‘Operette’, presented by Linda Britten and the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust as part of the L’Oreal Cultural Program, fuses the timeless art forms of couture design and opera. The show presents a modern platform to experience latest fashion against a backdrop of grand opera, challenging the traditions of both worlds. 

The collaboration is also designed to showcase current and future ‘leading ladies’ of opera. The Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust exists to support Australia’s most promising young opera singers with scholarship funding, mentoring and performance opportunities. Linda Britten is proudly recognised as a Mentor of the Trust’s program and has long supported the opera world with her couture gowns. This association became the catalyst for ‘operette’, along with the desire to encourage young designers in the tradition of Haute Couture in Fashion.

Date:                Monday 5 March, 2012

Time:               6:30 pm

Venue:             Athenaeum Theatre
                       188 Collins St, Melbourne

Tickets:            Ticketek ($37.50  general admission)                    

                        http://premier.ticketek.com.au/

Lyndon Terracini has enjoyed a successful international operatic career for many years.  Appointed Artistic Director of Opera Australia in 2009, Lyndon is one of the mentors working with the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust’s scholarship recipients.  Da Capo caught up with Lyndon Terracini to talk about the importance of mentoring young singers.

Lyndon began by sharing his own experience with mentors early on in his career. “It is extremely beneficial when you are starting out to have mentors that have been in the business – they can suggest things to you and point you in the right direction.”

“In my case, Ronald Dowd [the great Australian tenor who sang at the opening of the Sydney Opera House] took an interest in me – he would come to shows and make suggestions. He was pretty direct and called it exactly as he saw it, with no flowery speech.

“He once said: ‘If I had my time again, I would try to make every sound I made the most beautiful sound I could produce.’ That’s one of the things I will be passing on to the young singers at the Melba Opera Trust.”

Terracini emphasizes that the path to a successful operatic career is long and competitive, requiring not just an excellent voice but dedication comparable to that of an Olympic athlete.

“If you see the way that athletes prepare to win a gold medal at the Olympics, you realise that the amount of preparation is vital. Likewise, singers must prepare, put in the work, and to discipline themselves to perform at their best.

“Having the vocal equipment is God-given. If you are given an exceptional instrument, you have a great start. But natural ability isn’t enough, in this or the sporting field – just look at Steve Waugh. When  he was dropped from the Australian cricket team he went away and really worked on his technique. Through hard work allied with natural ability, he became one of our most successful players and captains.”

 Terracini plans to advise on the importance of choosing the correct repertoire – having seen some talented singers ruin their careers through bad choices. “Young singers can sometimes take on too much. If you have a light, soubrette voice, it could be suicide to sing the big, heavy roles in Puccini.  You have to take advice from experienced people and understand your voice.”

Comparing the situation today with his younger days, Terracini sees grounds for optimism. “There are many more, very talented young people now, and the operatic art is more popular. When I was growing up I’d never seen an opera.  There were few opera companies, certainly not one in every state.

“Today, young people know that a career in opera is possible.  These days a young singer can begin with Opera Australia or a state company, and if they are talented and work hard they will get roles and begin to build a career. Today you can also live in Australia and work internationally. We have a lot of wonderful young singers coming through.

 “But sometimes young people don’t understand just how much they need to sacrifice in terms of a social life, to secure their goal – and the sacrifice continues their entire working life.”

Lyndon speaks passionately about supporting the next generation, and believes that the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust plays a vital role in encouraging and developing young singers.

But he stresses that, ultimately, it is up to the singers themselves.

“It’s vital for young people that they try their absolute hardest. Do the very best you can, and don’t take short cuts because in the end you only get one shot. Grasp the opportunity and give it everything. If it doesn’t work out, at least then you know you’ve given it your best shot. 

“The worst thing would be to look back and think that you could have tried harder.”

Looking back on his own career, Terracini observes: “It’s a wonderful life as an opera singer, working all over the world. Singing releases endorphins – even just singing in the shower! – and when you sing professionally, on a night when it works there’s nothing better. So it’s well worth striving for.”

Opera Australia is a Venue Partner of the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust and provides generous support by hosting Mentor Program sessions and rehearsals at the Opera Centre in Melbourne. Its support is continued through the involvement of key members of staff and by providing scholarship recipients with the opportunity to access performances and Opera Australia insights.

Congratulations to:

Lauren Fagan
Dame Nellie Melba Scholarship
Patrick and Vivian Gordon Scholarship

Siobhan Stagg
Amelia Joscelyne Memorial Scholarship

Samuel Sakker
Margaret Schofield Opera Scholarship

Janet Todd
Beleura-Tallis Opera Scholarship

Hannah Dahlenburg
Melba Opera Trust Scholarship
Mel & Nina Waters Award

Stacey Alleaume
Amelia Joscelyne Reserve Scholarship
Ruskin Family Opera Award

Brenton Spiteri
John & Elizabeth Wright Smith Scholarship

Kyla Allan
Melba Opera Trust Scholarship

Tiriki Onus
Harold Blair Opera Scholarship

 Photo © Tony Whitehead

Sharolyn, one of Australia’s finest coaches and accompanists, counts herself fortunate to have started her career during a golden age of Australian opera. 

 “The 70s and 80s were a great era, when many Australians came back home,” she recalls. “I was very lucky to be guided by a host of exceptional people.

“Sir Edward Downes, Musical Director of The Australian Opera;  Carlo-Felice Cillario – the great maestro who had conducted Callas and worked with Toscanini – taught me every opera.

“Dame Joan Sutherland used to perform two or three operas here every year, conducted by her husband Richard Bonynge.  By working with the Bonynges, and helping them prepare, I learned a lot about Bel Canto opera and what constitutes great singing.”

Sharolyn joined The Australian Opera in 1975, and went on to a succession of senior positions including Principal Répétiteur,  Head of Music Staff, Artistic Administrator and Director of Music Administration.

After learning from, and being inspired by the greats of the operatic world, Sharolyn is well placed to help the next generation of singers with the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust. 

She and General Manager, Amy McPartlan, are developing the Trust’s Mentor, Scholarship and Melba Artist programs to ensure every aspect of professional singing is addressed.

“It’s not enough to have a good voice, you have to be the total package,” Sharolyn explains.

“When studying music, the focus is on vocal technique. Languages are an integral part of being a singer, an area to which not enough attention is paid in tertiary training. Then there is stagecraft, and the fourth area is personal development, which covers style, dress, makeup, and the qualities you need to make a good first impression and secure a job at audition.”

Sharolyn will also work closely with the singer’s, coaching and mentoring them to support their practical development and artistic decisions.

“This is an extraordinary group of young singers – each one has some very special qualities. We are able to focus on the specific needs they have, and make sure they work with the best coaches to address that need.”

The Trust’s Mentor Program is designed to equip scholars with particular skills that are not necessarily covered in University degrees. “Teaching institutions are about mass production – they don’t allow for individuality. This is where the Trust program is so valuable.

“To make it in the music world, you’ve got to have sincerity and passion, an individual voice, and you have to be able to make people sit up and really listen. The moment you hear Dame Joan Sutherland, Pavarotti, or Callas, you recognise their vocal timbre. You get shivers down your spine! That’s what music is about and that’s what our young singers have to be aiming for.”

Sharolyn urges her young charges to seek international experience “I think it’s essential for young singers to go overseas. They need to go and see what is out there, look at the art, eat the food, walk the paths where Mozart lived, and where Puccini wrote his scores.  You get inspiration from understanding the culture and it enriches your performance when you’re singing in the language.”

She knows firsthand the benefits, having spent a year in Italy during the 1980s at the invitation of Maestro Cillario, who introduced her to the great baritone Tito Gobbi.

“I was very lucky to go to Italy for a year, where I was invited by Gobbi to be the accompanist for the Concorso Internazionale per Cantanti  [singing competition] at Bassano del Grappa and coach for [Gobbi’s summer school] the Studio dell’opera Italiana in a monastery at Asolo.  I lived in a tiny village, and I knew everyone in the community.”

At the same time, Sharolyn cautions against rushing abroad too soon. “Young singers need to give themselves the best chance of success by being ready; vocally, technically and in maturity. They need to make sure they are sufficiently prepared and understand the industry.”

When asked her thoughts on the essential ingredient in a successful musical career, Sharolyn replied

“I think you’ve got to love it – every day I think, ‘Aren’t I lucky?’ I think we are blessed to make music our career, and do something that gives people such pleasure.”

We nurture the qualities needed to build an operatic career by providing scholarships, mentoring with industry specialists and performance experience.

Find out more about the Trust, how to apply for a Scholarship and how your gift can help support young Australian opera singers.