Albury-born Thomas Strong wins the prestigious Lady Fairfax Scholarship.

Thomas Strong, a 31-year-old tenor from New South Wales, has become the 50th winner of the highly prized Opera Foundation Australia 2014 Lady Fairfax New York Scholarship. The Albury-born singer carried all before him at the Finals concert held at Sydney’s Eugene Goossens Hall after a knockout performance of Puccini’s anthemic Nessun Dorma saw the judges putting him firmly in first place.

Valued at $43,000, the scholarship, founded in 1963 by Lady Mary Fairfax AC OBE, offers the winner the opportunity to fly to New York for an intensive period of study with teachers, vocal coaches, language coaches and repetiteurs.

“I am ecstatic about this incredible opportunity from Opera Foundation Australia,” said Strong following his win. “I am so excited about the future of learning and the unique experiences that lie ahead of me in New York.  Thank you all for your support in this invaluable process.”

Offering her congratulations, Anna Cleary, Chair of Opera Foundation Australia (and Lady Fairfax’s daughter) praised Strong as a singer with prodigious talent. “Thomas’s performance with Nessun Dorma and Mamma quel vino e generoso [from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana] in the Finals concert demonstrated his outstanding ability in operatic performance and potential to be one of Australia’s great performers,” she said. “Opera Foundation Australia’s purpose of helping young Australian artists reach their potential through unique learning opportunities in the best opera houses around the world is as relevant today as it was when my mother established the organisation in 1963,” sha added.

Mezzo-soprano Margaret Plummer from Sydney was the winner of the 2014 Vienna State Opera Award while Perth-based conductor Burhan Guner won the 2014 Berlin New Music Opera Award.

The Adjudicators for both 2014 Awards and the 2014 Lady Fairfax New York Scholarship were Anke Höppner, Emma Matthews and Malcolm Batty. Opera Foundation Australia, which is entirely privately funded, has provided unique international experiences for young Australians now for the past 50 years. The first winner was the great Australian bass Donald Shanks back in 1963, while other winners have included Malcolm Donnelly, Lisa Gasteen, Deborah Riedel, Cheryl Barker, Amelia Farrugia, Rachelle Durkin, David Parkin and, most recently, Samuel Dundas.

About the winner: Thomas Strong

Thomas Strong was born in Albury and raised on a farm in outback NSW. He completed his Bachelor of Performing Arts at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2006 and a Masters of Music (opera) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2013. Thomas has had the opportunity to perform in many opera and theatre companies in roles and as part of the chorus. These include the Melbourne Opera, Victorian Opera and West Australian Opera companies.  Since completing his Masters he has been in the 2014 Semi-final for the German-Australian Opera Grant, has won the Ronald Dowd Memorial Award and is one of the six finalists in the Herald Sun Aria.