The Singer of the Year Competition is proudly supported by the Robert Salzer Foundation.
Welcome to the Melbourne Male Welsh Choir’s official information and Entrants Portal page for Singer of the Year 2026 – now in its 34th year!
The Singer of the Year Competition is conducted annually by the Melbourne Welsh Male Choir. We gratefully acknowledge our principal supporters, The Robert Salzer Foundation, whose funding allows us to continue to offer this important event.
See under for the competition’s history, 2026 details and to view past events including our Winners Honor Roll.
The basis of the competition is for contestants to prepare three piano-accompanied items as listed below for the Qualifying Heats. These same pieces will be performed should the auditioner advance to the Finals. Each piece is to be performed with inclusion of a short contextual introduction for a maximum total duration not exceeding 15 minutes:
1 An Art Song or Lied
2 An Aria from Opera or Oratorio
3 A substantial item from Musical Theatre or the Great American Songbook
The competition prize categories are:
Winner – Singer of the Year – ” The Robert Salzer Foundation Award” Trophy, Perpetual Shield and $7,000
Finalist – Winner of the “The Herb Jenkins Memorial Award” Trophy and $1,500
Finalist – Winner of the “Melbourne Welsh Male Choir – Life Members Award” Trophy and $1,500
Singer of the Year 2026 – Contestants Portal:
Contestants please note the following details:
Sunday, 16 August 2026 – Opening of entry portal via the link under. (This combines Guidelines, Terms and Conditions and the Entry Fillform.) Eligibility remains similar to the 2025 competition however criteria around Pre-qualification has been introduced to assist us to sustainably manage numbers for the Heats.
2026 Terms & Conditions + Contestants Entry FillForm
Sunday, 30 August 2026 – Close of registrations and commencement of Pre-qualification and eligibility assessments according to the competition Terms and Conditions.
Friday, 4 September 2026 – Confirmation of successful contestants and Heats schedule.
Saturday, 12 September 2026 from (12.30 pm to 5.30pm) – Competition Heats held at Federation Estate Ringwood – this is a public event. Tickets through Trybooking for a tax deductable donation of $10
Saturday, 3 October 2026 2pm to 5pm – Singer of the Year Finals at the Ian Woolf Auditorium, De Young Performing Arts Centre, Carey Grammar School Barkers Road, Kew – Three qualifying singers perform with the Melbourne Welsh Male Choir and 2025 competition winner “Competition within a Concert” for the $10,000 plus total prize pool.
Queries about Singer of the Year can be sent to singeroftheyear@melbournewelshchoir.com.au
History
The inaugural Singer of the Year Competition was held in 1993 and since then it has become one of Australia’s leading performance competitions. It is one of a few competitions which emphasises a diversity of performance pieces. Currently these are three vocal styles; an Art song or Lied, an Aria from Opera or Oratorio and a substantial show-tune or selection from the Great American Songbook. Previous winners have gone on to grace national and international opera and concert stages. (See the impressive Roll under.)
Singer of the Year is also known as “A Competition within a Concert” – a popular format with audiences which sees the competitors perform their selected pieces punctuated by the Melbourne Male Welsh Choirs much celebrated and entertaining repertoire.
Our Choir Patron and Singer of the Year Convenor, David Ashton Smith OAM again looks forward to inviting our 2026 competitors to come forward and for audiences with a love of vocal and choral arts to join us as we support and encourage these emerging stars of opera and stage.
Our 2025 Singer of the Year Concert
There was an excellent response to our 2025 Heats with 17 auditioners each demonstrating exceptional talents – so with that a great challenge to our judges.
The Finals concert was held at the Ian Woolf Auditorium, De Young Performing Arts Centre, Carey Grammar School on Saturday 20th September before Principal Adjudicator Vivien Hamilton assisted by David Ashton Smith OAM. Konrad Olszewski was our concert accompanist – one of Australia’s finest and sought after pianists.
Our Winners and Finalists were:
Winner – Singer of the Year – ” The Robert Salzer Foundation Award” Trophy, Perpetual Shield and $7,000
Alessia Pintabona – Soprano who performed:
“Breit über mein Haupt by R. Straus
“Morrai, sì” – Rodelinda by G.F. Handel
“What Good Would The Moon Be?” – Street Scene by Kurt Weill
Finalist – winner of the “The Herb Jenkins Memorial Award” Trophy and $1,500
Henry Shaw – Bass who performed:
“Don Quichotte Chansons” by Maurice Ravel
“Mentre gonfiarsi l’anima“ – Attilla – by Giuseppe Verdi
“Stars“ from Les Miserables – by Schönberg & Boublil
Finalist – winner of the “The Alan Stevenson Award” Trophy and $1,500
Sophie McGetrick – Mezzo-soprano who performed:
“Als die alter Mutter” by Antonín Dvořák
“Me voici dans son boudoir” – Mignon – by Ambroise Thomas
“Hello, Young Lovers” from The King and I – by Rodgers & Hammerstein
2025 - Photo Highlights
(Photography courtesy of Wendy James unless otherwise stated)
Left to right – Principal Adjudicator – Vivien Hamilton, Henry Shaw, Sophie McGetrick, Alessia Pintabona and 2024 Winner Esther Councel
Winner Alessia Pintabona
whose name is the 33rd to be added
to the Singer of the Year
Perpetual Shield
Find out more about Alessias’ career achievements and the Victorian Opera at the links below:
Victorian Opera link under:
Alessia Pintabona
Singer of the Year Winners Honor Roll
Previous winners have gone on to grace national and international opera and concert stages. Here is our full Honor Roll list.
- 2025 – Alessia Pintabona (Soprano)
- 2024 – Esther Counsel (Soprano)
- 2023 – Naomi Flatman (Lyric Mezzo Soprano)
- 2022 – Shania Eliassen (Soprano)
- 2021 – Samantha Hargeaves (Soprano)
- 2020 – Gabrielle Penney (Soprano)
- 2019 – Chloe Harris (Mezzo Soprano)
- 2018 – Stephen Marsh (Baritone)
- 2017 – Bronte Zemlic (Mezzo Soprano)
- 2016 – Kate Amos(Soprano)
- 2015 – Michael Lampard (Baritone)
- 2014 – Jeremy Kleeman (Bass/Baritone)
- 2013 – Stacey Alleaume (Soprano)
- 2012 – Lee Abrahmsen (Soprano)
- 2011 – Siobhan Stagg (Soprano)
- 2010 – Barbara Zavros (Soprano)
- 2009 – Samuel Dundas (Baritone)
- 2008 – Jacqueline Porter (Soprano)
- 2007 – Adrian Tamburini (Baritone)
- 2006 – Suzanne Shakespeare (Coloratura-Soprano)
- 2005 – Lauren Oldham (Soprano)
- 2004 – Mark Fowler (Tenor)
- 2003 – Lisa Anne Robinson (Soprano)
- 2002 – Michelle Cook (Soprano)
- 2001 – Amanda Forbes (Soprano)
- 2000 – John Bode (Tenor)
- 1999 – Alexandra Sherman (Mezzo-Soprano)
- 1998 – Leslie Martin (Soprano)
- 1997 – Kim Wheeler (Soprano)
- 1996 – Antoinette Halloran (Soprano)
- 1995 – Sally-Anne Russell (Mezzo-Soprano)
- 1994 – Paul Blewett (Baritone)
- 1993 – Paul Batey (Tenor)
