We are proud to announce that our CEO, Roland Gridiger, was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for service to the performing arts through administrative roles.

In 1982, in consultation with members of the Australian music community, Roland launched the Marianne Mathy Scholarship that later evolved into the Australian Singing Competition for classical and opera singers under the age of 26 years. The Scholarship which was established through a bequest made by Marianne Mathy-Frisdane, a coloratura soprano opera singer and distinguished teacher of opera and classical singing.

 Now known as the IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition in recognition of patron Dr Haruhisa Handa and the International Foundation of Arts & Culture (IFAC), the IFAC Handa ASC still features the Marianne Mathy Scholarship (‘The Mathy’) as the ultimate award within what has become one of the most recognised competitions for young opera singers in our region.

In 1983 Music & Opera Singers Trust Limited, a non-profit company, was incorporated to provide professional management and consultancy for The Australian Singing Competition.

In 1983, a decision was made to establish a separate section catering for contemporary singers.  Both sections were to come under the umbrella of the Australian Singing Competition.  The contemporary section was suspended in 1989.

In 1986 the Armstrong-Martin Scholarship for professional opera singers came under the auspices of the Australian Singing Competition.  This became its own, separate, competition in 2001 and is known as “The Opera Awards”. 

In 1988, the Pascall Prize was established to honour the memory of journalist, Geraldine Pascall. The Prize for critical writing and review was selected by a Judging Panel of industry peers appointed by Directors of the Geraldine Pascall Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation established specifically to award the prize. 

On September 2nd 1991 the Rona Tranby Trust was launched at Tranby Aboriginal College (now Tranby National Indigenous Adult Education and Training). It was established from a bequest in the will of Thomas Rona. The Trustees of the Estate engaged with Tranby and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, to set up the Rona Tranby Trust and develop the Rona Tranby Award and Collection to preserve Indigenous oral histories.