The Acclaim Awards has launched a new Fellowship that will send young Australian opera singers on fully funded trips to Italy for immersive bel canto coaching. Over a period of two to three months, winners will undertake individual vocal coaching and Italian lessons, as well as attend opera performances and competitions.

Antoinette Halloran

“The Acclaim Awards’ principal objective is to help Australia’s talented young opera singers achieve an international opera career,” said Ian Slater, Charmain of the Awards. “Over our 29 years we have been fortunate to work with some of the most significant and elite individuals and organisations in the Italian opera world including La Scala, Turin Opera House and Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Professor Valerio Esposito and Maestro Carlo Morganti.”

The competition is open to any Australian singer who specialises in bel canto between the ages of 18 and 32. The Acclaim Awards has funded or provided scholarships to a number of Australia’s most prominent singers, including Nicole Car, Siobhan Stagg, Stacey Alleaume, Elena Zanthoudakis and Antoinette Halloran.

“The Acclaim Awards has provided me with incredibly valuable experiences, offering opportunities to sing alongside world class singers on the international stage, which in...