Performing a tribute to Dame Nellie Melba in Manhattan on Australia Day is a long way from 24-year-old soprano Siobhan Stagg’s (TC 2007) childhood life in Mildura, Victoria.
Siobhan was recently awarded the Donovan Johnston Memorial Scholarship from the University of Melbourne, which has allowed her to travel to New York City this month to study with coaches from the Metropolitan Opera.
She also received the jury’s first prize and the Audience Choice Award in the prestigious Meistersinger Vocal Competition in Austria, and won first prize in the Singer of the Year competition, hosted by the Melbourne Welsh Male Voice Choir at Robert Blackwood Hall.
‘The skills I learned in my four years as a choral scholar with the Choir of Trinity College are proving invaluable in developing my music career,’ Siobhan said.
‘Director of Music, Mr Michael Leighton Jones, has been a terrific mentor and I grew so much from the opportunities I was afforded while being a part of this excellent ensemble.
‘As well as the weekly Chapel services, we recorded annually with ABC Classics, performed in premiere venues such as the Melbourne Recital Centre and toured internationally to the US, New Zealand, south east Asia, Germany and the UK.
‘These experiences have certainly played an important role in my developing and burgeoning solo career and I’m so grateful to Trinity for all it has given me over the years – Trinity has become a home away from home!’
Siobhan will perform in New York City and in London before returning to Trinity in March as a resident student to complete the last semester of her Masters in Music Performance.
