Pilgrimage to the Yarra Valley

Building a foundation for an important developmental year in their careers, the 2016 scholars spent the day dedicated to Melba.

The first Mentor Program block for 2016 concluded last week, and now that scholars Daniel Carison, Bronwyn Douglass, Zoe Drummond, Timothy Newton, Michael Petruccelli, Nicholas Tolputt and Shakira Tsindos are directly connected to the legacy of Dame Nellie Melba, we thought there was no better way to spend the final day of the block than with a pilgrimage to the Yarra Valley to learn more about Australia’s great diva.

The first stop was to Lilydale Lawn Cemetery, the sight of Melba’s memorial. Here, we were hosted by John Brown, self-proclaimed “grave keeper to the diva”, otherwise known as the caretaker enlisted by Melba Opera Trust to maintain Melba’s gravesite, as set out in her will. Having lived in the area for a number of decades and having personally known Melba’s granddaughter, the late Pamela, Lady Vestey, John shared anecdotes and insights into Melba’s rich and glamorous life.

Our second stop was to Melba’s treasured 76-acres, meaningfully named ‘Coombe Cottage’. Manager of the Coombe Estate, Daniel Johnson took the scholars on a private tour, explaining the development of the newly-opened-to-public a la carte restaurant, museum and providore ensuring the relevance of Dame Nellie Melba into the future. The scholars were extremely fortunate to be taken ‘beyond the hedge’ into Melba’s cottage, a privilege known to few as it is still a private residence of Melba’s family. The scholars were able to stand in Melba’s music parlour and beside her own piano, often the site for musical soirees she hosted for friends. A tour of the extensive gardens followed before lunch with Daniel in the restaurant.

To round out the trip all the way from the city to the Yarra Valley, the final stop was a visit to De Bortoli Winery, our valued event partner and makers of The Melba range of wines, poignantly based on the opera for which Melba was most famous, La bohème. Our scholars were joined by some of our benefactors who have endowed named scholarships, including John & Elizabeth Wright-Smith, Professors Joseph Sambrook & Mary-Jane Gething and Paulette & Warwick Bisley, all taken on a private tour of the winery before enjoying a wine tasting together.

As a result of the day, new scholar, mezzo-soprano Bronwyn Douglass, felt “passionate to continue to strive for excellence in all of my endeavours”. While returning scholar, counter-tenor Nicholas Tolputt, offered:

“Our ‘Melba Pilgrimage’ was the perfect way to really begin to understand the wonderful legacy that Melba Opera Trust aims to continue. As a returning scholar I had previously had the privilege of singing at Dame Melba’s beautiful home at Coombe Cottage. This trip though, was much more private and started to help us see the complex and intelligent woman behind the music.”