Australian mezzo-soprano Fleuranne Brockway has received the prestigious Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award. The sought-after $25,000 grant, awarded through Melba Opera Trust, will provide funding for travel and tuition for the young singer.

Mezzo soprano Fleuranne Brockway. Photo © Aaron Cawley.

The annual award was established in honour of the late New Zealand born opera singer Dame Heather Begg after her passing in 2009, recognising a career spanning four continents and five decades. Since its inception, the award has supported young Australian and New Zealand singers including Lauren Fagan, Emily Edmonds, Samuel Dundas and Jeremy Kleeman.

“[Receiving this award] is a very full-circle moment for me as Dame Heather Begg was one of the reasons I came to opera in the first place. My first operetta was seeing a re-run of Opera Australia’s The Mikado, with Dame Heather Begg as Katisha. I had never experienced anything more hysterical, exciting, or magical. This first production really shaped what I love about opera, which is bringing life to the character on stage and through the voice,” said Brockway. “[She] was a huge inspiration for me and continues to...