand Festival and Il corsaro for the New Zealand School of Music.

Later this year and upon completing his studies Frederick hopes to attend the National Opera Studio or another of the prestigious programmes on offer in the UK.

Originally from Tasmania but based in Sydney, Nicholas has a Bachelor of Music (Voice) from the University of Melbourne.

Nicholas is the 2016 Wright-Smith Scholar with the Melba Opera Trust and a 2016 Young Artist with Pacific Opera. His most recent engagements were in the 2016 Brisbane Baroque Festival, where he was invited to perform for the third year in a row. He has also performed in the 2013 and 2014 Hobart Baroque festivals, where he appeared in solo recitals and understudied the role of “Medoro” in the festival’s centrepiece opera, Orlando. Nicholas has also extensive experience as a concert and oratorio singer.

In the future Nicholas hopes to pursue a Masters degree from a university in Europe or Scandinavia before auditioning for major international companies.

Sarah has a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney.

Sarah was a Young Artist with Pacific Opera in 2015 and also attended the 2015 ESTIVO European Chamber Music Summer School. In 2014 Sarah was the winner of the Sydney Eisteddfod Joan Sutherland Memorial Senior Vocal Scholarship (21-25). Sarah has performed roles such as “Fox” in The Cunning Little Vixen and “Papagena” in The Magic Flute both for Pacific Opera and was “Barbarina” in The Marriage of Figaro for Opera New England.

At the end of 2016, Sarah plans to conduct a study, coaching and audition tour in Europe before commencing her Masters degree either here or overseas.

Damian has a Bachelor of Music Performance (Voice) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

In 2014, he was specially selected to represent the Conservatorium at the inaugural Estivo Summer School in Verona, Italy. That same year Damian was the winner of the Male Voices (21-25 years) in the McDonald’s Sydney Eisteddfod.

In 2013, he was a Pacific Opera Young Artist and has gone on to gain extensive performance experience. Damian has frequently appeared as a soloist for various organisations including the Penrith Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choir and the Sydney Schubert Society.

In 2015, Damian secured his first role with Opera Australia as ‘Rolan’ in their schools-touring production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola. Other recent roles include Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart in Mozart and Salieri by Rimsky-Korsakov, Hugo in Offenbach's Love By Lanternlight, The Tenor Lover in Puccini's Il Tabarro and Edward in Trial by Jury. Damian hopes to pursue a Masters in Opera Performance in Europe in 2016.

Ingrid Davidson Award
Istituto Italiano Di Cultura Award

An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, Anastasia was accepted to study a Bachelor of Music (Classical Voice) at the Queensland Conservatorium where she is now in her final year. Anastasia is also an accomplished linguist listing German, French, Italian and Russian in her catalogue of spoken languages.

In 2014, she was a Finalist in the National Liederfest where she also won the prize for Best German Diction. She has performed as a soloist for the likes of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic and has performed several lead roles, most recently in Queensland Conservatorium’s production of Hansel and Gretel. Earlier this year Anastasia sang the alto solo in Handel’s “Ode to St Cecilia” and “Ständchen (Zögernd leise)” with Chordiality and will soon perform in the Messiah with the Bach Society of Queensland.

Once she has completed her bachelor degree, Anastasia plans to complete a Masters Degree at the Queensland Conservatorium. She also hopes to spend more time studying and living in Europe in the future, where she will have the opportunity to receive vocal coaching and to further improve her repertoire of languages.

AOAC Judith Ward Lieder Scholarship

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Voice from the Victorian College of Arts, Melbourne Conservatorium. Over the course of her singing career she has been awarded many scholarships and prizes including the Amelia Joscelyne Scholarship with Melba Opera Trust in both 2013 and 2014. In 2012 she was a semi-finalist in the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award, and a semi-finalist in the Herald Sun aria.

In 2015, Rebecca will covering the role of ‘foreign princess’ from Dvorak’s Czech opera Rusalka with Melbourne opera company XLArts and performing Santuzza in a Cavalleria Rusticana/Contrabandista double bill with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society. In late 2015 Rebecca will appear in the chorus of Opera Australia for the Sydney and Melbourne seasons of L’elisir D’amore. In 2014 Rebecca played the role of stepsister ‘Clorinda’ in Opera Australia’s touring-schools company of La Cenerentola. Rebecca hopes to enter a Young Artist Program in London in 2016.

Radzyminski Family Prize

The youngest entrant this year, Annika is nevertheless an experienced performer who has been on stage since the age of ten. Currently in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Music (Advanced Performance) at Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium, she made her professional debut this year singing in La Boite Theatre’s adaptation of Medea, and is employed as a soprano in the Cathedral Schola of St. Stephen’s.

Most recently Annika performed the lead role ‘Virtu’ in Val Machin Opera Scenes’ production of L’incoronazione di Poppea. Annika has also appeared all over Queensland as part of the duet ensemble “ELAN Sopranos” which she formed with her sister in 2008. Her awards include the Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship, the Linda Edith Allen Undergraduate Award for Opera Studies and the Elizabeth Muir Memorial Undergraduate Award for Singing. She was a finalist in the 2015 National Liederfest where she won the Brian Hansford Award. She was the winner of Champion Light Soprano and Champion Youth Vocalist for the 2015 Queensland Eisteddfod, and was recently selected as a Finalist in the 2015 Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award.

Annika hopes to pursue postgraduate study at the Queensland Conservatorium before continuing her training overseas.

Phoebe has recently returned from the UK where she spent two and a half years completing her Masters of Music & Performance at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She previously obtained her Bachelor of Music from the University of NSW.

Performing regularly in the UK, in 2014, she was invited by Legacy to perform for the Australian High Commissioner at Australia House in London. In 2013, she was a Young Artist for both the Mid Wales Opera and the De Nederlandse Opera. Recent roles include Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro for Rockdale Opera and Mrs Gobineau in The Medium for OperaView as part of the 2014 Grimeborn Festival in London, and sung Pamina in The Magic Flute with Ryedale Festival Opera. Phoebe-Celeste joined the chorus of Grange Park Opera for the 2014 Summer season. In 2015, Phoebe made her debut with Opera Australia as part of the chorus in four separate operas.

She has performed as a soloist around the world, most recently for the Joan Sutherland Richard Bonygne Society in Sydney but previously for the WNO Opera Gala in South Wales and with the London Symphony Orchestra for their Song Day.

Jeremy has a Master of Music (Opera Performance) from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Since graduating from Victorian Opera’s Developing Artist Program in 2013, he has appeared as a principle with various opera companies, most recently for Victorian Opera in I puritani and Sweeney Todd, and in the Best Opera Helpmann Award winning Faramondo for the Brisbane Baroque Festival. In 2013, Jeremy created the role of Albert the Pudding in the Best Ensemble Green Room Award-winning cast of world premiere The Magic Pudding – The Opera.

Jeremy is also an experienced oratorio singer, having featured as bass soloist for companies including the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic, Melbourne Bach Choir, and St. Francis Church, Melbourne. Jeremy has enjoyed success in major singing competitions, most recently winning the Welsh Male Choir Singer of the Year 2014.

Jeremy is grateful to be supported by the Joseph Sambrook Opera Scholarship with the Melba Opera Trust.

Lisa Gasteen National Opera School Prize

Tabatha has recently returned from Austria where she had been completing a year of postgraduate study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg as the recipient of the Mozart Opera Institute Award in the 2012 IFAC ASC. She is a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium where she was awarded First Class Honours and the University Medal.

In 2014, she won the Mietta Song Competition with Alex Raineri and the 49th International Dvorak Singing Competition in the Czech Republic. In 2015, Tabatha is appearing with Opera Australia in the Chorus for Turandot. Principal roles with other companies have included Musetta (La Boheme), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Titania (The Fairy Queen), Suor Genovieffa (Suor Angelica), La Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro, Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), and Prilepa in Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades with Sydney Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy. She has also been a soloist with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Johannes Fritzsch and has been a regular guest artist with Brisbane contemporary music ensemble “Kupka’s Piano.” Tabatha has collaborated with several composers including Liam Flenady, Peter Clark and Gerardo Dirie.

Tabatha plans to continue her studies in Australia and overseas.

Katherine is currently completing her Honours year for a Bachelor of Music (Classical Performance – Voice) at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. In 2014, Katherine was a Finalist in the New Zealand Aria Competition and also in the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Aria Competition in Wellington. In that same year she performed in the New Zealand premiere of a chamber work for soprano, piano, and saxophone: Ellwood Derr’s I Never Saw Another Butterfly.

She has been a soprano soloist in the B Minor Mass (Bach) with the Kapiti Chorale, the title role in L'enfant et les sortilèges (Ravel) at the New Zealand School of Music, Jezebel (Mendelssohn’s Elijah) with Orchestra Wellington and Orpheus Choir, Fury (Cavalli’s La Calisto) for Days Bay Opera.

Katherine has a passion for politics, social justice, and global development and in 2013 she won the Commonwealth Essay Competition with a piece on the danger of ingrained gender inequality around the world. Katherine hopes to pursue a Masters in Voice at an overseas institution in the near future.

Tinkler Encouragement Award

Australian-born countertenor Maximilian Riebl engages in concert work and international competitions throughout Europe, Australia and the United Kingdom.

He began his professional stage career as a boy soprano at the age of ten and has since performed in concerts, operas and oratorios in the Royal Albert Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein, the Sydney Opera House, Hamer Hall and the Kammeroper.

Maximilian has worked with many of Australia's major philharmonic and baroque ensembles and a variety of consorts and baroque ensembles in Europe. His concert and operatic repertoire includes Bach's Johannes Passion, Magnificat and Mass in B minor, Handel's Messiah, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Vivaldi's Gloria, Nisi Dominus and Magnificat, Mozart's Requiem, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, John Blow's Venus and Adonis and Purcell's Fairy Queen.

He has received top prizes in some of Australia's most prestigious vocal competitions and this year he was a semi-finalist in the international London Handel Singing Competition. Maximilian is currently completing an Honours degree in History at the University of Melbourne.

Benson is a proud New-Zealand born Samoan. He was a Finalist and won second place in the 2014 Lexus Song Quest. That same year Benson completed his Bachelor of Music Honours (Vocal Performance) at the University of Auckland and was awarded the University of Auckland’s Vice-Chancellor’s Cultural Grant. He recently won first place in the 2015 Napier Aria Competition. Benson has performed as a concert soloist and in the chorus of several companies, most recently in Auckland Opera Studio’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor.

He has been a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir since 2011 and in 2013 he toured with the choir to Canada and the United States. He is a member of New Zealand Opera’s Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus for 2014.

Benson is an enthusiastic teacher and works as a vocal coach at several high schools in Auckland. Next year Benson hopes to pursue postgraduate training at one of the elite music institutions in the UK.

Kate's numerous awards in recent years include "Opera Scholar of the Year" winner, Eisteddfod By The Bay Aria winner, and the Robert Stolz Viennese Operetta Award.

Kate has a degree in Music Performance with Honours at Melbourne University and will complete postgraduate studies through the Masters of Opera degree (Performance) in conjunction with Victorian Opera; she is currently one of its Developing Young Artists. She also has a Diploma in Italian. Kate hopes to continue her studies in Europe, perhap in Salzburg, through a Young Artist Development Programme.

Kate has performed in ensemble with the Victoria Opera chorus among others. Her solo performances include the title role in 'The Red Apple' by Offenbach (Lyric Opera Melbourne, 2012) and Yum-Yum (The Mikado, Gilbert & Sullivan).

Kate’s eclectic musical interests include a huge love of Mozart, a great enjoyment in singing Viennese operetta, and an enthusiasm for musical theatre. She is also a fully qualified swimming instructor.

Lisa Gasteen National Opera School Prize
Leppington Valley Farm Gift Pack

Jessica’s engagements in recent months have included as a soloist with the Melbourne Conservatorium Choir (Carmina Burana - Orff), the Victoria Chorale (Requiem– Fauré), and at several charity recitals. Her ensemble experience includes work with Chamber-Made Opera, Bell Shakespeare, and numerous appearances with Opera Scholars Australia. As a soloist she has been broadcast on ABC Classic FM and 3MBS Radio. Her awards include the C.M. Middleton Award for an outstanding female singer (2010); Finalist, Opera in the Market (2013) and Winner, Opera Scholar of the Year (2014).

Jessica has a Bachelor of Music degree from Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and plays violin and piano in addition to singing. She is also skilled in dance. She aims to further her studies by learning several new operatic roles, participating in summer schools and competitions, auditioning for Young Artist programmes, improving her foreign language skills and stagecraft, and by studying overseas.

When not singing Jessica enjoys painting, writing, and reading novels. She is also fluent in Russian.

Tinkler Encouragement Award
Leppington Valley Farm Gift Pack

Samantha has a Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Performance (Voice) from WAAPA and is now in the process of completing a PostGraduate Diploma in Classical Voice (Opera Studies), also at WAAPA. She has also studied piano for some years. She would like to study for a Masters degree either in the UK or the US, and to apply for various Young Artist Programmes.

Samantha has participated in the Perth International Art Song Festival with Deborah Birnbaum and Graham Johnson as well as in several masterclasses, including with Lisa Gasteen.

At WAAPA Samantha’s chorus work has included Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vierne’s Les Angelus, and Elgar’s The Music Makers. Solo operatic and theatrical roles include Beth (Little Women), Hansel in (Hansel and Gretel), and Miranda in The Tempest.

Samantha enjoys comedy and her own talents include vocal impressions of singers such as Celine Dion and Britney Spears!

Leppington Valley Farm Gift Pack

Corinne is studying for the Graduate Diploma of Music (Classical Performance, Voice) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice at WAAPA and was awarded the 2013 inaugural Dame Mary Gilmore Award for the most promising overall final year female student.

Corinne’s experience includes as a soprano soloist for Lost and Found Opera Inc., Collegium Symphonic Chorus and the Gilbert & Sullivan Society in Perth, Western Australia. Ensemble work includes participation in numerous musicals and ballets, and performances with Gondwana Voices.

Corinne has to date enjoyed some study in the United States and hopes to further her studies overseas, particularly at music schools such as The Royal Academy of Music, The Juilliard School or The New England Conservatory. She also intends to participate in summer schools and festivals where possible, and to learn the Italian language to a high standard.

Corinne has dual Australian and American citizenship. She is also a highly accomplished ballerina, having studied at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Holland, and loves to teach dance.

Leppington Valley Farm Gift Pack

Jessica's awards include First Prize in the Lieder/Art Song sections of the Bathurst Eisteddfod (2013) and a place in the Finals of the Patricia Fagan Operatic Aria section at the Cowra Eisteddfod (2013). She also received a 'highly commended' accolade for her Lieder in the 2014 Sydney Eisteddfod.

Jessica graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Singing, completed with first class honours. Her diverse training has included stints in Europe as well as in Australia.

Jessica is a part of the Pacific Opera Young Artist Program (2014). She has recently worked with Opera Prometheus (2014) and Sydney Independent Opera (2014). Solo engagements have included a national broadcast of Bach’s St John Passion for ABC Classic FM (2012). She has been a freelance singer for two years. Jessica is a music tutor, and also has experience as a chorus master and conductor.

Jessica has the unusual condition of synaesthesia: she see colours when hearing sounds. She enjoys photography and painting.

Istuto Italiano di Cultura Award
Leppington Valley Farm Gift Pack

Iain’s experience in recent years has included numerous ensemble engagements with Opera Queensland and The Queensland Conservatorium of Music as well as solo work with the BBC and Queensland Symphony Orchestra. He has understudied lead roles for both Opera Queensland (Roderigo/Otello) and the Queensland Conservatorium (Rinuccio/Gianni Schicchi). Other solo engagements have included for Opera Oceana (Viva Verdi//Anywhere Theatre Festival), the Queensland Bach Society (Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II/Beethoven and Coronation Mass/Mozart) and for the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School Gala Concert.

Iain is currently studying for a Bachelor of Music degree at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. He hopes to pursue further studies in both music and the Italian language. In particular Iain would like to complete a Masters degree at a renowned music school in either the U.K. or the U.S.

Iain enjoys reading, cooking and football, and is an experienced percussionist.

Leppington Valley Farm Gift Pack

Amy is currently studying a Post Graduate Diploma in Music (Classical Voice) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, having previously completed her Bachelor of Music in the same discipline. Her musical career started at a young age, studying the violin and completeing up to grade 7 in her AMEB exams. In 2006 and 2007 she was a member of the national Australian children's choir Gondwana Voices where she performed Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at the Sydney Opera House.

During her time at WAAPA, Amy was given the Michelle Robinson Award for most outstanding first year recital and later named an upcoming young artist for the Government House Foundation's Rising Stars. She has performed on numerous occasions with the Perth Symphony Orchestra as a featured soloist and most recently was the recipient of the Open Aria and Open Musical Theatre sections of the Fremantle Eisteddfod. At WAAPA, Amy played Ariel in The Tempest, Dido in Dido and Aeneas , and this year will be playing Gretel in Hansel and Gretel as well as being a featured soloist in Songs and Sonnets .

Amy hopes to continue her vocal studies in New York with a Masters degree as she pursues her dream of singing on the international stage.

Amy also has a unique history with rhythmic gymnastics and pole vaulting, winning gold at the Australian national championships in both fields.

Radzyminski Family Prize
Leppington Valley Farm Gift Pack

Isabella has recently completed a Masters degree in Advanced Vocal Studies with Distinction, at the Wales International Academy of Voice. She gained a Bachelor of Music degree and Postgraduate Diploma (Voice Performance) from the New Zealand School of Music at Victoria University. Isabella plans to participate in several major competitions in 2014-15 and hopes to continue her studies in Europe through joining a Young Artist Programme.

Isabella's opera work includes the lead role of Gulnara in II Corsaro (Verdi). She has taken part in MasterClasses with artists such as Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Richard Bonynge, and has attended the New Zealand Opera School summer programme.

Her achievements in recent years include winning numerous regional singing competitions across New Zealand: most recently the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Christchurch Aria competition and Hamilton Competition's Premier Vocal Award. Isabella was a Finalist in the 2014 ROSL Music Competition in London and is a Finalist for NZ's 2014 Lexus Song Quest.

Isabella loves Verdi and Massenet, of whom she says, 'I wish more of Massenet's operas were put on at opera houses these days'. She enjoys going to the gym, film, and travel.

Leppington Valley Farm Gift Pack

Cristina is a Developing Artist with Victorian Opera this season and concurrently studying a Masters of Opera at the University of Melbourne. She also has a Bachelor of Arts from the same university, and has completed various courses in German and Italian.

Cristina’s experience includes oratorio and concert work. Solo engagements have included for Messiah (Handel); St Matthew Passion (Bach); Requiem (Duruflé); ‘A Grainger Celebration’ with The Consort of Melbourne. Her operatic roles include Violetta (La traviata/Verdi); Phyllis (Iolanthe/Gilbert & Sullivan) and Gretel (Hansel und Gretel/Humperdinck). She has also been in the choruses of Aida and La traviata (Verdi).

Cristina plans to further her training by receiving one to one coaching from tutors based at the major European opera houses, to audition for various opera companies, to improve her language skills still further, and to master the Bel Canto repertoire.

Cristina used to host her own radio show on Syn FM in Melbourne. She enjoys cooking, and to hoola hoop!

Leppington Valley Farm Gift Pack

Joel is currently studying for an Advanced Diploma of Opera and has attained a Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Joel’s solo experience includes singing Bach’s St John Passion as well as the role of Obadiah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah under the baton of Neil McEwan. He was invited to join Sydney Philharmonia Voices in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s concert performances of Pique Dame by Tchaikovsky. Last year Joel was a principal artist in the Sydney Conservatorium’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart as well as being a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem.

Joel will perform in Bastien und Bastienne (Mozart) with the Penrith Symphony Orchestra as well as Il Tabarro (Puccini) and L’Enfant Prodigue (Debussy) with Harbour City Opera. His concert engagements for this year will include Israel in Egypt with the Collegium Musicum at UNSW.

Joel enjoys collecting recordings of operas, symphonies and operettas as well as pop genres. He also likes cycling.

Ingrid Davidson Award
Leppington Valley Farm Gift Pack

Anna is the recipient of various awards including Winner of the Australian Music Events’ Opera Scholar of the Year (2013) and Finalist in the 3MBS Young Performer of the Year Award (2013).

She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, has completed French and German language courses, and has taken part in masterclasses with artists such as Yvonne Kenny AM and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

Her performing experience includes as a Feature Artist on Channel 10 News Melbourne and on ABC Classic FM (2013), as a soprano soloist at the British and Irish Lions’ Official Tour Ball (2013) and as a Feature Soloist for Opera in the Market (2014).

Anna plans to continue her studies at the Konservatorium Wien, Austria, where she has been accepted to undertake a Masters of Solo Singing, which will involve the development of her language, movement and stagecraft skills, among others.

Anna enjoys travel, cooking, art and photography.

Leppington Valley Farm Gift Pack

Having attained her Bachelor of Music and Postgraduate Diploma of Music at the New Zealand School of Music, Bianca is currently completing her Emerging Artist internship with New Zealand Opera. This impressive course of study is matched by a wealth of performance experience, including the role of Kate Pinkerton in NZ Opera’s Madam Butterfly, and the role of Paquette in Candide.

Bianca soon will be travelling to the United Kingdom to research masters-level study options and vocal coaches. She will return to the UK at the end of 2013 to audition for colleges there, such as The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and The Royal Academy of Music, where she hopes to complete the next phase of her career.

Parszos Prize
Running Bare Prize

Anastasia discovered her love of classical music while on a high school exchange program to Germany in 2008. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist with more than a decade’s experience playing guitar, she was later accepted to study a Bachelor of Music (Classical Voice) at the Queensland Conservatorium. She is currently completing the final year of her undergraduate degree at the University of Tasmania. She has performed both as a soloist and in choruses for the likes of the Queensland Wagner Society, and earlier this year she performed as an alto soloist with the Hobart Orpheus Choir.

Once she has completed her bachelor degree, Anastasia plans to audition for national and international summer schools. She also hopes to spend some time studying and living in Europe, where she will have the opportunity to receive vocal coaching and to improve her repertoire of languages.

Radzyminski Family Prize
Running Bare Prize

In addition to a Bachelor of Music (Performance) from the University of Melbourne, Hannah has received a number of accolades throughout her course of study, including scholarships from The Opera Studio Melbourne and the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust. She has performed with a number of choirs and ensembles, as well as having performed such operatic roles as Diana in Orpheus in the Underworld and La Messagiera in L’Orfeo.

In the near future Hannah will continue to develop all aspects of her career as a singer, studying languages, stagecraft and movement, and vocal and professional development in Australia and overseas.

2013 Finalist
Running Bare Prize

With a Bachelor of Music Performance behind him, Alexander Knight is currently completing the second year of an Advanced Diploma of Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. This course of study has given him the opportunity to improve technique, artistic interpretation, theatre skills and choreography. His recent performances include the role of Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas and the role of Uberto in La Serva Padrona.

Once completing his current qualification in Sydney Alexander plans to relocate to Berlin, where he hopes to study a Postgraduate Masters course at the Universität der Künst, before applying to the Young Artist Programmes in Berlin, Munich and Dresden.

2013 Finalist
Running Bare Prize

Edward holds a variety of formal qualifications, from a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) degree from the University of Auckland to an ATCL and LTCL. He is currently an Emerging Artist with The Dame Malvina Major Foundation, and he has recently finished performing the lead role in New Zealand Opera’s production of Madame Butterfly. He has also performed several times in the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus.

With a number of competitions under his belt, Edward is to perform in New Zealand Opera’s upcoming production of Don Giovanni. He is also preparing applications to a number of music colleges in London, where he plans to continue his course of study in 2014.

2013 Finalist
Running Bare Prize

After receiving a Bachelor of Music in 2012, Jade joined Opera Queensland as a Developing Artist, where she further developed her repertoire, technique, stagecraft, movement and language. Her recent performances include the role of Tisbe in Cinderella and Mrs. Nolan in The Medium, the latter of which took place at the International Arts Institute in Israel. In recent years she has also performed a number of oratorios at various engagements as an alto soloist.

Later this year Jade will head to the United Kingdom to audition for a number of courses throughout England and Scotland, such as The Royal Northern College of Music Masters Programme and The Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, with the hope of moving to the UK in 2014 to study.

2013 Finalist
Running Bare Prize

Brenton holds a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Music (Hons) from the University of Melbourne, and has been the recipient of a number of scholarships, development programmes and opera prizes throughout his career. Recent performances to his name include the role of Jaquino in Fidelio, and Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas. He also appeared in the Chorus of Opera Australia’s recent production of Les Pêcheurs de Perles.

Brenton plans to continue to raise his profile both in Australia and in Europe, where he hopes to pursue a career as an operatic soloist specialising in the Bel Canto tenor repertoire.

Istituto Italiano di Cultura Award
Running Bare Prize

After completing a Bachelor of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts, Janet went on to study at the American Institute of Musical Studies and the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School. Recent years have seen this talented multi-instrumentalist put aside the violin and trumpet to perform such roles as Lieschen in Coffee Cantata, Galatea in Acis and Galatea and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier. Soon she will also perform the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.

Running Bare Prize
St James Recital Prize

Completing a Bachelor of Music Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2012, Danita has now gone on to study a Postgraduate Diploma in Opera. She has performed with a variety of companies and ensembles, and her recent performances include the role of Second Lady in Dido and Aeneas and Yum-Yum in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado.

Once she has completed her current qualification, Danita plans to continue her study programme, first with private coaching in the areas of stagecraft and movement, languages, and voice and piano, followed by a Masters of Music in Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium in 2014. She is also looking abroad to reputable institutions in Europe and the USA, such as the Juilliard School.

2013 Finalist
Running Bare Prize

Carmen has recently relocated from Tasmania to Sydney to commence a Masters of Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She has recently performed the role of Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro and Pamina/1st Lady in The Magic Flute. Later in 2013, Carmen will reprise the role of Countess in the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro.

Carmen’s plans for the near future include applying to Young Artist programmes while building her profile as a performer. She also hopes to move to the USA to further develop her skills at institutions such as The Juilliard School and The Manhattan School of Music.

2013 Tinkler Encouragement Award
Running bare Prize

Thomas found his talent at an early age, having sung in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Choir and the New Zealand Youth Choir. This talent led to him being offered a full scholarship to study a Bachelor of Music majoring in Classical Performance Voice at the New Zealand School of Music, Victoria University of Wellington.

Over the last couple of years Thomas has performed as the tenor soloist with the Bach Choir of Wellington and took on the role of Lysander in the New Zealand School of Music’s production of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Later this year Thomas will be appearing as the tenor soloist in a joint project with NZSO National Youth Orchestra and NZ Youth Choir, performing Tippett’s A Child of Our Time at the CBS Arena, Christchurch.

After continuing to involve himself in performances, competitions and postgraduate study, Thomas plans to travel to the UK to audition for a number of the top music schools.

Running Bare Prize

Currently in her third year of a Bachelor of Music at the University of Melbourne, Charlotte has excelled in all facets of her academic life to date and is a talented cellist. This is hardly surprising as she grew up in Berlin surrounded by the music of her father, who played viola with the Berlin Philharmonic.

In 2000 Charlotte sang in Mahler’s 8th Symphony with Gondwana Voices and the SSO at the Sydney Olympics concert and never looked back. She is currently performing in de Falla's Master Peter's Puppet Show as ‘The Boy’ as part of the double bill, and will be performing as Octavian in excerpts of Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier at this year’s Gala Concert.

Charlotte plans to return to her roots in Berlin in order to further improve herself as a singer. There she will work with a number of singers and coaches who have agreed to assist her and she will audition and apply for summer schools or postgraduate programs across Europe and in the United States.

Running Bare Prize

A country girl at heart, Amy moved to the city and has been at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music for the past seven years. She completed a Bachelor of Performance with first class honours and later this year Amy will complete the Advanced Diploma of Opera.

Amy has performed as a soloist with many professional orchestras and has taken on principal roles in numerous operas including that of Rezia in The Pilgrims of Mecca. She has also been offered the chance to understudy Handel’s role of Rodelinda with Richard Bonynge in October 2012.

Amy plans to continue her studies in New York at The Juilliard School of Music. There the renowned course, The Artist Diploma in Opera Studies, includes the opportunity to sing in at least one fully staged opera a year.

Parszos Prize
Running Bare Prize

Having undertaken voice performance for the past seven years, Anna is currently in the final year of the Advanced Diploma of Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. During her time there she has been involved in two Sydney Chamber Opera productions, has performed a range of operatic roles at the Conservatorium itself, and has been a guest soloist for numerous choirs and orchestras around the city.

Through her schooling Anna has accumulated a wide skill base, including an advanced understanding of repertoire, style, history and vocal performance. She is also skilled at languages having studied Italian, French and German in Florence, Bordeaux and Berlin respectively.

In the near future Anna plans to study in the USA, currently at the forefront of opera tuition. While there she plans to audition for the programs and courses that she is interested in, The Juilliard School of Music being top of that list.

Running Bare Prize

After completing a Bachelor of Music at the Melbourne Conservatorium in 2009 Jeremy is now undertaking a Master of Music (Opera Performance) at the Conservatorium, in partnership with Victorian Opera, covering roles and performing regularly for the company.

Jeremy showed an early talent for singing, becoming a member of the Australian Children’s Choir from 2001 to 2006. Now, in conjunction with his studies, he has taken on numerous roles – including Don Magnifico in Cenerentola School’s Production, Victoria Opera – as well as numerous solo performances over the years.

Jeremy plans to hone his skills over the next year or so before a planned trip to New York to audition and complete training with renowned teachers such as Rob Cowart, Milos Repicky and Marcy Lindheimer. Long term goals include auditioning for opera companies around Australia before realising his dream and singing the role of Mozart’s Figaro for the Metropolitan Opera.

Running Bare Prize

Having recently completed a Bachelor of Music in Performance, majoring in Voice, Alexander is currently in the first year of an Advanced Diploma of Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. This course of study is giving him the opportunity to improve technique, artistic interpretation, theatre skills and choreography. His recent performances include the principal role of Chef De Caravan in La Rencontre Imprevue and he will take on the role of Uberto in the upcoming La Serva Pedrona.

In the coming months Alexander plans to learn German before completing a six week intensive language course in Berlin. This will assist him in his goal of training and working in Germany at the numerous opera houses such as those in Berlin, Munich and Hamburg.

Running Bare Prize

Having completed her Bachelor of Music in Performance, Jenny is currently finishing her Advanced Diploma of Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Her studies thus far have been filled with success and scholarships. In her first year she was picked to go on a recital tour with David Miller AM. She sang the principal role in the Australian premier of Schumann’s Der Rose Pilgerfahrt, and the world premier of Matthew Orlovich’s Communion of Reparations. She’s also performed Mozart’s Requiem as well as Handel’s Messiah, and has her first operatic role coming up as Diane in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld.

Jenny’s immediate future is focused on three elements – the study of languages, vocal consistency and maturity, and overseas development. For the latter she plans to travel to the UK and USA where she would immerse herself in study and auditions with a particular focus on New York and its renowned institutions such as The Juilliard School, The Manhattan School of Music and Mannes School.

Ingrid Davidson Award
Radzyminski Family Prize
Running Bare Prize

Tabatha moved from NSW to Queensland in 2009 and completed a Bachelor of Music (Advanced Performance) with Honours at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University.

Currently studying with Prof. Lisa Gasteen, Tabatha continues to improve her skills. This has been accompanied by many performances at the university including the role of Zerlina in Mozart’s Excerpts from Don Giovanni and Suor Genovieffa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica.

Tabatha plans to attend the Lisa Gasteen National Opera Summer School later this year before enrolling in a Master of Music (Research) at Griffith University in 2013. During this time she will continue her language studies and hopes to travel to Europe to immerse herself in the cultures and languages that have given rise to the art that she loves.

Ingrid Davidson Award

Kathryn graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2010, completing a Bachelor of Music in Performance with first class honours.

In 2011, Kathryn joined the Opera Australia Chorus for performances of Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers in Melbourne. She also performed the leading role of “Daisy” in the Australian premiere of Contact, a new work by Angus Grant, and was principal artist in Opera Australia’s Oz Opera Schools Program, touring primary schools throughout Victoria in a travelling production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.

In the near future Kathryn plans to audition for the Opera Queensland Young Artist Program, followed by the National Graduate Opera Program at the University of Melbourne. After completing one of these programs she intends to travel to the UK to audition at a select few institutions including The Royal College of Music, The Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester), The Royal Academy of Music and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Running Bare Prize

After completing his Bachelor of Music with Honours, Daniel is now undertaking a Masters of Music (Opera Performance) at the University of Melbourne in partnership with Victoria Opera. In fact, Daniel has been a developing artist with Victorian Opera for the past two years and has taken on the role of Testo in Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (Monteverdi) as well as Midas in Der Streif zwischen Phoebus und Pan (Bach).

Having learnt the piano from age 4 and the trombone from age 11, Daniel has always had a musical background. His sister is also a singer and last year they performed together in Victorian Opera’s Baroque Triple Bill.

A keen exponent of the Italian, French and German languages, Daniel sees himself exploring opportunities in Europe after completing his studies. He plans to go on an audition tour that would lead to either a postgraduate position at an elite institution or a young artist position at an opera company.

Running Bare Prize
St James Recital Prize

Claire returned to Australia to complete her Diploma of Opera at the Queensland Conservatorium in December 2010. While there, she performed the role of Gretel in Hansel and Gretel. She also performed in The Royal Northern College of Music’s production of La Belle Hélène and, most recently, as Cendrillon at the Queensland Conservatorium.

Queensland Symphony Orchestra Award
Running Bare Prize

Caitlin completed a Bachelor of Music degree and a Graduate Diploma at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Edith Cowan University.

Caitlin is currently completing a Master of Creative Arts qualification and concurrently performing in the chorus of The Tales of Hoffmann with WA Opera. She is engaged as the alto soloist with the Perth Undergraduate Choral Society in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.

Tinkler Encouragement Award
West Australian Opera Award
West Australian Symphony Orchestra Award
Running Bare Prize

Olivia graduated with a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne in 2009, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Melbourne in 2010.

Olivia has performed with Victorian Opera, In Good Company, More Than Opera (MTO), and with the dance company, Chunky Move.

Victorian Opera Prize
Running Bare Prize

Naomi studied Music Theatre at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Edith Cowan University, before moving to Sydney in 2004.

Naomi's concert performances include Haydn's Die Schöpfung, broadcast on ABC Classic FM, Mozart's Requiem, J.S. Bach's Magnificat and Haydn's Missa in tempore belli. In 2010 Naomi was a guest soloist for Christmas at St Mary’s Cathedral, broadcast on ABC1. In 2011 she performed with Opera Australia in Macbeth, Lakmé, La Bohème andThe Pearl Fishers.

Ingrid Davidson Award
Parszos Prize
Running Bare Prize

Emma is currently completing her postgraduate studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney, having been awarded a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours in 2009.

In late 2011 Emma will take up a position at the University of the Arts in Berlin in its Master of Opera Course. Her experience as a performer ranges across the art song, opera and oratorio repertoires. Recent operatic roles include Dido in Dido and Aeneas; Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw and Eurydice in Les Malheurs d’Orphée. This September she will perform Sandrina in La Finta Giardinera for the Sydney Conservatorium Opera Studio.

Running Bare Prize
Sally Lee Prize

Joanna is currently completing a Bachelor of Music Performance (Honours) and Arts, with Majors in Italian and German at the University of Western Australia.

Joanna has performed with WA Opera as the 1st Bridesmaid in Le nozze di Figaro, Edith in scenes from Picnic at Hanging Rock, in the Chorus in Le nozze di Figaro and The Pearl Fishers, and is soon to perform in the Tales of Hoffman.

West Australian Opera Award
West Australian Symphony Orchestra Award
Running Bare Prize

Morgan has just completed his Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney.

Morgan’s opera credits include Dr. Cajus in Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor; Garibaldo in Rodelinda; Mr. Gedge in Albert Herring; Merlin in King Arthur; Papageno in Die Zauberflöte; and Underground Man in Notes from Underground. Morgan has also worked as a soloist with various orchestras and choirs.

Running Bare Prize

Gérard completed his musical studies at John Curtin College of the Arts.

Gérard sang Rodolfo in Co-Opera’s national tour of La Bohème, Ferrando in Così fan tutte and Don Basilio and Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro.

In 2012, Gérard will make his international debut in the role of Don Basilio in the Wiesbaden Festipiele production of The Marriage of Figaro.

West Australian Opera Award
West Australian Symphony Orchestra Award
Running Bare Prize

Erika has a Bachelor of Music in performance and an Advanced Diploma of Opera, both from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney.

Erika has performed as a soloist with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Orchestra and with the SSO as Herd Girl in Peer Gynt. She also performed as a soprano soloist in Stabat Mater (Pergolesi); Alma Redemptoris Mater (Charpentier); and recently as the soprano soloist in The Creation (Haydn) at Macquarie University.

Lisa Gasteen Opera Summer School Prize
Radzyminski Family Prize
Running Bare Prize

Bryony graduated from the Victoria University of Wellington with a Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance and is currently completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance and Voice.

Bryony’s performances include guest soloist in The Seven Last Words of Christ (Haydn) for The Dubois Society at St Andrew’s, Wellington. Bryony has performed 1st Soloist in Alfred Hill’s Life, a quintet for pianoforte, strings, and eight voices recorded for Naxos.

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Award
Running Bare Prize

has a BMus (Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is currently studying for the Advanced Diploma of Opera. Rachel was exposed to a vast array of musical experiences from a very young age from old popular musicals, to jazz, to Led Zeppelin. Her grandmother introduced her to operatic music. Recent roles have been Nancy in Britten’s Albert Herring for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and Frau Fluth in Otto Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor.

began singing at age nine in choirs and vocal ensembles and is proficient in numerous instruments:piano, violin, clarinet and French horn. In 2008 he completed a BMus at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Recent operatic roles included Bajazet in Händel’s Tamerlano for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and both Prologue and Peter Quint in Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw for the Cleveland Street Theatre, Redfern.

is from Western Australia via Dublin. She is undertaking postgraduate studies in Music Performance at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). In 2008 Sarah was accepted into the Young Artists Programme with Opera Fringe Northern Ireland. Some of Sarah’s opera credits include Pisana in I due Foscari, Butterfly’s Cousin in Madama Butterfly and Susanna’s Bridesmaid in Le nozze di Figaro. In 2009 Sarah performed on The Priests world tour at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

is this year’s youngest Semi-Finalist, currently completing her third year of study at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music under the tutelage of Joseph Ward OBE. She is one of Opera Queensland’s Developing Artists for 2010, recently made her debut in Jonathan Henderson’s youth opera Dirty Apple and in September 2010 will perform the title role in the Queensland Conservatorium’s production of Jules Massenet’s Cendrillon, directed by Anna Sweeney.

completed a year of Music Theatre at WAAPA before moving to Sydney in 2004. Naomi’s concert performances include Joseph Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, broadcast on ABC Classic FM, Mozart’s Requiem, J.S. Bach’s Magnificat and Joseph Haydn’s Missa in tempora belli. In 2008 she was a finalist for the Young Performer of the Year Award. In 2009 she made her film debut as part of the featured ensemble of Jonathan Mills' opera-film, Eternity Man. Most recently she won the Fremantle Operatic Aria Competition.

is the black sheep of a scientific and political family — her ancestors were Joseph and Enid Lyons. She holds a BMus (Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as well as having attended the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatoire in St Petersburg, Russia. Eleanor has performed in the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Opera Production of Francis Poulenc’s Le Mamelles de Tirésias and is currently touring the schools of Victoria in the role of Mimi in La Bohème.

came late to singing having been an accomplished musician for most of her life. In 2005 she played with the Australian Youth Orchestra, in 2007 she graduated with a BMus (Hons) in violin from the Australian National University and in the same year played with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. However, when Erin became a finalist in the 2009-2010 Fremantle Eisteddfod Open Operatic Aria competition her focus changed from strings to voice.

has been accepted into Honours in Classical Singing at the University of Sydney (Conservatorium of Music) and this year completes his BMus (Performance) majoring in Classical Voice. Morgan recently performed as a soloist in Händel’s Messiah with the National Trust Foundation Chorus and Orchestra conducted by Dr Paul Paviour OAM and as soloist in the role of Müller in Robert Schumann’s Die Rose Pilgerfahrt, conducted by Scott Curry.

holds a BMus (Voice) from WAAPA where he won the Helen Court Scholarship and where he is currently completing a postgraduate performance diploma. He is currently rehearsing for Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, has a small solo in Luisa Miller’s Un Contadino and is looking forward to singing the bass solo in WAAPA’s production of A Child of Our Time by Sir Michael Tippett at St Mary’s Cathedral.

is the first Semi-Finalist from the Northern Territory. Born in Harbin, China, to parents who are both opera singers, Kang has been studying in Queensland since 2009. Recently he was invited to perform Nessun dorma from Turandot at the Graduation Ceremony held by Charles Darwin University, Una furtiva lagrima from L’elisir d’amore and La donna è mobile from Rigoletto during the banquet celebrating the partnership of Charles Darwin University and Northern Territory Government.