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The Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation Newsletter
Edition 15
August 2017
FIONA JOPSON Australia (32)
Studied at University of
Melbourne and Accademia alla Scala. She won the Herald Sun Aria in 2015, sung Leonora for Citi Opera, Ariadne for Opera
Box and will cover Elsa for Melbourne Opera in 2017.
KATIE LOWE England (30)
Studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and Wales Int. Academy of Voice. She has won numerous awards
and will sing Brunnhilde in Act 3 of Götterdämmerung for
The Mastersingers in London later this year.
KSENIA KHOVANOVA Russian Federation (27)
Lives in Ekateringburg. She
studied at the Ural State Conservatory of M Mussorgsky.
In 2016 she won the 48th Antonin Dvorak Competition and was a Finalist in the Eva
Marton Int. Singing Competition.
SILJA AALTA Finland (34)
Has a BA from Lahti Uni and is
completing her Masters of Music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. SIlja has recently
performed the Countess, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s
Dream and Alice Ford.
2017 BCA FINALISTS ANNOUNCED The Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award continues to attract some of the finest singers from Australia and New Zealand. In 2017 auditions were held in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Auckland, London and New York. Judges assisting Fiona Janes this year included Dame Ann Murray, Sharon Sweet, Bernadette Cullen, Lisa Gasteen, Roger Lemke and Adele Johnston. We sincerely hope you will join us for the exciting conclusion to this year’s competition on the 14 and 16 September.
2017 ECP FINALISTS ANNOUNCED Five aspiring dramatic sopranos will descend on Sydney in September to compete for the 4th annual Elizabeth Connell Prize. As with the Bel Canto Competition, singers auditioned in various cities including Melbourne, Zurich, London, New York and Paris. This year’s competition will be held on 13,14,16 Sept.
EMMA McDERMOTT U.S.A. (30)
Studied at the Manhattan School of Music, American Institute in Graz and at the
Bolshoi Theatre Young Artist Programme. She recently took part in the Solti Academy and
has received numerous awards.
LIVIA BRASH Soprano (26)
Studied at the ANU and Sydney Conservatorium
of Music. Currently studying in Graz, Austria.
She is a member of Pacific Opera and
recently sang Donna Elvira for Opera Hunter.
PAULL-ANTHONY KEIGHTLEY
Bass Baritone (26)
Studied at WAAPA and Manhattan School of
Music in NY. He is currently performing for WA Opera such roles as Raimondo in Lucia and Colline in La boheme.
OLIVER BOYD Baritone (23)
Currently finishing his
post-graduate studies at Qld Conservatorium
where he will perform in L’enfant et les sortilèges and L’enfant prodigue. He has sung extensively
in oratorio.
BRONWYN DOUGLASS Mezzo Soprano (28)
Studied at the ANU and Griffith Uni in Qld. She is in her second year as a
Melba Opera Trust Scholar, was a BCA finalist in 2016 and will make her
Sydney Philharmonia debut in August.
BRENTON SPITERI Tenor (28)
Studied at Melbourne
University, Melba Opera Trust and in the studio de l'Opéra de Lyon. He
has sung for Melbourne, Victorian, Pinchgut and SA Opera where he will
perform Ernesto in 2017.
FIONA McARDLE Mezzo Soprano (29)
Studied at Adelaide Uni, WAAPA, New England
Conservatory in the USA and was a member of SA
Opera Young Artist Programme. She performs
La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi for SA in 2017.
A Message from the
Artistic Director
Welcome to the fifteenth edition of the Bel Canto newsletter.
THE YEAR TO DATE
It was, as ever, a great pleasure for me to work with the singers in February’s
Masterclass, despite the extreme heat! In May we launched the Sydney Song
Prize and held our first all lieder recital. Auditions for the BCA & ECP were
held in no less than nine cities throughout the world and we continue behind
the scenes to seek generous donors and sponsors to ensure the Joan
Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation continues to assist and mentor
our most talented young musicians for many years to come.
______________________________________________________________________________
SYDNEY SONG PRIZE Mastering the art of Lieder and Art Song is a
vital skill in every singer’s career. Some excel at it,
whilst others prefer to stay on the operatic path.
There is little doubt though that most of the
greatest singers in the world were/are also
excellent recital singers. Sutherland certainly sang many recitals and recorded
many songs with Bonynge throughout her career. Christa Ludwig sang her final
lieder recital at the age of 75 sounding just as fresh in her delivery and
attention to detail.
The Sydney Song Prize was established by the Foundation to encourage the
art form and to give Sydney a major Song Prize. To help launch this concept,
in May the Foundation presented possibly one of it’s finest concerts to date
featuring David Greco, Rachel Bate and John Martin. The recital reminded me
of the many I had sat through at Wigmore Hall during my years in London,
such was the high standard of music-making. It was a credit to these three
fine artists. Sadly, very few of our supporters were able to attend this very
special afternoon but for those who did it was a real treat.
This year’s SSP heats were judged by Deborah Humble and Adele Johnston.
Five singers and their accompanists will present a programme of four songs
in the Final - two German Lied and two French Mélodie. The evening will also
feature the five ECP finalists performing two German Lied for their Lieder
Prize. We would like to especially thank Dr Bruce Caldwell, this year’s major
sponsor of the Song Prize, and patrons Dianne Gillespie and Diana Heath, as
well as the Wagner Society of Sydney for bringing the total prize money to
$6,000. We also thank the Estate of the Late Jesselene Simpson for sponsoring
the ECP Lieder Prize of $2,000. I encourage you all to come to this year’s
Sydney Song Prize & ECP Lieder Final as part of our Festival of Opera and
Song week in September. It is sure to be a beautiful evening of music. .
Wednesday, 13 September at 6.30pm
Joan Sutherland Studio, Opera Centre, Surry Hills
John Martin, Rachel Bate and David Greco at our May Lieder Recital
_______________________________________________________________________________
JOAN SUTHERLAND GALA DINNER Despite ill health and an incredibly hectic schedule, Board Member Alan Jones
has graciously offered to organise and host the Joan Sutherland Gala Dinner
in August. Thank you Alan for yet another mighty effort in bringing together
artists, sponsors, auction and raffle items. Yet again the dinner will be yet
again an important fundraising initiative for the Foundation and as ever will
feature a variety of artists from the world of entertainment, including Glenn
Amer on the piano. We do hope to see you at this year’s Joan Sutherland
Charity Dinner. The discounted price for Foundation supporters and their
friends is $175 per person by calling Annemarie Kinnon on 02 9817 4919.
Thursday 17 August at 6.30pm - Le Montage, Lilyfield
______________________________________________________________________________ THE COMPETITIONS and more…..
Now that all the singers for all three competitions have been selected,
preparation is underway to make the competition week in Sydney a feast of
opera and song for our patrons and the Sydney public. As ever we are extremely
grateful to Richard Bonynge who will preside over the judging panels for all three
competitions. I was fortunate to catch up with Richard in Switzerland in June
during the audition process and he is very much looking forward to his annual
trip to Sydney in September and to hearing some exciting singing. Preliminary Final: Thursday, 14 September 6.30pm, Independent Theatre
Finals Concert: Saturday, 16 September 4pm, Sydney Conservatorium
Richard Bonynge Birthday Afternoon Tea: Thursday, 28 September 2pm
Richard is as busy as ever making recordings and presiding on a number of
major international singing competition panels and summer schools. After the
competition week we will have a special Friends of the Foundation private
event with Maestro Bonynge to celebrate his 87th Birthday, and we will of
course pay tribute to Dame Joan in November with a special birthday concert. I look forward to seeing you in the coming months……..Fiona Janes
Inspiring and developing our opera singers for the future!
You are cordially invited to the
Joan Sutherland
Annual Gala
Dinner
Thursday 17 August, 2017 at 6.30pm Le Montage, Lilyfield $175 p.p. Bookings: call Annemarie on 02 9817 4919
Starring: Australia’s answer to Mario Lanza, Mark Vincent, the Whiffenpoofs from Yale, Elise McCann, Rhonda Burchmore, Kyle Bielfield and the incomparable Glenn Amer.
Additional Bel Canto Prizes Awarded in 2017
Thank you to these organisations for helping us to
encourage and educate even more singers in 2017.
• Jessica Harper won the inaugural Margreta Elkins
Encouragement Award donated by the Noosa
Federation of the Arts - value $1000.
• Jessie Wilson won the Megan Evans OAM
Encouragement Award donated by the Sydney
Savage Club - value $1,000.
• Shikara Ringdahl, Joanna Norman and
Imogen-Faith Malfitano each won a $500
Encouragement Award sponsored by the Foundation.
• Soprano Maia Andrews has been awarded a study
grant to take part in the 2017 Berlin University of the
Arts Summer School.
WHAT ARE THEY UP TO?
2012 BCA Winner, Pene Pati makes his San Francisco
Opera debut as the Duke in Verdi’s Rigoletto. Opera Today had
this to say about his performance which was universally praised:
“Ingénu tenor Pene Pati is purely and simply the vocal embodi-
ment of the Duke of Mantua, possessing the vocal swagger, the
freshness of voice, and the creative energy that makes the Duke,
indeed all youth, lovable. The artistic achievement of this debut in
a major role on a major stage was formidable, this young artist
fusing surprisingly graceful stage movement with nearly impeccable
vocal delivery. And there was solid tenorial attitude. Aplenty.”
Anna Voshege has won the Richard
Strauss competition in Munich, with
Alexandra Flood also taking a major
prize as well. Stacey Alleaume went
on as Violetta for Opera Australia.
Sam Sakker (right) has made his
debut as Cavaradossi with English
Touring Opera and continues to
enjoy success at the Royal Opera
House Covent Garden, most recently
in their production of Turandot
(insert). Daniel Macey has been
singing Guglielmo in Greve in Italy.
Valda Wilson (below) has sung her
first Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito in
Germany. Bronwyn Douglass will take part in the Sydney
Philharmonia Tudor Portraits concerts in August. Alasdair Kent has
won a Marten Bequest and opens in Il
viaggio a Reims for the Rossini Festival in
Pesaro this month. Helen Sherman and
David Greco star in Pinchgut Opera’s
L’incoronazione di Poppea in December.
Ksenia Muslanova and Deirdre Angenent
have both made the final 16 of the
Lauritz Melchior Int. Wagner Competition
in Denmark. Deirdre will sing Vitellia in
October and Sieglinde in Essen in June
2018. Gunta Cēse was recently in Mel-
bourne singing in concert and Anna Patrys will sing Leonora in
La forza del destino in Poland. We must be doing something right.
Only 40 places are available for this Member and
Donor only event in the luxurious Elizabeth Room of
the Sir Stamford. Two singers will be put through
their paces in a mini masterclass, followed by a Q &
A segment and delicious Afternoon Tea. In
celebration of the Maestro’s 87th birthday. Reserve
your place today.
Thursday, 28 September at 2.00pm
NEWS JUST IN
DECCA has a new
Auber recording out
of Richard Bonynge
favourites on the
Eloquence label.
In Memoriam Elizabeth Todd - teacher
Lois Strike - ballerina
Kurt Moll - bass
Alberto Zedda
- conductor
Join us on Social Media
DIVA ACCOMMODATION REQUIRED! Our visiting divas for this year’s ECP competition are in need of a home. Host
families will need to feed, house and chauffeur their diva around for the week.
Each host will be given two complimentary tickets to the Morning Tea, Lieder
Final, Preliminary and Finals Concert + VIP party and a programme. If you can
give a diva a home or would be interested in helping us out, please call Fiona
Janes on 040 202 4118. The week in question is from 9,10 Sept - 17 Sept.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED We need some volunteers. If you would like to assist us at one of our
events you will receive two free tickets to that event.
Call Annemarie on 02 9817 4919.
Dame Norma Major was thrilled to
receive her copy of the 90th Birthday
Book. There are still copies available.
Cost $20 plus p&h for a record of the
Society and Foundation’s history.
P.O. Box 880, Leichhardt NSW 2040
(02) 9817 4919 | 040 202 4118
www.jsrbfoundation
2016 Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge
Bel Canto Award Winner Alasdair Kent in a
recent production of La pietra del
paragone in Philadelphia.
The inaugural Sydney Song Prize
heats took place in May with
judges Deborah Humble and
Adele Johnston choosing five
finalists and their accompanists
to compete for $6,000 in prize
money in September.
The new book on Sutherland & Bonynge
published in French.
Jessica Blunt Daniel Carison Georgia Hall Jessica Harper Phoebe Humphreys
2017 Inaugural Sydney Song Prize Finalists and their Accompanists
Gareth Szakos Jonathan Wilson Claire Howard Race Akiho Suzuki Benjamin Burton
The Sydney Song Prize Final held in conjunction with the ECP Lieder Prize
Wednesday, 13 September 2017 at 6.30pm | Opera Centre, 480 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills
Tickets: Members/Donors/Conc. $15, Adults $25, Full-time Students $5, Under 15 Free
Donor Patrons in 2017 Universal Music Mrs D Heath Mrs J Binns Ms E Chew
Mr & Mrs M Donnelly Mr & Mrs P Meddings Mrs R Packer AO Walker Corporation Ltd
Mrs H Showniruk Ms H Johnston Ms P McSween Mr I Narev
Dr M Bullen Mrs D-R Orr Dr B Caldwell John Boyd Properties
Ms L Crough Mrs J Lonie Mr P Hutchison Dick & Pip Smith Foundation
Ms E Kinnon Mr M Crouch Manildra Flour Mills Ms G Kelly
Mrs M Lawrie Mr A Haddad Ms O Meredith ClubsNSW
Ms D Gillespie Mrs M Binder Ms T Zanoni Mr & Mrs P Satouris
Ms E Corbett & Mr M Finlay Mr & Mrs N Tolley Ms E Bradhurst Ramsay Foundation
Mr & Mrs A Lees Mr A Gill Michael Cassel Group Mr J Winning
Noosa Federation of the Arts Dr P Dunstone Ms K Jaworksi Mr A Shepherd AO
Mr J Hemmes Mrs G Rinehart Mr P Ferris Mr & Mrs G Sanderson
Mr & Mrs D Kinnon Anonymous (1) Mr Solomon Lew Mr & Mrs A Wong
