The Opera Awards is an singing competition for professional Australian opera singers. It was established in 1986 with the purpose of assisting and developing professional Australian opera singers. This is achieved through programs of study with selected international educational institutions, engagements with professional opera companies, as well as through introduction, networking and educational opportunities with prominent members of the international operatic community.
The Opera Awards consists of a group of awards, including the YMF Australia Award and the Armstrong-Martin Scholarship, amongst others. Major sponsors and supporters of the awards have included Youth Music Foundation (YMF) Australia, the Armstrong-Martin Estate, Haas Foundation, The Glyndebourne Festival Opera (UK), the Royal Over-Seas League (UK) and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.
In 1986/87, the Music & Opera Singers Trust (MOST) created the Opera Awards as a competition within the Australian SInging Competition, and then as a separate, stand-alone competition in 2001.
The competition provides cash prizes, scholarships and career opportunities to professional Australian opera singers, enabling the study of grand opera and related music overseas.
Since 2007, the primary award within the Opera Awards is the YMF Australia Award, sponsored by YMF Australia. The recipient of the Opera Awards receives a group of awards, scholarships and opportunities which include the YMF Australia Award, the Armstrong-Martin Scholarship, the Haas Foundation Award and the Editorial Resources Prize.
Runners-up receive prizes and opportunities which include (in 2011) The Royal Over-Seas League (UK) Music Bursary, the Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme, the Glyndebourne Festival Prize, and the 4MBS Classic FM Award.
The recipient of the Opera Awards (Australia) is acknowledged and invited to perform at the Finals Concert of the Australian Singing Competition.
| Year | Opera Awards recipient | Category | Adjudicators (chair) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Francesco Fabris | baritone | Jenifer Eddy | |
| 1987 | Helen Adams | soprano | Elizabeth Fretwell | |
| 1988 | Stephen Ibbotsen | tenor | Ronald Maconaghie, Margreta Elkins | |
| 1989 | Lucas de Jong | baritone | Margreta Elkins | |
| 1990 | Akiko Nakajima | soprano | Joseph Ward | |
| 1991 | not awarded | |||
| 1992 | Elisa Wilson | soprano | Joseph Ward | |
| 1993 | Douglas McNichol | baritone | Joseph Ward | |
| 1994 | Fiona Campbell[1] | soprano | Stephen Barlow | |
| 1995 | Ingrid Silveus | soprano | Myer Fredman | |
| 1996 | Amelia Farrugia[2] | soprano | Myer Fredman | |
| 1997 | Donna-Marie Dunlop | soprano | Myer Fredman | |
| 1998 | Jamie Allen | tenor | Myer Fredman | |
| 1999 | Adrian McEniery | tenor | Roderick Brydon | |
| 2000 | Han Lim | baritone | Andrew Greene | |
| 2001 | Nicole Youl | soprano | Myer Fredman | |
| 2002 | Hyeseoung Kwon[3] | soprano | Vladimir Kamirsky | |
| 2003 | not held | |||
| 2004 | José Carbó[4] [5] | baritone | Richard Bonynge | |
| 2005 | Tamsyn Stock-Stafford | soprano | Patrick Thomas | |
| 2006 | Amy Wilkinson | soprano | Imre Palló | |
| 2007 | James Homann | baritone | Vladimir Kamirsky | |
| 2008 | Shane Lowrencev[6] | bass | Richard Bonynge | |
| 2009 | Emma Pearson[7] | soprano | Jonathan Darlington | |
| 2010 | Lorina Gore[8] [9] | soprano | Richard Bonynge | |
| 2011 | Zara Barrett | soprano | Andrea Molino | |
| 2012 | soprano | Brian Castles-Onion | ||
| 2014 | Jonathan Abernethy | tenor | Greg Hocking | |
| 2017 | Adrian Tamburini[10] | bass-baritone | Simon Kenway | |
| 2019 | Anna Dowsley[11] | mezzo-soprano | Benjamin Northey |