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Emma Matthews

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Emma Matthews
AM
Born
Emma Lysons

1970 (age 53–54)
Manchester, England
NationalityAustralian
OccupationSoprano singer
Years active1991–present
OrganisationOpera Australia

Emma Matthews AM (née Lysons; born 1970) is an English-born Australian lyric coloratura soprano, noted for operatic roles, but also popular on the concert stage. A Principal Artist with Opera Australia, Matthews has received more Helpmann Awards than any other individual artist, nine Green Room Awards, the Mo Award and the Remy Martin Australian Opera Award.

Life and career

Born Emma Lysons in Manchester, England, she grew up with three younger sisters in Fiji, where her father worked as a maritime pilot,[1] and Vanuatu before moving to Cairns, Queensland, Port Hedland, Western Australia, and finally Perth.[2] There she attended Perth Modern School[3] before studying musical theatre at the Western Australian Conservatorium of Music (part of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, WAAPA), but was persuaded by a teacher to switch to opera. She sang with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Western Australia in 1990.[4] Since her 1991 professional debut with the West Australian Opera and appointment to Opera Australia in 1993, she has appeared in every state of Australia, notably with the State Opera of South Australia, Victorian State Opera and Opera Queensland, in Adelaide, Melbourne as well as frequent appearances at the Huntington Estate Music Festival for Musica Viva from 1994. In 2017 Matthews was appointed Head of Classical Voice at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.[5]

She is married to Stephen Matthews, a former chorister and later a stage mechanic with Opera Australia.[2]

Matthews was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2023 King's Birthday Honours for "significant service to the performing arts, particularly opera".[6]

Roles

Her first roles took advantage of her sweet light coloratura voice (capable of a top F6), her good looks, and her acting ability.[7] She has appeared for Opera Australia as:

Damigella in L'incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi) in 1993
Ilia in Idomeneo (Mozart)
Hero in Béatrice et Bénédict (Berlioz)
Papagena and Pamina in The Magic Flute (Mozart)
Oscar in Un ballo in maschera (Verdi)
Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier (Richard Strauss)
Marie in La fille du régiment (Donizetti)
Nannetta in Falstaff (Verdi)
Rosina in The Barber of Seville (Rossini)
Blonde and Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Mozart)
Morgana in Alcina (Handel)
Almirena in Rinaldo (Handel)
Servilia in La clemenza di Tito (Mozart)
Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
Sophie in Werther (Massenet)
Adele in Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss)

She has later taken on more challenging roles, often being compared with Joan Sutherland who, with her husband Richard Bonynge, was something of a friend and mentor.[8]

Ismene in Mitridate, re di Ponto (Mozart) (produced by Graham Vick) for the 2001 Sydney Festival
Stasi in Die Csárdásfürstin (Kálmán)
Genovieffa in Suor Angelica (Puccini)
all four heroines (Stella, Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta) in The Tales of Hoffmann (Offenbach)
Zwaantie in Batavia (Richard Mills) 2001 world premiere
Lulu in Lulu (Alban Berg)
Bystrouškain/Sharpears, the Vixen in The Cunning Little Vixen (Janáček) for Opera Australia
Philomele in The Love of the Nightingale (Richard Mills) – 2007 world premiere
Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare (Handel)
Juliette in Roméo et Juliette (Gounod)
Lakmé in Lakmé (Delibes)
Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti)
Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Bellini)
Gilda in Rigoletto (Verdi)
Violetta in La traviata (Verdi)

Matthews has also been well received in concerts, with a repertoire from Mozart's Requiem, Haydn Masses, and Handel's Messiah to works by Brahms, Poulenc and Villa Lobos, and Mahler's Symphonies No. 2 and No. 4. She appeared with José Carreras in Sydney 2008, then on New Year's Eve in Mozart's Great Mass in C minor with Sir Charles Mackerras and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Screen appearances

She appeared, billed as Emma Lysons, in the 1995 Alan John opera The Eighth Wonder about the Sydney Opera House, broadcast on ABC TV the night following its world premiere.[9][10]

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected details
Title Details
Handel Arias
(with New Zealand Chamber Orchestra & Donald Armstrong)
  • CD, released: 2001[11]
  • Label: Artworks (AW029)
Emma Matthews in Monte Carlo
Lakmé, Opera Australia
  • DVD, Blu-ray, released: 2012[13]
  • Label: Sydney Opera House (OPOZ56020DVD, OPOZ56021BD)
Stars of Opera Australia compilation
(Matthews in two selections from La Traviata
concert on floating stage, Sydney Harbour, 24 March 2012.)
  • DVD, Blu-ray, released: 2013
  • Label: Sydney Opera House (OPOZ56041DVD)
Giuseppe Verdi, La Traviata as Violetta
(on floating stage, 24 March 2012.)
  • DVD, Blu-ray, released: 2013
  • Label: Sydney Opera House
Mozart Arias (with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra & Marko Letonja)
  • CD, released: 2014

Awards and nominations

ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards

The ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards The ABC Young Performers Awards is a classical music competition for young people that ran annually from 1944 to 2015, and again from 2017.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
1993 Emma Matthews ABC Young Performers Award Won

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2009 Emma Matthews in Monte Carlo Best Classical Album Nominated [14]
2014 Mozart Arias (with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra & Marko Letonja) Nominated

Green Room Awards

  • For her parts in Lulu, Clemenza di Tito, Rinaldo, The Marriage of Figaro, Batavia, Signor Bruschino, Julius Caesar and Lakmé. [citation needed]

Helpmann Awards

The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia since 2001.[15] Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2004 Emma Matthews - Lulu Best Female Performer in an Opera Won [16]
2005 Emma Matthews - The Mikado Best Female Actor in a Musical Nominated [17]
Emma Matthews - Der Rosenkavalier Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera Nominated
2006 Emma Matthews - Lakmé Best Female Performer in an Opera Won [18]
Emma Matthews - Romeo & Juliet Nominated
2007 Emma Matthews - The Love of the Nightingale Best Female Performer in an Opera Won [19]
2008 Emma Matthews - Les Contes d'Hoffmann Best Female Performer in an Opera Nominated [20]
Emma Matthews - Arabella Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera Won
2010 Emma Matthews - La sonnambula Best Female Performer in an Opera Won [21]
2011 Emma Matthews - Partenope Best Female Performer in an Opera Won [22]
2012 Emma Matthews - La Traviata Best Female Performer in an Opera Won [23]
2013 Emma Matthews - Lucia di Lammermoor Best Female Performer in an Opera Nominated [24]
2014 Emma Matthews - The Turk in Italy Best Female Performer in an Opera Nominated [25]

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Emma Matthews won one award in that time.[26]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
2003 Emma Matthews Classical Performer of the Year Won

References

  1. ^ "Top Five – Emma Matthews". The Sun-Herald. Sydney. 27 July 2008. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011 – via emma.com.au.
  2. ^ a b Michael Shmith, "Looking after Lulu", The Age, 9 November 2002, Saturday Extra, p. 3
  3. ^ Jessica Warriner (1 January 2018). "Perth Modern School celebrating 50 years of musical excellence at Perth Concert Hall". Perth Now. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Gilbert & Sullivan Society of W.A. Programmes" (PDF). Slwa.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  5. ^ Clive Paget (24 July 2017). "Emma Matthews to head Classical Voice at WAAPA". Limelight. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Ms Emma Matthews". Australian Honours Search Facility. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Dial Em for murder". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 September 2003. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
  8. ^ "Emma Matthews in lead role of Opera Australia's new work". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 21 November 2010.[dead link‍]
  9. ^ The Eighth Wonder (1995) (TV) at IMDb
  10. ^ "The Eighth Wonder [video recording] – performance details". Trove. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  11. ^ Sandra Bowdler. "Emma Matthews Sings Handel". Andante Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 October 2005.
  12. ^ "Emma Matthews in Monte Carlo" (PDF). Buywell.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  13. ^ "Lakmé", Opera Australia 2012, Naxos Records
  14. ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards – Winners by Award". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Events & Programs". Live Performance Australia. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  16. ^ "2004 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  17. ^ "2005 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  18. ^ "2006 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  19. ^ "2007 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  20. ^ "2008 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  21. ^ "2010 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  22. ^ "2011 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  23. ^ "2012 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  24. ^ "2013 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  25. ^ "2014 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  26. ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
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