Melba Opera Trust is a legacy of the visionary soprano Dame Nellie Melba.
Nellie once said, ‘in order to succeed in opera, you have to engage in the business of singing. A beautiful voice is not enough.’
This is at the heart of our philosophy: our artists are trained to be more than a voice, to be equipped with the skills they need to build sustainable careers.
It begins with the Melba Program, our year-long scholarship funded training program supporting artists from around Australia through a bespoke course of artistic development, mentoring in business, professional and personal skill development, and performance experience.
Our pathways then extend to support artists at different stages of their careers through the Alastair Jackson International Opera Award, Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award and the Alumni Grant Program. Following in Nellie’s footsteps, many of our talented alumni are realising their dreams and performing in opera houses around the world.
DAME NELLIE MELBA GBE
Dame Nellie Melba GBE (1861 –1931) was Australia’s first world-famous opera singer, and one of the greatest celebrities of her day. Born in Richmond, Melbourne, she moved to Paris and went on to enjoy an enormously successful career as a prima donna in Australia, England, Europe and the United States during the early 20th century.
When she died, Melba bequeathed a generous amount of money dedicated to the development of young opera singers “so that another Melba may arise”. This unique and direct legacy from Melba is strengthened by the continued patronage of her late granddaughter Pamela, Lady Vestey which continues today through Melba’s great-great granddaughter, The Hon. Saffron Foster.
Melba’s gift established the Dame Nellie Melba Scholarship, which still exists today with Melba Opera Trust.
Melba was celebrated for her strength of character, her demand for excellence, her pioneering drive, patriotism, generosity, her holistic approach to vocal tuition, professionalism and business acumen. She taught at the Melba Conservatorium for many years and was especially fond of the institution. During her lifetime she supported young singers financially and took pride in giving them opportunities. She believed passionately that “a beautiful voice is not enough” and demanded that young singers learn about the presentation and business aspects of life as a professional singer. Melba Opera Trust seeks to encourage today’s young singers to develop a similar approach.
Melba was protective of her young singers and insisted that they should only sing appropriate repertoire for their stage of development, not taking on too much too soon. At Melba Opera Trust, we focus on the need for a young singer to mature at the right pace.
Melba Opera Trust is immensely proud of our genetic link to the great singer. The Trust is also the chief caretaker of her Memorial at Lilydale, Victoria – an enduring legacy.
CURRENT ARTISTS
As a national program, we are proud to have representation from many Australian states in our program each year.
The Artists are typically tertiary music graduates who present with exceptional promise and are dedicated to further developing the artistry of their instruments.
Following a 2 round audition process, the Artists are presented to the public early in the calendar year and are then engaged in our Vocal/Repetiteur Development, Mentor, and Performance Programs for the remainder of the year.
ALUMNI
A measure of success for Melba Opera Trust is found in the trajectories of the singers and repetiteurs upon completion of their scholarship.
A reputable alumni list includes artists establishing international careers, and engaged professionally with opera companies here in Australia.
Some recent successes of the Melba alumni include places in young artists programs at Royal Opera House – Covent Garden, Guildhall School of Music – London, and Deutsche Oper – Berlin.
THE MELBA MEMORIAL CONSERVATORIUM
The Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music ceased teaching in 2008 and transitioned to Melba Opera Trust.
If you studied at the Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music and require a copy of your academic transcript, please download the transcript request form and email it to us at info@melbaoperatrust.com.au. Costs for this service are outlined in the document. Please note that transcripts prior to 1994 are not currently available.
HISTORY
The Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music was established as a private Conservatorium in 1901 after breaking away from the University of Melbourne, where it had been founded in 1895.
George William Marshall-Hall, its first proprietor, named the institution The Conservatorium of Music, Melbourne. It initially operated within the Victorian Artists’ Society Building in Albert Street, East Melbourne.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Each individual training program is unique, negotiated between the scholar and Melba Opera Trust. Scholarship recipients commit to a comprehensive development program incorporating elements of vocal development, language study, stagecraft, movement and professional development.
Individuals can either work with the Trust to tailor their own development program or nominate an organised post-graduate program at an institution. All programs must demonstrate a balance in the areas of development outlined above.
Find out more about Melba Opera Trust scholarships.
The recipients work with the Artistic Advisor and General Manager of Melba Opera Trust to create their program. The program is based on an initial proposal from the recipient and is refined according to the advice of the selection panel. All members of the selection panel are experts in the industry and highly regarded in the opera world.
On average, a full scholarship package with Melba Opera Trust is valued at $25,000. This includes a cash component to underwrite an intensive Vocal Development program, participation in the Mentor Program and representation through the Melba Artists performance program.
Each year Melba Opera Trust will have an allocation of scholarship funds to distribute. The value of this allocation will increase over time in line with the capacity of the Scholarship Endowment Fund.
Find out more about our scholarships.
Melba Opera Trust invites applications from singers aged between 21 and 28 inclusive, who have completed or are currently completing an undergraduate degree in voice or equivalent program of vocal/operatic studies.
For singers who demonstrate dramatic vocal potential, the age limit will be extended to 30yrs. This dramatic potential will need to be verified by a letter of reference from a vocal expert.
Applicants must be Australian citizens.