The Limelight Artists of the Year for 2023

With the pandemic largely in the rearview mirror, Australian audiences eagerly returned to concert halls, theatres and other performance spaces. At the same time, an increasing number of international artists began visiting our shores again.

So who made our hearts sing? Who dazzled us with their virtuosity? Who enlightened us with fresh approaches to classic works or wowed us with world premieres?

After consulting our reviewers from around the country, we put together a shortlist of 40 artists and ensembles – 20 from Australia and 20 from overseas. The nominees included composers, singers, instrumentalists, conductors, ensembles and companies, working in classical music and opera.

We then asked our reviewers to make...