[SYDNEY]

VOCAL COACH

Recently returned from more than 25 years in living, performing and teaching in Germany and the US, Donna Balson currently manages Opera Australia’s prestigious Young Artist Program, also providing specialist coaching to the program’s participants.

During a successful career as a performer, Donna’s operatic engagements have included work with European companies (Oper Frankfurt, Frankfurter Kammeroper, Düsseldorf Opera, Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart), as well as with Opera Australia, Opera Queensland and Canterbury Opera. As a concert artist, she has performed repertoire from Bach to Nono with symphony orchestras and ensembles in Germany, the Netherlands, the US, China, and Australia

Donna’s career in opera has featured parallel paths of performance and coaching. As a performer, she coached with eminent European and American coaches, and performed with an impressive list of conductors and stage directors. Drawing on this extensive experience, and being an accomplished pianist, Donna has long been in demand as a coach and accompanist for her professional colleagues as well as for students. As a coach, she has prepared singers for successful auditions for the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and the Lindemann Young Artist Program at the Metropolitan Opera; and for performances at Opera Australia, Oper Frankfurt, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, La Scala, the Wiener Staatsoper and the Metropolitan Opera.

She began her formal musical education in her native Australia at the Conservatorium High School in Sydney, continuing on at the Conservatorium to achieve her Bachelor of Music Degree and the Diploma of Operatic Arts. She was most recently a senior adjunct professor of voice at Hofstra University in New York, where she also graduated with honours in a Master of Science in Educational Leadership and Policy. Donna has since been an active contributor to research papers and projects as well as to a diverse range of Masterclass programs and lectures.

In her private studio in Sydney, as well as via video call, Donna provides voice lessons and coaching for classical singers, including artists preparing for performances, competitions and auditions.  

Further details of Donna Balson’s artistic, professional and academic achievements are available through her website (see below).