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.

Melba Opera Trust

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