Sydney Eisteddfod | Opera Scholarship Finals 2022
Sunday 26 June, 2022, The Concert Hall, Chatswood Concourse
Featuring the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dr Nicholas Milton AM
Compere Damian Whiteley
Kristin Astouroghlian, mezzosoprano
Matthew Avery, baritone
Karina Bailey, soprano
Jeremy Boulton, baritone
Nathan Bryon, tenor
Raphael Hudson, tenor
Olivia Payne, mezzo soprano
Anna Stephens, soprano
Opera lovers take note – mark this event in your diary for 2023! The annual Opera Scholarship Finals in the Sydney Eisteddfod is a glorious and glamorous gala of song, with eight extremely talented artists vying for the $40,000 John Lamble Foundation Scholarship prize.
This year, in a new collaboration with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra, the Concourse audience were treated to a whirlwind of some of the world’s most inspiring and heart-wrenching operatic pieces.
Hours of preparation, dedication to the craft, experiences on stage and off, led the singers to this point. With solos accompanied by some of Sydney’s best pianists – Alan Hicks, Su Choung and Michael Curtain – each of the singers excelled in the art of wooing their audience. We journeyed from the lighter shades of Handel’s O ruddier than the Cherry and Poulenc’s Non Monsieur Mon Mari, to the dark side with of Wagner’s Die Walküre aria Ein Schwert verhheiss mir der Vater and Herod’s aria Vision Fugitive by Massenet.
The second half saw the stage filled with Willoughby Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dr Nicholas Milton AM, and The Force of Destiny Overture by Verdi. Given wings by the orchestra, the singers revelled in presenting, from Mozart’s famous Queen of the Night aria for soprano performed beautifully by Anna Stephens, to the tenor aria parmi Vedra Le lagrime from Verdi’s Rigoletto. It was this last aria that certainly singled out the talent of the final competitor, tenor Nathan Bryon.
While we waited tensely for the adjudicators to make their final decision, we were treated to the wide-open musical landscape of Concierto de Aranjuez by the Spanish master Joaquín Rodrigo, played masterfully by guitarist Andrew Blanch.
Nobody envied Stuart Maunder AM, Christine Douglas OAM and Richard Mills AM in their task – such a varied array of talent and vocal types. How do you choose one?
Third Scholarship was awarded to soprano Anna Stephens. A graduate of Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Anna has studied at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, has won several prestigious awards, and is covering the role of Carlotta in the upcoming Australian National Touring production of the Phantom of the Opera.
Second Scholarship was awarded to baritone Jeremy Boulton, currently undertaking a Masters of Opera Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Jeremy is also a recipient of several prestigious awards, has performed many key roles and is about to tour to Bergamo to perform in La boheme for Musica Proibita.
The Sydney Eisteddfod John Lamble Foundation Scholarship was awarded to tenor Nathan Byron, a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and winner of several Opera Scholarships and awards. Nathan swept us all away with his voice like crème brulee in Dies Bildnis by Mozart, and parmi Vedra Le lagrime by Verdi. Nathan grew up on a cattle farm in the town of Geurie, NSW, and has always felt that his values and identity both personally and professionally have stemmed from the lessons he learned growing up.
Nathan said, “I was raised with the belief that there’s not much you can’t achieve with a bit of hard work, determination, relentless optimism and of course, some luck! ”
He is about to undertake a two-year Artist Diploma at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Cesar Ulloa. We may not see him on these shores for some time!
Congratulations to Nathan and all the contenders, and to the Sydney Eisteddfod and Willoughby Symphony Orchestra on an exciting new partnership.
