2016 IFAC Australian Singing Competition

Despite the Competition opening several months earlier than usual, there was a tremendous response to our call for entries with 78 singers from around Australia and New Zealand submitting their applications. We even had our first-ever international entrant with a young singer from Czechoslovakia applying to audition at our London Heats.

This year’s National Adjudicator, Lyndon Terracini AM, chose ten wonderful young singers to compete at the Semi Finals Concert on Sunday 3rd July, though one had to withdraw just before the public concert due to scheduling issues. The 2016 Semi Finalists were:

• Sarah Ampil 25 soprano NSW
• Morgan Balfour 23 soprano NSW
• Anastasia Bickel 25 mezzo soprano QLD
• Eliza Boom 22 soprano NZ
• Jarvis Dams 25 baritone NZ
• Zoe Drummond 23 soprano NSW
• Frederick Jones 24 tenor NZ
• Nicholas Tolputt 25 counter tenor NSW
• Sarah Wang 24 soprano NSW

Workshop

The Semi-Finalists were invited to participate in a Workshop lead by celebrated soprano and academic Anke Höppner that was held on Thursday 30th June at the Opera Centre in Surry Hills.
The Workshop was titled “Keeping yourself employable” and covered challenging topics such as what is professionalism; how to dress and how to behave during rehearsals; how to leave a company without burning bridges; and the life of an opera singer after the singing is over.
Anke also worked with each of the singers on their pieces, guiding them on various aspects of performance and giving tips on how to convey emotion while retaining the integrity and realism of each character.

Semi Finals Concert

The Semi Finals Concert was held on Sunday 3 July at the Independent Theatre in North Sydney before an audience of nearly 300 people.  Each singer performed two items – one lied and one aria – accompanied by the incomparable David Harper on piano. Rowena Cowley, Lisa Gasteen AO, Emma Matthews and Benjamin Schwartz joined Lyndon Terracini on the adjudication panel. After careful consideration they selected the five 2016 Finalists:

• Morgan Balfour 23 soprano NSW
• Eliza Boom 22 soprano NZ
• Jarvis Dams 25 baritone NZ
• Nicholas Tolputt 25 counter tenor NSW
• Sarah Wang 24 soprano NSW

Mastering the Art

This year’s MasterClass was a triumph with record audience numbers due in no small part to the presence of an internationally acclaimed ‘master’ to lead the proceedings. Renowned Italian soprano Barbara Frittoli, in Sydney to perform her signature role as Amelia in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra for Opera Australia, lead the five Finalists through their pieces with insight and no small amount of flair. David Harper accompanied the singers with his usual style and professionalism and Greg Lenthen kept the audience entertained as compere.One audience member commented “What a privilege to have a native Italian speaker to help these young singers, she was fantastic!”You can soon watch this memorable MasterClass yourself on our YouTube Channel – www.youtube.com/user/MOSTgivesmore2 Why not subscribe so you never miss a post?

Finals

The 2016 Finals were held in the beautiful Concert Hall of the Concourse in Chatswood on the evening of Thursday 18th August. The audience were welcomed on arrival at the venue by a friendly group of volunteers who offered them the chance to dress up in operatic costumes and to have their photos taken in front of themed media walls. Inside the concert hall the Australian Opera & Ballet Orchestra set the tone with the rousing overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Wagner. The compere, Damien Beaumont, entertained the audience in the hall and at home via the live broadcast on ABC Classic FM. As well as the impressive performances of the five Finalists, the audience enjoyed a special guest appearance from 2014 Opera Awards Winner Jonathan Abernethy who performed two moving Mozart arias and was then joined on stage by 2013 Mathy Winner Anna Dowsley for a charming duet from Berlioz’s Les Troyens. A new panel comprising Conal Coad, Michael Halliwell, Emma Matthews and Benjamin Schwartz joined national Adjudicator Lyndon Terracini for the rigours of adjudication. While the audience enjoyed the powerful and expressive Egmont Overture from the AOBO, the adjudicators chose Nicholas Tolputt as this year’s Marianne Mathy Scholarship Winner. The concert is now available on our YouTube Channel to watch in full: www.youtube.com/user/MOSTgivesmore