ArtsHub

Australian soprano Kathleen Parker was born in Canada. She studied her Bachelor of Music at the University of Queensland and graduated in 2003 with first class Honours. Kathleen graduated from the Australian Opera Studio in 2008 with Honours and the Dux Prize. Kathleen won the Ethel Osborn Prize in 2008 and the South-East Queensland Performing Arts Competition in 2009. Kathleen has trained in Australia, Florence, London and Berlin. She performed in Tokyo with the International Federation for Arts and Culture in 2008. Kathleen is now training in Perth with Gregory Yurisich on a training scholarship from Colby Drilling.Kathleen’s roles include Arminda, Mrs Peachum, Micaela, Laoula, Vitellia, die Mutter, elle, Parasha and Elettra. Kathleen will receive $43,000 and will join the renowned Cologne Opera Ensemble for up to twelve months in their 2010/2011 season. The 2009 Audi German Opera Scholarship Adjudicators, Malcolm Batty, Victor Morris & Ghillian Sullivan said, “Kathleen shows tremendous potential for a great career, we feel that she will be a splendid ambassador for the Opera Foundation and Australia.” “Congratulations to Kathleen for winning the Audi German Opera Scholarship. It was certainly a tough decision for the judges to select one overall winner from six talented finalists,” Audi’s “Managing Director, Joerg Hofmann said. “We are very pleased to support this Scholarship for the third year. Culture is an important part of Audi’s German heritage and should be nurtured in the Australian community. It is a great partnership which we appreciate. In addition to the actual scholarship prize, we will also provide Kathleen with a car to drive in Australia until she heads to Cologne in 2010 to take up his 12 month posting.” Opera Foundation Australia Scholarships & Awards have provided the springboard for launching the successful international careers of many Australian opera singers over the years. The Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the development and appreciation of the operatic art form in Australia through the awarding of scholarships for study, training and performance to young Australian opera singers and operatic artists