Australian soprano Alexandra Flood and her compatriot, pianist Alex Raineri have been invited to compete in the live rounds of the 2018 International Hugo Wolf Competition. The prestigious Stuttgart-based competition – focused on Lieder, the French mélodie and other national forms of art song – is frequently seen as a stepping stone for young singers and pianists to launch international careers. Long the majority preserve of German speakers, Flood and Raineri, who will compete against 37 other hopeful couples next month, have been advised that to date they are the only all-Australian pairing to make it through to this stage of the competition.

Alexandra Flood in concert in Mallorca

“As is the case with most information in modern life, we found out via email,” Flood tells Limelight. “It was very early in the morning Melbourne time and it was a very nice spot of news to wake up to. I actually first found out by reading an excited message from Alex, in which he simply wrote ‘OH MY GOD’!”

Flood, born on Phillip Island in Victoria, and Brisbane-born Raineri met in 2015 when both were featured artists at the Bangalow Music Festival run by...